SEATTLE, Feb. 27, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Directors of Unified Grocers, Inc., the largest retailer-owned wholesale grocery cooperative in the western United States, re-elected Louis A. Amen, Chairman of the Board, Super A Foods, Inc., Los Angeles, as Unified's Chairman of the Board in conjunction with the Company's Annual Shareholders Meeting, held Feb. 12, 2008 at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Wash.
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Directors also re-elected Peter J. O'Neal, President, White Salmon Foods, Inc., Estacada Foods, Inc. and Novato Foods, Inc., Estacada, Ore., First Vice Chairman, and re-elected Richard L. Wright, President, Wright's Foodliner, Inc., Eugene, Ore., Second Vice Chairman.
In addition to Amen, O'Neal and Wright, 16 other individuals were elected by shareholders to serve on Unified's Board of Directors:
* John Berberian, President, Berberian Enterprises, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif. * Oscar Gonzalez, Co-owner, Northgate Gonzalez Markets, Inc., Anaheim, Calif. * Richard E. Goodspeed, President, Goodspeed & Associates, Glendora, Calif. * Terry H. Halverson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Market, Seattle, Wash. * Paul Kapioski, President and Owner, CAP Food Services Co., Seattle, Wash. * Darioush Khaledi, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, K.V. Mart Co., Carson, Calif. * Mark H. Kidd, President, Mar-Val Food Stores, Inc., Lodi, Calif. * John D. Lang, President and Chief Executive Officer, Epson America, Inc., Long Beach, Calif. * Jay T. McCormack, President, Rio Ranch Markets, Glen Avon, Calif. * John Najjar, President, Cardiff Seaside Market, Inc., Cardiff, Calif. * Douglas A. Nidiffer, President and Chief Executive Officer, C&K Market, Inc., Brookings, Ore. * Michael A. Provenzano, Jr., President, Pro & Son's, Inc., President, Provo, Inc., President, Pro & Family, Inc., Ontario, Calif. * Thomas S. Sayles, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, Rentech, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif. * Robert E. Stiles, President, Gelson's Markets, Encino, Calif. * Michael S. Trask, President, Stanlar Foods, Inc., Granite Falls, Wash. * Kenneth Ray Tucker, President, Evergreen Markets, Inc., Greenville, Calif.
All 19 directors on Unified's Board were elected to one-year terms.
In other action at the Company's Annual Meeting, shareholders approved a measure to officially change the name of the Company to Unified Grocers, Inc. (from Unified Western Grocers, Inc.) Although the Company had been doing business as Unified Grocers since June 2007, the change did not become official until it was approved by a majority vote of shareholders.
Unified Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated $3.13 billion in sales during fiscal 2007, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
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Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of Unified Grocers, Inc. based on Management's assumptions and beliefs in light of information currently available to it. There are a variety of factors that could cause actual and future results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made above. These factors are outlined in the Company's Form 10-Q and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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