Bruce Rohde of ConAgra Foods Named Frost & Sullivan's Food & Beverage CEO of the Year Award.Business Editors MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2004 Acknowledging his resourcefulness in transforming ConAgra Foods ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged foods companies. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska. from an agricultural processor into a value-added packaged foods marketer, Frost & Sullivan presented Bruce Rohde with the 2004 Food & Beverage CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the Year Award at last night's Excellence in Industrial Technologies Awards Banquet. Rohde has distinguished himself by pursuing a unique organizational management and restructuring program to propel the company's market position. Through sharp leadership, vision and successful risk-taking, he has helped the company and its brands gain market share and improve profit margins. His leadership has increased the value of the company as perceived by stakeholders, and produced some of the best total shareholder returns in the food and beverage F&B is a common abbreviation in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Hong Kong. F&B is typically the widely accepted abbreviation for "Food and Beverage," which is the sector/industry that specializes in the conceptualization, the making of, and delivery of foods. industry over the last five years. ConAgra Foods' business focus from 1975 through 1992 was on expansion, as the company grew from a $500 million company into a $15 billion one. Through its acquisition drive, it had become a diversified food company with a few trusted brands; it also had more than 90 independent operating companies. During the mid 1990s, management made a number of moves to improve operational efficiencies. However, it was not until Rohde took over as the chairman and CEO in 1999 that the reorganization of ConAgra Foods received a well-defined direction and the company developed a more focused and integrated approach to the marketplace. Rohde began to regroup re·group v. re·grouped, re·group·ing, re·groups v.tr. To arrange in a new grouping. v.intr. 1. To come back together in a tactical formation, as after a dispersal in a retreat. the independent operating companies and activities, and made large-scale changes to manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution through an effort he called "Operation Overdrive," which consolidated facilities, restructured the business and drove savings. "`Operation Overdrive' was one of the first initiatives taken in ConAgra Foods by Rohde toward implementing the changes he envisaged," says Hari Desai, industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "The operation was launched in 1999 to effect fundamental changes in ConAgra Foods' business strategy to transform itself into a customer-focused, value-added leader in the food industry." Rohde smoothed operations within the company by setting up processes and structures that broke down operational silos. Using long-term strategies and braving risks, he flagged off a series of makeovers that improved the company's cost structure, margins and competitive position. In the last five years, Rohde has been even more aggressive: investing in packaged foods and divesting volatile, low margin commodity businesses from the portfolio; successfully acquiring and integrating brands like Slim Jim Slim Jim is a brand of dry meat snack manufactured by ConAgra Foods, Inc. They are popular in the United States, due in part to their unique texture, salty taste and "hip" marketing. More than 500 million are produced annually in at least 20 varieties,. , Egg Beaters, Chef Boyardee Ettore Boiardi (October 22, 1897 - June 21, 1985), better known as "Chef Boyardee," was an Italian-born chef who became famous for his eponymous brand of food products. History Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy. and Gulden's; unifying the customer service team and retail sales team to make the company easier to do business with; launching the company into its first share repurchase Share Repurchase A program by which a company buys back its own shares from the marketplace, reducing the number of outstanding shares. This is usually an indication that the company's management thinks the shares are undervalued. program and taking significant steps to enhance the company's competitiveness marketing and operational initiatives. ConAgra Foods is currently focused on building more powerful brands; bringing innovations into product development, design, packaging and promotion practices; and creating a more integrated business process to better leverage its three market channels -- retail, foodservice and value-added ingredients. "Leading the company through a focused and phased transformation, Rohde has divested commodity-oriented businesses and successfully shifted the accent to branded and value-added products," notes Desai. Held in Miami, the Frost & Sullivan banquet honored world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in industrial technologies. An annual event, the banquet recognized the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies. About ConAgra Foods ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CAG CAG 1 Chronic atrophic gastritis 2 Coronary angiography, see there ) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies, serving consumer grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: ACT II, Armour, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Brown 'N Serve, Butterball, Chef Boyardee, Cook's, Crunch 'n Munch Crunch 'n Munch is a brand of ConAgra Foods consisting of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. Crunch 'n Munch currently comes in its original form of Buttery Toffee as well as the added varieties of Caramel and Almond Supreme. , DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. , Decker, Eckrich, Egg Beaters, Fleischmann's, Golden Cuisine, Gulden's, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Kid Cuisine, Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a brand name of two separate entities: a theme park in Buena Park, California, and a manufacturer of food specialty products (primarily jams and preserves) based in Placentia, California. , La Choy, Lamb Weston, Libby's, Life Choice, Lightlife, Lunch Makers, MaMa Rosa's, Manwich, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Parkay, Pemmican pemmican (pĕm`ĭkən), a travel food of the Native North American. Slices of lean venison or buffalo meat were sun dried, pounded to a paste, and packed with melted fat in rawhide bags. , Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Rosarita, Ro Tel, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp's, Wesson, Wolf and many others. About Frost & Sullivan Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry, commending the diligence, commitment and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com. NOTE TO EDITORS: In the company name "Ro Tel," there is an asterisk between "Ro" and "Tel." It was removed for transmission purposes only. |
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