HOUSTON, March 7, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- SYSCO Corporation (NYSE:SYY) announced today that Cameron L. Blakely and David L. Snyder have been appointed group presidents for SYSCO's long-term strategic development process. Mr. Blakely, who most recently served as vice president, eBusiness and Baugh Supply Chain Cooperative (BSCC) supplier services, will be responsible for the Pricing area. Mr. Snyder, who most recently served as executive vice president of Robert Orr-Sysco Food Services Company (Nashville, TN), will head the Supply Chain area. Both appointments are effective immediately.
SYSCO's strategic development process encompasses seven key areas of focus. These seven focus areas will serve as the foundation in SYSCO's efforts to ensure a sustainable future and accelerate its rate of growth and entry into other marketplaces. In addition to Supply Chain and Pricing, the process entails Product, Customer, New Growth, Operational Effectiveness and Communication / Collaboration concentrations. These seven strategic priority areas are staffed with full-time, cross-functional associates who are devoted to the following:
-- The Product area will seek to better leverage SYSCO's
purchasing power and procurement expertise and differentiate
SYSCO brand products.
-- The Customer area will target increased sales and market share
by enhancing customer responsiveness -- making it easier for
customers to do business with SYSCO -- and leveraging SYSCO's
unique strengths and position in the industry.
-- The New Growth area will explore potential new growth
opportunities or markets and seek to enhance the processes
for evaluating, executing and integrating them.
-- The Operational Effectiveness area will pursue maximum
efficiency across SYSCO, lowering costs and expense structures.
-- The Communications/Collaboration area will establish critical
new methods for improving the way SYSCO communicates across
the organization and collaborates, or works more effectively
with, all business partners -- customers, suppliers and
others -- associates, shareholders, and the larger community.
-- The Pricing area will develop market-based pricing techniques
to be even more competitive in driving market share gains.
-- The Supply Chain area will further expand SYSCO's supply
chain capabilities to enable moving products faster and less
expensively across the globe.
"The strategic priority areas were established to help SYSCO achieve our long-term vision of becoming the global leader of the efficient, multi-temperature food product value chain," said Richard J. Schnieders, SYSCO's chairman, chief executive officer and president. "While our primary focus remains on growing the core foodservice distribution business in North America -- where we estimate SYSCO holds an approximate 14 percent market share -- we are also committed to exploring and identifying opportunities to grow our global capabilities."
Mr. Blakely, 46, began his 23-year SYSCO career in 1983 as assistant controller of its procurement organization in Kansas City, Missouri and was named controller the following year. In 1987 he transferred to the corporate headquarters as an internal auditor for the operations review department and progressed to a variety of management positions before being named director of that department in 1992. Mr. Blakely transferred to the information services department in the fall of 1992 as a senior director and participated in the design and rollout of the SYSCO Uniform System (SUS), a company-wide upgrade of management information systems, and the SYSCO Warehouse Management System (SWMS), a warehouse and labor management application. He was promoted to vice president of finance and chief financial officer of SYSCO's Palm Beach, Florida operation in 1997 and later that year transferred to SYSCO's Nashville, Tennessee subsidiary to serve in the same capacity. He returned to the corporate office in 2000 as assistant vice president, eBusiness and was named to his current position in February, 2003.
Mr. Snyder, 56, began his 29-year SYSCO career in 1977 as director of management information services at the company's Nashville operation. In 1984 he transferred to the SYSCO procurement group in Kansas City, Missouri as director of management information services, and in 1986 rejoined Robert Orr-Sysco as vice president of operations. In 1992 he was promoted to senior director of distribution systems at the corporate headquarters in Houston, progressing to assistant vice president, distribution services in 1995 before returning to the Nashville operation in his current position.
SYSCO is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. For calendar year 2005 the company generated $31.4 billion in sales. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com.
Certain statements made herein are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. They include statements regarding the expected benefits of SYSCO's long-term strategic development process. These statements are based on management's current expectations and estimates; actual results may differ materially due to certain risks and uncertainties, including competitive price pressures, availability of supplies, work stoppages, severe weather, successful integration of acquired operations by the Company, conditions in the economy, including the impact of rising fuel costs, industry growth and internal factors, such as the ability to control expenses, and risks inherent in SYSCO's supply chain project, which is still being refined and may not provide the expected benefits. In addition, the strategic development process is in its earliest phases, and it is too early to predict when or what its actual impact will be with any degree of accuracy. For a discussion of additional factors affecting the Company, see the risk factors contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 2, 2005 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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