Equity firm Arbor Investments names industry veteran first COO

Arbor Investments, a private equity firm focused on acquiring companies in food, beverage and related industries, has named its first chief operating officer.

John Jordan joins Arbor after 30 years with Ornua Co-operative, Ireland’s largest export of Irish dairy foods and ingredients, including the past five as CEO. Ornua has 10 business units worldwide, 3,000 global employees and the flagship Kerrygold brand.

Earlier in his career, Jordan served as CEO of DPI Specialty Foods, a leading wholesale distributor of specialty foods to U.S. retail and foodservice customers and a subsidiary of Ornua. Arbor purchased a majority interest in DPI in 2015 and named Jordan to the DPI board. Arbor sold DPI to KeHE Distributors in June.

“We’ve known John for 10 years, we’ve seen him in action, and we’ve seen him under pressure,” Gregory Purcell, Arbor co-founder and CEO, said in a news release. “To add someone of John’s caliber to the team is a major coup. At Arbor, people make the difference and I’m confident John will be a tremendous asset, helping our operating partners and portfolio company CEOs execute our growth strategies and elevate day-to-day operations at our companies.”

Jordan officially joins Arbor on Dec. 1.

“I have always admired the Arbor team, their focus and commitment to transforming food businesses,” Jordan said in the release. “As a DPI board member, I had a front-row seat to the Arbor playbook in action. I’m honored and delighted to have been entrusted by Greg and Arbor leadership to be part of the firm’s next phase of growth.”