LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Directors of Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, elected Richard L. Wright, President, Wright's Foodliner, Inc., Eugene, Ore., as Unified's Chairman of the Board in conjunction with the Company's Annual Shareholders Meeting, held Feb. 10, 2009 in Cerritos, Calif.
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A leader and an innovator in the supermarket industry, Wright owns and operates seven Market of Choice supermarkets in Ashland, Eugene (4), Portland and West Linn, Oregon. The upscale stores feature a wide assortment of organic and natural foods, restaurant quality prepared foods, locally-produced products, gourmet and specialty products. Wright joined Unified's Board of Directors in 1999 and has held several leadership posts during that time, including Chairman of the Audit Committee and Second Vice Chairman.
With his election, Wright succeeds long-time Unified Chairman of the Board Lou Amen who retired as Chairman but continues to serve on the Board as a director. Under Amen's leadership as Chairman, Unified more than doubled its annual sales volume to $4.1 billion, completed the acquisitions of United Grocers (Portland, Ore.) and Associated Grocers (Seattle, Wash.) and grew into what is now the largest and most successful wholesale grocery cooperative in the western United States.
At the Annual Meeting, 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 elected Terry A. Halverson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Food Markets Northwest, Inc., Seattle, Wash., Second Vice Chairman.
In addition to Wright, O'Neal, and Halverson, 16 other individuals were elected by shareholders to serve on Unified's Board of Directors:
* Louis A. Amen, Chairman of the Board, Super A Foods, Inc,
Los Angeles, Calif.
* John Berberian, President, Berberian Enterprises, Inc.,
Los Angeles, Calif.
* Oscar Gonzalez, Co-owner, Northgate Gonzalez Markets, Inc.,
Anaheim, Calif.
* Richard E. Goodspeed, Principal, Goodspeed & Associates,
Glendora, Calif.
* Paul Kapioski, President, 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
Markets, 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.
About Unified Grocers, Inc.
Founded in 1922, 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 approximately $4.1 billion in sales during fiscal 2008, 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 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-K 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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