Up With the People
RETAILERS:
Goldman Named to the World Petroleum Council
Robert W. Goldman (pictured) was elected vice president of finance of the World Petroleum Council at the recent 17th World Petroleum Congress in Brazil. Goldman, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer for ConocoPhillips Inc., has elected to retire from the oil company after more than 37 years of service.
Ashland Names CEO
James J. O'Brien has been named the new CEO of Covington, Ky.-based Ashland Inc.O'Brien, who also serves as president and chief operating officer, will officially take over the reigns as CEO on Oct. 1. He will additionally take over as chairman of the board on Nov. 15, when current chairman Paul W. Chellgren retires.
Davidson Elected to Kroger Board
Richard K. Davidson has been elected to the board of directors of The Kroger Co., Cincinnati. Davidson is chairman and chief executive officer of Union Pacific Corp., based in Omaha, Neb. He has held that position since 1997.
SUPPLIERS:
Miller Promotes Hattersley
Miller Brewing Co. named Gavin Hattersley vice president of finance. Hattersley has worked for the South African Breweries Ltd. (SAB), a subsidiary of SABMiller plc, since 1997 in a number of senior financial positions, most recently as finance director.
Denecour Going West
Westec InterActive, a provider of interactive security products and services, has upgraded its Visual Communications Center (VCC) and hired industry veteran Cara Denecour to oversee its operations.
Food for Thought
Michael J. Hojnacki will oversee the strategic direction of all brands for Aurora Foods Inc. while serving in the newly created position of senior vice president of marketing, the company announced yesterday.
Clear Choice
Kevin Doran was named senior vice president of marketing and sales for Clearly Canadian Beverage Corp.
OBITUARIES:
J.L. Callaway
McLane Co. Inc., the Temple, Texas-based grocery and foodservice distributor, is mourning the loss of J.L. Callaway, who passed away on Sept. 23 in Temple. He was 87.
Callaway, who in 1936 came to work for Robert McLane, the founder of Robert McLane Co., started in accounting but soon moved to sales. His career spanned 55 years and three generations of McLanes, having also worked shoulder to shoulder with Drayton McLane, Sr. and Drayton McLane, Jr. Callaway played a vital role in the company's growing influence in the 1950s and 1960s; and through the 1970s and 1980s and early into the 1990s, he remained a dominant force in the company's sales and marketing organization -- instilling new generations with his experience and the McLane Co. philosophy.
Many of McLane Company's past and present leaders, including Grady Rosier, the company's current president and CEO, considered Callaway a mentor and integral part of the success of the business. "I am deeply saddened by the passing of J.L.," he said. "So many of us learned a great deal about the company and the industry under his tutelage; he has left a lasting legacy here at McLane."
Callaway is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bonnelle Neinast Callaway, and a daughter, Jane Ada Callaway.
Kenneth E. Rush
Kenneth E. Rush, manager of trade relations for John Middleton Inc., a King of Prussia, Pa.-based tobacco company, died Sept. 8 in New York.
The recipient of many industry awards and honors, Rush was recognized as a consummate sales professional by his colleagues at John Middleton, where he celebrated his 50th anniversary earlier this year.
Rush was honored by the Pennsylvania Distributors Association in March when he was declared an "Elder Statesman: of the industry; he was only the third person in the associations 56-year history to receive the honor.
"Ken was true statesman for John Middleton, said Clinton Price, president and CEO of the tobacco firm. "His positive personality and extremely likeable nature allowed him to pursue and close the most difficult deals. The entire industry will truly miss this man."
In addition to his wife of 51 years, Sallee, Rush is survived by a sister; Dorothy Gorby; a son Russell; a grandson, Brian; and numerous nieces and nephews. His daughter, Candace, died in 1989.
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