Kiolbassa Smoked Meats is known for smoked sausages, bacon and chorizo. Credit: Gavin Crews for Kiolbassa Smoked Meats

San Antonio-based Kiolbassa Smoked Meats has named a new president, and for the first time in the brand’s 75-year history, the position is filled by someone not a member of its founding family, the San Antonio Business Journal reports.

New president Bill Wagner previously served as Kiolbassa’s chief operating officer and has more than three decades of food-industry experience, according to the Business Journal.

The company produces smoked sausages, bacon and chorizo, all sold in grocery chains across the country.

Rufus and Juanita Kiolbassa founded the firm in 1949 on city’s West Side. Their son Robert, led the company from 1960 until he died last year from a heart attack, according to the Business Journal.

Robert’s son, Michael Kiolbassa, now serves as CEO and chairman.

Wagner got his start in finance and operations for Frito-Lay North America Inc. before joining Ernst & Young’s consumer products management consulting group, the Business Journal reports. He became chief financial officer of SA-based salsa maker Pace Foods before it was acquired by Campbell Soup Co.

According to Wagner’s LinkedIn page, he joined Kiolbassa Smoked Meats as chief financial officer in 2017 and was promoted to chief operating officer last year.

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This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 9, 2022.

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...