Broker/Wholesaler Corner
C&S Wholesale Grocers names Mark Verdi president
C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc., Keene, N.H., announced the appointment of Mark Verdi, an experienced global finance and operations executive, as president, a new position at the company. Verdi will assume his responsibilities on March 1.
A native of Springfield, Vt., Verdi joins C&S from Bain Capital, where he is a managing director and co-head of the private investment firm’s Global Portfolio Group, which works with the management teams of the businesses it owns to define end execute growth strategies, enhance their operations and improve organizational effectiveness, C&S explained. Prior to joining the Boston-based company in 2004, he led the Financial Services Business Transformation Group at IBM Global Services, and was a member of the leadership team that spearheaded the acquisition and integration of PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ consulting arm into IBM.
“Mark Verdi is a great addition to our management team who brings world-class leadership and management skills and has a proven track record of strengthening teams and improving operations at large, fast-growing companies and global brands,” said Rick Cohen, chairman and CEO of C&S. “I have gotten to know Mark well over the last two years, and am confident he will take our strategic execution and day-to-day operations to a new level as we continue to accelerate our growth, deliver exceptional service and value to our customers, and create rewarding career opportunities for our employees.”
According to C&S, Cohen will remain fully engaged in driving the success of the business by focusing primarily on driving strategy and innovation, and on finding new ways to grow and provide extraordinary service to the entire C&S family of customers.
“I am delighted to partner with Rick and the management team of this extraordinarily successful company at an exciting time in its development,” Verdi said. “I have spent most of my career working with management teams across a variety of industries to execute growth strategies and improve operational excellence. I am excited to be a part of C&S, as I wanted my next career chapter to be a leadership role in a growing company that has great opportunities ahead. And this is, in many ways, a homecoming, as my family is elated to return to the area where we grew up.”
Supervalu announces changes to its board of directors
Supervalu, Minneapolis, announced that Gerald Storch, an experienced retail executive, was elected as the company’s new chair of its board of directors. The appointment comes after Robert Miller, who served as chairman of the company’s board since March 2013, said he would resign his chairman position to focus on other demands.
Storch is chairman and CEO of Storch Advisors, a senior management advisory and consulting firm that focuses primarily on retailing, e-commerce, consumer products and services, and consumer financial services. From 2006–2013, Storch was chairman and CEO of Toys “R” Us, where he helped grow the company into a $13 billion global retailer, including expanding the company’s e-commerce business and overseeing several large-scale mergers and acquisitions, Supervalu said.
“We are thrilled to have Jerry Storch as our new nonexecutive chairman of the Supervalu board of directors,” said Phil Francis, Supervalu director. “Jerry’s tremendous experience in food and specialty retailing makes him especially well qualified for this role. “At the same time, we are very grateful to Bob Miller, who is truly a giant in the retail grocery industry, for his service on the Supervalu board of directors,” Francis added. “The board will continue to consult with Bob as a non-paid advisor to the board as we move forward, and we are both pleased and fortunate that Bob is willing to assist in this capacity”