HOUSTON, June 28, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- SYSCO Corporation (NYSE:SYY) announced today that Timothy K. Hussman has been named chairman of Desert Meats in Las Vegas, Nevada and Ronald G. Boatwright has been named chairman of Buckhead Beef of Florida (Auburndale, FL) and Royalty Foods (Orlando, FL) effective July 2, 2006, the beginning of SYSCO's fiscal year 2007. All of the companies are subsidiaries of SYSCO Corporation.
Mr. Hussman, 46, currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Newport Meat Company, an Irvine, California subsidiary, and chairman of Fulton Provision Company, a Portland, Oregon subsidiary. He began his foodservice career in 1983 at the American Angus Association as assistant director of the Certified Angus Beef(TM) Program. In 1986 he joined Newport Meat Company as assistant to Rick Nicholas, Newport's founder, president and chairman. In 1989 Mr. Hussman was named executive vice president of that operation, then advanced to president in 1996. In 1999, following SYSCO's purchase of Newport Meat Company, he was promoted to the additional position of chief operating officer. In 2001 he was named president of the company and in 2003 he assumed additional responsibility as chairman of the Oregon subsidiary.
Mr. Hussman graduated from Virginia Tech University in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in animal science. In 1983 he earned a post-graduate diploma in international trade from Lincoln University, New Zealand and in 1993 he completed his master of business administration degree at Pepperdine University. He and his wife, Julie, have two daughters and reside in Laguna Beach, California.
Mr. Boatwright, 47, began his career in the meat industry in 1984 with Cargill Corporation. He held a variety of sales and marketing positions with that company before joining Freedman Meats in 1989 as general manager of its Dallas division. In 1998 he was named vice president of Freedman Meats and in 2001, after SYSCO acquired the company, he was appointed executive vice president. In 2003 Mr. Boatwright was promoted to his current position as president of the Denver-based Freedman meat company and the four Texas-based Freedman operations (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Harlingen).
A native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Mr. Boatwright attended the University of North Carolina as a Morehead Scholar and he earned a bachelor of science degree in American Studies in 1981. He and his wife, Jamie, have two daughters and reside in Colleyville, Texas.
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.
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