Announcements about new hires, staff promotions, association news, awards, mergers and acquisitions

Ted Masters was appointed president and CEO of HART Communication Foundation, the standards foundation for communication technology in process automation.

Ken Barina was named president of Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Inc.

The Hillshire Brands Company announced Brian Davison will join the company as senior vice president, corporate strategy and development.

Snack food maker Shearer’s Foods has been sold to Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.

Fristam Pumps announced the addition of Zach Suardini as an application engineer. He will be responsible for providing in-house and in-field technical support and customer service.

Members of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2012 were announced.