John F. Baugh, the founder of foodservice distributor Sysco Corp., has died at age 91.
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Baugh left his job in 1946 as a manager for the local A & P, Waco, TX, to launch food distributor Zero Foods. He made deliveries in the company’s only truck six times a week – and after that he would make sales calls to cafeterias, bakeries and hospitals.
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More than 20 years later, in 1969, Baugh met with eight other distributors and created SYSCO Corporation. Since the company’s initial public offering in 1970, when the company was at $115 million; SYSCO has grown to $30.3 billion in sales, according to its Web site.
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SYSCO has 69 distribution facilities and provides products and services to more than 390,000 restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, retirement homes and other foodservice operations. The network expands through the U.S. and parts of Canada.
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Baugh retired in 1985 but stayed on the board of directors until 1997, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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In other SYSCO news, the board of directors recently promoted Kenneth F. Spitler to president and chief operating officer. Spitler had previously served the company has executive vice president and president of North American foodservice operations.
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