WLR Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: WLRF), one of the nation’s leading producers and processors of poultry food products, today announced the selection of global executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International to assist in the search for a new President and Chief Executive Officer. The new executive will succeed James L. Keeler, who has announced his retirement after serving as WLR Foods’ leader since 1988. The final year of Mr. Keeler’s employment agreement with the Company, which commences July 1, 2000, is designated as a transition year to allow Mr. Keeler and the Board of Directors to identify a successor.
William H. Groseclose, Chairman of the Search Committee, said, “Our new Chief Executive Officer will be articulate, charismatic and capable of energizing a team. With a proven track record of performance, he or she will have demonstrated the ability to direct the overall strategic vision of the Company and significantly impact the business, both in the short and long term, as well as to provide vision and leadership to employees at all levels of the organization. We turned to Korn/Ferry because of its strong reputation in the consumer products industry and its track record in helping companies recruit senior-level executives.”
John Bassler, Managing Director in Korn/Ferry’s global consumer products practice, will head the search team with the assistance of Michael Dunford, Managing Director in Chicago. Together, they have more than 30 years of executive search experience, especially at the senior-most levels. According to Mr. Bassler, “We are delighted to have this opportunity, and look forward to working closely with WLR Foods. With its cooperative team approach and long-standing commitment to the development of high quality, innovative products, WLR Foods is unique among food producers and marketers and is an extremely dynamic organization in which to work.”
About Korn/Ferry International
Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY) – the world’s leading executive search firm with over 70 offices in more than 40 countries – specializes in senior-level executive searches throughout Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia/Pacific. Drawing on the experience and expertise gained over more than 30 years, Korn/Ferry International has developed an in-depth understanding of the industry, business and management issues faced by companies around the world. Clients count on the firm to work with them as partners to meet the human resource challenges they face and to identify the leadership capital they need to grow and prosper. For additional information on Korn/Ferry International, visit its Web site at http://www.kornferry.com.
About WLR Foods, Inc.
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By GlobalDataWLR Foods, Inc., with its wholly owned subsidiary, Wampler Foods, Inc., is a fully integrated provider of high quality, value-added turkey and chicken products. Under the Wampler Foods® label, it sells turkey and chicken products to retail, foodservice, and institutional customers. Internationally, many of its products are also sold under the Rockingham® label.
WLR Foods, Inc. is the United States’ fourth largest processor of turkey, thirteenth largest processor of chicken, and is the seventh largest poultry company by sales volume. Founded in 1927, the Company went public in 1988 and currently employs over 7,100 people in four states. In addition, it contracts with over 900 growers who are primarily family farmers. For additional information about WLR Foods, Inc., visit its Web site at http://www.wlrfoods.com.