Expanding Upon a Two Decade Tenure with Mrs. T’s, Smulligan Succeeds Mark Tarzwell Following his Retirement at the Close of 2024
SHENANDOAH, Pa., February 11, 2025 – Ateeco, Inc., producer of Mrs. T’s Pierogies, is thrilled to announce the promotion of LeeAnn Smulligan to Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2025. This exciting move marks a new chapter of leadership for the company, as Smulligan succeeds Mark Tarzwell.
With an exceptional career spanning more than two decades at Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Smulligan’s leadership has been instrumental in driving operational excellence, category development, key marketing initiatives, and innovation within the company.
“It continues to be a privilege to work for Mrs. T’s Pierogies, an organization that values its people,” said Smulligan. “The brand fulfills its mission of making people smile from our associates to our customers, vendor and agency partners, and ultimately consumers. I am humbled and excited to lead a company whose values align so closely with my own. As we look to 2025, my focus will be on continued operational excellence, strategic planning, and fostering our growing brand loyalty.”
Smulligan began her career at the family-owned pierogy company in 2002 as an enthusiastic and driven Marketing Assistant. During her career, she held the titles of Associate Marketing Manager, Senior Marketing Associate Manager, Category Development Manager, Director of Marketing with responsibility for Research and Development, and Vice President of Operations.
Smulligan’s impressive credentials are matched by her commitment to continued professional and personal growth. She holds a bachelor’s degree in food marketing from Saint Joseph’s University and an MBA from Alvernia University. In 2024, she successfully completed a course in the Wharton Executive Education Leadership Program.
Her leadership expands beyond the corporate world as well. Smulligan serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Helping Harvest, a regional food bank, is chair of the NFRA Promotions Committee and is an active member of VISTAGE, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization. She was also honored as a recipient of the 2024 Frozen and Refrigerated Buyer FoRWARD Award (Frozen & Refrigerated Women Achieving Remarkable Distinction), a prestigious accolade celebrating her outstanding contributions to the frozen food industry, as well as her dedication to mentoring the next generation of female executives.
“Over the years, LeeAnn has been instrumental in driving success for Mrs. T’s, so I’m excited to see her step into the role of Chief Operating Officer,” said Tom Twardzik, owner, Ateeco, Inc. “She understands our business wholistically and her leadership, vision and genuine passion for our brand is unmatched. Under LeeAnn’s guidance, we’ll continue to grow, innovate and stay true to our strong company values.”
About Mrs. T’s Pierogies
In 1952, Ted Twardzik Sr. dreamed of starting a food company inspired by his mother’s pierogy recipe. He remembered how popular the Polish dumplings were at church festivals and thought people would be excited to purchase them from their local grocery stores year-round. Later that year, Ted sold the very first pierogy samples to his local grocery store in Shenandoah, PA, and to honor his mother Mary Twardzik – the Mrs. T – he called his company Mrs. T’s Pierogies. Now, more than 70 years later, Mrs. T’s Pierogies is the largest producer of frozen pierogies, producing over 600 million pierogies a year.
