HOUSTON, Nov. 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- SYSCO Corporation (NYSE:SYY), North America's largest foodservice marketer and distributor, announced today that Jerry L. Barash has been named president and chief executive officer of Sysco Food Services of Ventura, Inc., a broadline foodservice distribution subsidiary located in Oxnard, California. Mr. Barash, who currently serves in the same capacity at the company's St. Louis subsidiary, will assume his new position effective January 1, 2006. He succeeds Joseph R. Barton, who was recently named group president, product, as part of a strategic development process announced by SYSCO Corporation on November 21, 2005.
Mr. Barash, 54, joined SYSCO's corporate office in 1982. In 1983 he was named executive vice president of the company's Los Angeles subsidiary and he advanced to president later that same year. In 1988, following SYSCO's purchase of the CFS Continental foodservice business, he was named vice president of program sales at the newly combined Los Angeles operation. He relocated to SYSCO's broadline subsidiary in Houston in 1994 to serve as vice president of program sales and in 1998 he was named to his current position.
Mr. Barash was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of Arizona, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in marketing. He and his wife, Karen, have two adult sons and a daughter and will relocate to the Ventura area in the near future.
Sysco Food Services of Ventura, Inc. markets and distributes a complete line of food and related products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments, business and industry locations and other foodservice customers throughout southern California.
SYSCO is the largest foodservice marketing and distribution organization in North America, providing food and related products and services to approximately 390,000 restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other foodservice customers. The company generated sales of $30.3 billion for the fiscal year 2005 that ended July 2, 2005. SYSCO's operations are located throughout the United States and Canada and include broadline companies, specialty produce and custom-cut meat operations, Asian foodservice, hotel supply operations and chain restaurant distribution subsidiaries. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com.
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