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,
effective immediately, J. D. Walker will lead its Garden branded
products commercial organization and Dan Pennington will lead its wild
bird and private label Garden businesses. In these roles, Mr. Walker and
Mr. Pennington will report into Michael A. Reed, Executive Vice
President, who will have oversight of the Garden segment.
“Our Company’s core value is putting our customers and consumers first.
It is our goal to provide them the highest quality, most innovative,
solution-driven products, with the highest service levels in the
industry. These organizational changes will bring us closer to our
customer and empower successful business leaders to achieve this goal,”
said John R. Ranelli, Central’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Walker will have responsibility for Central’s branded Garden
business, including sales, marketing, innovation, control products,
grass seed products, and décor products, as well as retail sales and
service. Mr. Walker joined Central in 2011 and brings to his role 33
years of experience in consumer packaged goods including 16 years in
Garden products, representing Duracell, Gillette, Spectrum and Central
brands.
Mr. Pennington will be responsible for Central’s wild bird business
within the Garden segment and its private label lawn & garden
businesses. Mr. Pennington has been with Pennington Seed for 32 years
working in and building virtually every part of the business.
Mr. Reed served as President of the Garden segment for five years and
also worked in various other leadership capacities. He joined the
Company in 2000. Previously, Mr. Reed served as President and CEO of PM
Ag Products, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of global agri-business
Tate & Lyle, PLC.
“I am pleased with the appointments of J.D. and Dan to lead their
respective commercial areas of the Garden business and the return of
Mike to his leadership role for our Garden segment,” said Mr. Ranelli.
“I believe this is a winning combination of leadership and experience.
Mike, J.D. and Dan are experts in their fields, and together with their
knowledge of Central, we fully expect a seamless transition. I look
forward to working collaboratively with the Garden team to create value
for our customers, employees and shareholders.”
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®, BRONCO® and SUPER MASK®. 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
3,300 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.
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