John R. Ranelli Named President and CEO of Central Garden & Pet Company
January 07 2013 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ:CENTA), a
leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded
products for the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets, today
announced that John R. Ranelli has been named President and Chief
Executive Officer, effective at the Company’s annual shareholder
meeting to be held on February 11, 2013. Ranelli has been a member
of the Board of Directors of Central Garden & Pet and a member
of the Board’s audit committee since 2010. He will remain on
Central’s Board. Bill Brown, Central’s Chairman and CEO, will
continue as Chairman. It is expected that during the next six
months, Gus Halas will continue in his present role and help
transition Mr. Ranelli into the CEO position. Mr. Halas will then
focus exclusively on transformational change and business
development initiatives.
Said Bill Brown, “Over the last two years, John has become a
leader on our Board and a trusted partner. His close to 40 years of
experience in building consumer products companies will be
invaluable as we position Central for the next phase of growth and
continue our transition to an integrated branded consumer products
company.”
Brown continued, “While we have considerable work yet to do,
Central is a different company today than it was a year ago. We are
transforming Central from what was essentially a collection of over
20 operating companies into an integrated organization. We are
focused on building our brands and introducing innovative new
products to the marketplace. We are eliminating redundant costs and
pursuing a plan to achieve significant savings over the next few
years. As we begin the next phase of our transformation, John
Ranelli is the right person to build on this progress and to drive
the company forward so that it can meet the expectations of our
customers and shareholders.”
Mr. Ranelli has extensive experience in leading mid- to
large-size consumer products companies, driving shareholder value
through transformation initiatives and revenue and profitability
growth. He has served as CEO of Mikasa Inc., a global dinnerware,
crystal and home accessories company, of FGX International
(FosterGrant), a global optical company and, most recently, of
Woolrich Inc., an outdoor clothing company. He has served as an
advisor to companies and private equity firms since leaving Mikasa
Inc. when it was sold in 2008. Previously, he served in senior
executive capacities with The Timberland Company, Stride Rite
Corporation, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, and TLC Beatrice. He has
served on the boards of GNC, Deckers Outdoor Corp, Party City, and
Woolrich. Mr. Ranelli will continue to serve on the Woolrich board
as non-executive Chairman.
Ranelli commented, “We have a great opportunity to build our
brands by continuing to invest in marketing and new product
innovation. I am confident that as we strengthen our customer
relationships, develop stronger ties with the consumer and continue
to improve our execution, we will deliver the sustainable,
profitable growth that we expect of our company and create
meaningful value for our shareholders. I look forward to working
with the Central team to achieve these goals.”
Brown added, “I commend our team for their hard work and
accomplishments. I look forward to John leading Central into its
next phase of growth.”
About Central Garden & Pet
Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator,
marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn
& garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product
innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass
retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include:
Grass seed and the brands PENNINGTON®, SMART SEED® and THE REBELS®;
wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control
and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and
decorative outdoor patio products and the brands NORCAL POTTERY®,
NEW ENGLAND POTTERY® and MATTHEWS FOUR SEASONS™. We also provide a
host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and
supplies. Participating categories in Pet include: Animal health
and the brands ADAMS™ and ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the
brands OCEANIC SYSTEMS®, AQUEON® and ZILLA®; bird & small
animal and the brands KAYTEE®, SUPER PET® and CRITTER TRAIL®; dog
& cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, PINNACLE® and
AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®, VITA FLEX® and HORSE
HEALTHTM PRODUCTS. We also provide a host of other
application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden &
Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has
approximately 3,600 employees, primarily in North America. For
additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company,
including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the
Company’s website at www.central.com.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which
are not historical facts, including expectations for improved
execution and sustainable profitability from the Company’s
transformation initiatives, are forward-looking statements that are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by
forward-looking statements. These risks are described in the
Central’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 13, 2012,
as well as the Company’s other Securities and Exchange Commission
filings. Central undertakes no obligation to publicly update these
forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent
events or otherwise.
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