HOUSTON, Dec. 11, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- SYSCO Corporation (NYSE:SYY), North America's largest foodservice marketer and distributor, announced today that Bruce H. Matthews has been named president and chief executive officer of Sysco Food Services of Charlotte. Mr. Matthews, currently president and chief executive officer at SYSCO's Columbia, South Carolina operation, will assume his new position on January 1, 2007.
Mr. Matthews, 56, began his career at SYSCO in 1984 as a marketing associate at Lankford-Sysco Food Services, Inc. (Pocomoke, MD), where he progressed to district sales manager in 1987. Two years later he transferred to SYSCO's Harrisonburg, Virginia subsidiary as general sales manager. That company later merged with another SYSCO company to become Sysco Food Services of Virginia, Inc., and in 1990 Mr. Matthews was promoted to vice president of sales for that company. In 1992 he moved to Sysco Food Services of Central Pennsylvania, Inc. as vice president of sales and three years later advanced to senior vice president. He was promoted to executive vice president of Sysco Food Services of Charlotte in 1997 and to his current position in January, 2001.
Mr. Matthews is a native of Powhatan, Virginia. He is a graduate of James Madison University, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business management and marketing. He and his wife, Shane, have a son and a daughter and will be relocating to North Carolina in the near future.
Sysco Foodservice of Charlotte provides products and services to foodservice operations, including restaurants, country clubs, healthcare and educational institutions, lodging establishments, business and industry locations and other foodservice operations throughout North Carolina.
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 the fiscal year 2006 that ended July 1, 2006, the company generated $32.6 billion in sales. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com.
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