LOS ANGELES, March 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shareholders of Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, elected 20 directors to serve on the Board of Directors (up from 19 in 2009) and approved a measure that provides the Board with the authority to retain some non-patronage earnings at the Company's Annual Shareholders Meeting, held Feb. 23, 2010 in Cerritos, Calif.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7174
Added as the 20th director to the Board was Mimi R. Song, president and chief executive officer, Super Center Concepts, Inc., which operates 33 Superior Grocers supermarkets throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Superior Grocers is Unified Grocers' largest customer (warehouse sales) in Southern California and the second largest customer companywide. Song previously served as a director on Unified's Board for eight years (1998 to 2006).
In other action at the Annual Meeting, shareholders approved a measure that provides the Board of Directors with the option of setting aside a portion of the Company's future annual earnings from its non-patronage business and not allocate those earnings to the exchange value of shares in the Company.
At a Board of Directors meeting immediately following the Annual Shareholders Meeting, directors elected Richard E. Goodspeed, president, Goodspeed & Associates, to serve as Chairman of the Board of Unified Grocers. 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 Terry A. Halverson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Food Markets Northwest, Inc., Seattle, Wash., Second Vice Chairman.
In addition to Song, Goodspeed, 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.
- 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, Vice President, Government and Community Relations, University of Southern California., 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.
- Richard L. Wright, Chairman of the Board, Market of Choice, Inc., Eugene, Ore.
All 20 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 2009, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
The Unified Grocers, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1214
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.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
