Consumer Products Veterans Nathan Hanson, Darran Spence, and Jim O’Sullivan Join in Key Roles
Burnsville, Minnesota – Apothecary Products Incorporated (“Apothecary” or the “Company”), a leading innovator, manufacturer and distributor of consumer healthcare products and pharmacy supplies, has announced the appointment of three key hires for its leadership team: Nathan Hanson, President and CEO; Darran Spence, CFO; and Jim O’Sullivan, Sr. Vice President of Sales. Hanson, Spence and O’Sullivan bring extensive, collective consumer products and results-driven sales, finance, marketing and management experience to Apothecary. Hanson will also serve on Apothecary’s Board of Directors.
Founded in 1975 and led by its medication compliance line of products, Apothecary is a privately-held company selling pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products to independent and chain pharmacies, food and mass retailers, and distributors and wholesalers worldwide. Apothecary offers its customers a one-stop-shop solution with unmatched product breadth of both over-the-counter consumer health products and behind-the-counter pharmacy supplies, spanning across three categories, including pharmacy supply, medication management, and home healthcare.
Hanson most recently joins the Apothecary team from Oasis Brands (Mercury Paper & Solaris Paper) where he was CEO and a Board Member. He was instrumental in spearheading the vision and mission of the company to redefine how tissue products are made and sold in the U.S., and during his tenure as CEO, Oasis experienced significant business growth and profitability improvements through the development and execution of an end to end business plan, creation and launch of the Fiora brand, development of the organization and teams, and focus on building effective supplier and customer relationships. Prior to Oasis, Nathan held senior marketing leadership positions at Pure Fishing and Kimberly-Clark where he led various successful efforts, including the development of brands and new product development across North America and Europe. Prior to Kimberly Clark, he served as Director of New Business Initiatives at Gardetto’s; Brand Director at Dr. Pepper/7Up; and brand and product management roles with Miller Brewing and Gallo Winery.
Hanson graduated from the University of Minnesota with his BS in Marketing & Management. He was also a Distinguished Military Graduate of ROTC, and a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army decorated seven times for meritorious service.
Hanson, stated, “I’m honored to join the Apothecary team, and I look forward to working with Jim, Darran, our management team, and our talented employees to continue building upon its success. Apothecary has built a solid reputation, long-term customer relationships, category leadership, and solid financial performance over the years. I am confident that with the talent we are bringing in coupled with the already strong team that we will be able to create value added innovation that drives growth for our customers and helps consumers live life a little easier and better.”
Prior to joining Apothecary as CFO, Darran Spence worked as a consultant with River Rock Partners in a variety of capacities, including helping to lead acquisition integrations, strategic planning initiatives, and growth strategies for improving overall profitability at businesses. While at River Rock, she also provided interim CFO support for consumer product companies. Spence also served as CFO for Airborne and The ADS Group, and her earlier career includes progressive finance leadership roles at CNS, General Mills, and The Pillsbury Company.
Spence earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Southern California and her MBA from University of Minnesota.
Rounding out the senior leadership team is Jim O’Sullivan, Sr. Vice President of Sales, who most recently joins Apothecary from Designer Protein, the originator of the whey protein category, where he was Sr. Vice President of Sales. While there, he led the sales team, established the organization, systems and processes needed to support growth, grew the topline while gaining new distribution at major retailers including CVS and Walgreens. Prior to Designer Protein, O’Sullivan held several senior sales leadership roles at Airborne, Recycled Paper Greetings, Schwan’s Bakeries, and The Pillsbury Company.
O’Sullivan earned a BS degree in Finance from Northern Illinois University.
“Both Darran and Jim bring significant consumer product industry experience and have demonstrated over the course of their respective careers their individual ability to lead growth and profitability improvement, provide leadership, and develop people. On behalf of the entire Apothecary team, we are all excited to have them on board. I am confident that the addition of these two individuals to a strong leadership team and our committed, passionate employees position us for future success and growth,” Hanson continued.
Apothecary was acquired by Minneapolis-based investment firm Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) in February 2014. The Burnsville, Minnesota-based company employs 200 people, operates a manufacturing facility in St. Charles, Michigan, and has several strategic manufacturing partners in the U.S. and internationally.
