Title: Operational Excellence Manager and Continuous Improvement/Focused Improvement Pillar Lead
Company: TreeHouse Foods Inc.
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
James Miguel Riley-Mercado, operational excellence manager and continuous improvement/focused improvement pillar lead at TreeHouse Foods Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in food production and manufacturing.
Across the past 20 years, Mr. Riley-Mercado has found enduring success in the field of food manufacturing. He initially studied with the intention of becoming an accountant and then considered distribution, human resources, marketing and operations, finding limited options and a lack of engaging challenge in each. In 2005, Mr. Riley-Mercado found the opportunity he had been looking for at Wurth Supply Inc., where he became a transportation and logistics specialist and quality document control coordinator. During this time, he learned many essential lessons for working in the supply chain industry and gained key experience in organizing distribution centers.
Building on that initial work, Mr. Riley-Mercado joined PepsiCo in 2008, taking on multiple positions: inventory control specialist, analyst, distribution center supervisor and production supervisor. Spending seven years at PepsiCo, he reached notable milestones, including winning year-end inventory accuracy and Fox compliance awards that remain a career highlight. From 2015 to 2021, Mr. Riley-Mercado held the roles of production supervisor and production shift manager at Nestlé USA. Further demonstrating his ambition, he graduated from Nestlé’s accelerated leadership program, setting himself up for even more success.
Following several years as a plant operations manager at Kellanova, formerly Kellogg Company, Mr. Riley-Mercado shifted to TreeHouse Foods, where he has served as an operations excellence manager and pillar lead of continuous improvement/focused improvement since 2024. His duties include overseeing and improving the entirety of the company’s supply chain processes, monitoring performance metrics and spearheading projects to ensure continued efficiency while embracing opportunities for growth. Through TreeHouse Foods, which manufactures snacks and beverages, Mr. Riley-Mercado has cemented himself as a key player in the private brands production industry. The company’s products include bakery items, broths, candy, cheese, coffee, crackers, pickles, tea and more.
Prior to embarking upon his professional journey, Mr. Riley-Mercado gained essential knowledge through his education. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2005. Mr. Riley-Mercado’s studies focused on marketing management, human resource management and distribution-marketing management. He also obtained certification in transportation and logistics through the American Society of Transportation & Logistics in 2005.
Mr. Riley-Mercado has distinguished himself throughout the field in a number of capacities. He contributed as a member of the student advisory board of the Ethics Committee for Undergraduate Programs at the Kelley School of Business. Mr. Riley-Mercado also served as the vice president of internet technology and historian for the Kappa Sigma chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed professional business fraternity with branches around the United States. Reflecting his faith, he has been an active member of Ada Bible Church since 2024.
In addition to his career achievements, Mr. Riley-Mercado is a devoted husband to his wife, Carleen, and a loving father to three children: 11-year-old Logan, 10-year-old Lucas and 7-year-old Lily. He fills his free time with his family, as well as traveling and watching classic movies. Mr. Riley-Mercado has strong ambitions for his future, with hopes of becoming a plant manager and leading his own facility. He is eager to bring together the many aspects of manufacturing and supply chain management he has learned over the years, and to put them to use in uplifting an exciting organization and team.
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