Innovative Food Holdings Inc., a national seller of gourmet specialty foods to professional and home chefs, is announcing that Denver J. Smith was appointed as a director of Innovative Food Holdings. Smith fills a newly created vacancy on the company’s board of directors via an expansion of the size of the board. Smith has served as a board observer since Nov. 28, 2022.

Bill Bennett, Innovative Food Holdings CEO said, “Denver is an experienced investor and understands what it takes for emerging growth companies to be successful. As one of the [company’s] largest shareholders, he has a strong understanding of our business and the long-term growth opportunities we are pursuing to create value for all shareholders. He joins at an exciting time for IVFH and I look forward to his contributions as a member of our [board.]”

Denver Smith added, “IVFH is extremely well positioned to provide gourmet specialty foods to both professional and home chefs by leveraging its established food service capabilities and eCommerce platform. I look forward to working with IVFH’s Board and management team, as the [company] focuses on driving profitable growth and creating long-term shareholder value.”

Smith co-founded Carlson Ridge Capital, a hedge fund manager, in 2015. He is also the co-CIO of the firm. Additionally, Smith advises the Aspen Family Trust on its asset allocation and strategic-level decisions for various entities it owns. He has over 14 years of experience successfully investing in a variety of public and privately held businesses, as well as a proven track record in creating value through M&A transactions. In 2015, he prompted and helped negotiate the sale of his previous employer to a multi-billion dollar publicly traded REIT for over $150 million. In the food and beverage sector, he previously signed a voting agreement relating to his effective 10%-plus ownership of a publicly traded Canadian firm that enabled a value creating monetization of the business. Smith serves on the Board of Trustees of Lifestyle Management Inc., a nonprofit organization. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and economics. He also earned an Master of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Smith is a CFA charterholder.

Source: Innovative Food Holdings Inc.