Duane Martin

Duane Martin has spent his career running P&L for some of the largest and most complex organizations in retail and distribution — rebuilding more than once when the easy path wasn’t available.

As President & EVP of IGA North America and IGA Global, Duane grew U.S. sales from $7.1B to over $8B — while reducing store count to strengthen the value of the brand — and grew IGA’s total global revenue from $16B to $22B. Earlier, as Co-founder, Chairman & CEO of Universal Food & Beverage Company, he led a public reverse merger and raised more than $25M in institutional capital. Most recently, as Chief Growth Officer of International Food Specialist and then at McLane Global, he inherited a distributor program and rebuilt it into a multi-million-dollar Master Distributor operation — growing customer count over 100% and increasing margins along the way.

Today, as Managing Partner of The Meridian Group USA, Duane works as a hands-on, de facto EVP for companies that need senior operating and AI-integration expertise without a full-time hire — spanning CPG brand strategy, supply chain resilience, and board-level governance. He is also Managing Partner & Board Member of Martin Properties, a role he’s held for over 17 years.

Duane trained in IGA’s executive partnership program with Campbell Soup Company at the Wharton School, and has served on advisory boards for Coca-Cola, U.S. Special Olympics, and IGA’s Red Oval council.

Beyond the Boardroom

Duane founded the Newlin Martin Foundation — named for his father — supporting rural 4-H youth, and has hosted an annual Christmas Charity Gala since 1999 benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network and the Wounded Warrior Project. He also owns and works with horses — an experience that’s shaped how he thinks about leadership: a horse can sense hesitation or bluff before you’re even aware of it yourself, and boards and executive teams aren’t all that different. As Duane puts it, trust is felt before it’s earned.