Food People: Pilgrim's Pride, Welch's, Campbell, and more

Pilgrim’s Retention of former Execs as Consultants in Question
A U.S. bankruptcy judge said this week that chicken producer Pilgrim’s Pride may be violating federal bankruptcy rules by keeping its former CEO and COO on as consultants and paying them fees that, given the company’s circumstances, are eye-popping.

A hearing on the matter will be held February 3. CEO Clint Rivers and former COO Robert Wright resigned last month, weeks after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The judge, Dennis Lynn, OK’d the hiring of Don Jackson assume the duties of both men on an interim basis.

Lynn was responding to objections to the consulting pacts made by the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, William Neary, who said the company was trying to have the men “perform the exact duties” they did before they resigned.

The “”facts and circumstances of this case do not justify payments of such large amounts of money,” Neary said.

Those amounts: $83,000 a month for Rivers and $50,000 a month for Wright. Rivers would work for four months and Wright for three. Those amounts equate roughly with the men’s former salaries. [Source: Associated Press]

New Welch’s CEO: Brad Irwin
Brad Irwin, who most recently was president of Cadbury Adams North America, a unit of Cadbury Schweppes, is the new CEO of Welch’s, the processing and marketing subsidiary of the National Grape Cooperative Association.

Irwin succeeds David Lukiewski, who retired in October.

Irwin spent 20 years at Procter & Gamble.

[Source: Boston Globe]

Campbell Board Elects New Chairman
Paul Charron, 66, will be the new chairman of Campell’s Soup.

He is a senior advisor a Warburg Pincus, a big private-equity firm, and managing partner at Fidus Investment Partners.

Charron is a retired former CEO at Liz Claiborne and had been on the Campbell board since 2003. He takes the place of Harvey Golub, 69, who had been chairman since 2004.
[Source: Associated Press]

Marketing Veep Named at Crown Imports
Jim Sabia has been named the new executive vice president at Crown Imports, overseeing such brands as Corona, Modelo, St. Pauli Girl and Tsingtao beers.

Sabia had been head of marketing for two years at Contellation Spirits. Before that, he spent 17 years at Molson Coors Brewing.

Charron is a retired former CEO at Liz Claiborne and had been on the Campbell board since 2003. He takes the place of Harvey Golub, 69, who had been chairman since 2004.
[Source: PR Newswire]

Cheesecake Factory’s New CFO
W. Douglas Benn is the new CFO of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain. He had been CFO of RARE Hospitality International, which was sold to Darden Restaurants in October 2007.

He most recently was executive vice-president and c.f.o. of RARE Hospitality International, which owned LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille prior to the company’s sale to Darden Restaurants in October 2007
[Source: Food Business News]