Tri Valley Growers (TVG), a leading U.S. food processor, announced today that Jeffrey P. Shaw has been appointed to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Shaw joins TVG from Green Bay, Wisc.-based Dean Foods Vegetable Company, where he served as president since 1992. At Dean Foods, Mr. Shaw significantly raised shareholder value and
changed the company into a team-based, results-driven, high-performance culture. He successfully acquired and combined five companies to grow Dean Foods Vegetable division to a $650 million business.

"We are very excited that Jeff has joined us. He brings a wealth of experience to the President and CEO position," commented Jaswant Bains, chairman of the 500-member California-based cooperative. "Jeff's proven track record in the food business combined with his leadership capabilities provide an ideal background to lead TVG into the future."

Shaw says customer focus and employee motivation are his top priorities, in deference to TVG's blue-chip customer roster that includes many of the world's leading grocery retailers, restaurants and foodservice institutions, and 1,500 annual and 9,500 seasonal employees.

"People are the foundation of this company," Shaw says, "and our customers are our reason for being. We will have a culture of mutual respect and trust as we build for the future."

Shaw joins TVG following seven months of interim management led by CEO R.D. Cook and President Timothy R. Barron. Cook and Barron replaced President and CEO Joseph Famalette who departed in August 1998 after the company posted a $79 million loss on $782 million net sales for the 1997-98 fiscal year. Cook and Barron solidified the company's banker relationships and instigated five turnaround initiatives to return the company to profitability.

Prior to joining Dean Foods, Shaw served as president of Richard A. Shaw, Inc., a Watsonville, Calif.-based food company. He earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting from San Jose State University and a master of business administration degree in taxation from California State University Hayward.

Russell Reynolds Associates conducted the President and CEO assignment on behalf of Tri Valley Growers.

Founded in 1932, Tri Valley Growers responsible for more than half of the canned peaches, pears and apricots, 23 percent of the canned olives and 10 percent of the canned tomato products in the United States. The company is the ninth largest private employer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Company news release