The Team
Mitch Hartson
Mitch Hartson, is a retired federal executive who served as the Director of Operations, Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence, United States Army Quartermaster Center and School from October 1991 to January 2006. As the lead civilian food executive having oversight responsibility for the Army Food Program, he supervised the operational functions of the program to include: menu development; facility design; participation in the Subsistence Prime Vendor Program; and the protocols related to approval of new food and equipment items for use in the food program. He also served as the Army’s Joint Technical Staff Officer responsible for maintaining close communication and cooperation with the Combat Feeding Directorate, Natick Soldier Center. In this role, he solicited input from field units on needs for new feeding equipment and rations. Starting in 1995, he served as the Army’s lead representative on the Defense Logistics Agency Combat Ration Network (CORANET), a group charged with assisting industry in modernizing manufacturing processes related to the production of combat rations.
During the period July 1965 to February 1998, he served in the United States Army Reserve in a number of positions culminating in his assignment of the Commander, 80th Division Training Support Brigade, Roanoke , Virginia.
On 6 January 2006 he established his own company and currently serves as the President, Creative Business Ideas, LLC.
He was awarded the Rohland A. Isker Award of the Research and Development Associates for Military and Food Packaging Systems Inc. in 1998 and was inducted into the R&DA Hall of Fame in June 2005. Upon the occasion of his retirement from federal service in January 2006, he was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award by the Department of the Army.
Peter Hans
Mr. Peter Hans is the President of Superior Food Brokers, Inc. and a collaborating consultant who works with Creative Business Ideas LLC to help grow food sales for military companies wishing to enter the school lunch program.
Mr. Hans began his food service career in 1971 and in 1982 he established Superior Food Brokers, Inc. catering to school districts, universities, distributors, food service beverage management companies and correctional facilities.
In addition to being President/CEO of Superior Food Brokers Inc, Mr. Hans began a consulting relationship with Tabatchnick Fine Foods in 1999. During his tenure with Tabatchnick Fine Foods, Mr. Hans became the Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he increased their sales from approximately $3,000,000 per year to over $25,000,000 per year.
In December 2006, Mr. Hans retired from Tabatchnick Fine Foods but continued with Superior Food Brokers, Inc. In January 2007 he expanded the operations of Superior Food Brokers to include a consulting division. In July 2008, Superior Food Brokers Inc. once again expanded. This expansion included operations with the U. S. military services and faith-based organizations associated with the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Michael Moffitt
Michael is President of Going to the Sun Marketing Associates an expanded service marketing and web development company with offices in Whitefish, MT and Rochester, NY.
Prior to forming his own company he served as the Director of Marketing and Sales for Big Mountain Resort, managing a diverse and highly skilled team whose primary focus was to make the resort one of the premier four season destinations in North America, while still retaining all of the aspects of Pure Montana that have made it one of the best loved winter resorts for over fifty years. His staff was comprised of Sales, Administrative, Ad Media, Graphic Design, Public Relations, Promotions, Web Media and Travel Planning professionals.
Before moving to Montana, Michael spent twelve years as Director of Marketing and Sales for a major division of Cadillac Products, Inc., one of the largest privately held packaging corporations in North America. Cadillac Products is headquartered in Michigan. His responsibilities included management of the global sales force and marketing efforts for public sector and several large commercial clients. In addition, Michael managed business growth worldwide and personally managed several multi-million dollar clients for Cadillac Products.
Immediately prior to his tenure at Cadillac Products he commanded the US Navy’s largest torpedo manufacturing and Undersea Warfare R&D complex in Cleveland, Ohio. This position was the culmination of a twenty year career as an officer in the United States Navy, which took him across the world and afforded him the opportunity to serve in a number of challenging and exciting positions throughout his career including Controller of the Navy Finance Center, Washington, DC, Supply Officer of a US Naval Base, and Director of Contract Support, Defense Communications Agency, Arlington, Va.
Michael lives with his wife, Mary Alice in Whitefish, Montana. They have one son, David, who is a graduate in Film and Video at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.
The Moffitt’s are active sports enthusiasts (hiking, skiing and snowshoeing), enjoying the many wonderful recreational amenities that northwest Montana has to offer year around. Michael and Mary Alice moved to Whitefish because of the warm, friendly people and a special way of life that focuses on the content of a person’s character. Michael is a member of the Board of Directors of the Glacier Symphony & Chorale, a member of the Whitefish Rotary Club and is active in other local charitable and community oriented organizations.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mineral Economics from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters degree in Business Management, with an emphasis on Organizational Development from Central Michigan University.