KANSAS CITY — Blake Day has been promoted to president of Shick Esteve North America, a manufacturer of food equipment.

Mr. Day has been executive vice president of Shick Esteve since 2018 and chief financial officer since joining the company in 2015.

Prior to joining Shick Esteve, Mr. Day worked as CFO at Marlen International, a manufacturer of engineered food processing equipment and systems. He also worked as corporate controller for Dow Kokam and vice president of finance for Premium Standard Farms, Inc.

“Since being promoted to executive VP, Blake has been very effective in managing the day-to-day operations in Kansas City,” said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Shick Esteve and vice president of Linxis Group. “His leadership has been key in advancing our strategic initiatives for increased efficiency and reduced cost. It has truly been a pleasure to work with Blake as we continue to maximize the organization’s performance.”

Mr. Day received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

Shick Esteve also announced that Jason Stricker has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing.

A second-generation employee, Mr. Stricker has been in the field of ingredient automation for more than 20 years, and during this period has developed a wealth of knowledge in the fields of ingredient automation and process solutions. He has worked in regional and executive account management for Shick Esteve during the past 13 years, and for the past 5 years has been director of sales and marketing, where he has overseen significant market growth for the company.

“Jason’s knowledge of our technical capabilities and his connection to our customers has been key to our success in recent years,” Mr. Cook said. “This promotion recognizes his valuable contribution to the leadership of our organization.”

Mr. Stricker is an active member of the Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds association, where he holds a seat on the Baking Industry Forum.

He received a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Baker University.

Shick Esteve also announced the promotion of Jessica Nelsen to vice president of human resources for Shick Esteve North America. In her new role she will be responsible for all facets of human resources for Shick Esteve, including benefits administration, recruiting, employee relations and training.

Ms. Nelsen joined Shick Esteve in 2014 as manager of human relations and has been instrumental in building the culture, recruiting top talent, and improving the company benefit programs. Prior to Shick Esteve she worked in the HR department at Burns and McDonnell for six years.

“When we hired Jessica our company culture immediately took a big leap forward,” Mr. Cook said. “She has been key in recruiting talent and improving the benefits that we offer to our teammates. Jessica has also been an instrumental contributor to the development of our corporate strategy.”

Ms. Nelsen received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska. In addition, she is a member of HRCI and ABA HR and Safety Professionals Group Associations.

Shick Esteve is a complete ingredient automation provider and global automation systems provider focused solely on the food industry. The company designs, manufactures, installs and services ingredient automation systems for customers worldwide.