QUEEN’S GRADUATE APPOINTED TO TOP POSITION IN US FOOD SUPPLIER 

19 November 2019

Golden State Foods (GSF), one of the largest diversified suppliers to the foodservice industry in the United States, has announced the promotion of Belfast man and Queen’s graduate Brian Dick to Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Effective immediately, the former St Malachy's College pupil and Queen's Business Administration and Modern Languages BA graduate, will now oversee all global operations for the California-based company, including food manufacturing and logistics.  

He is tasked with providing ‘strategic leadership and direction for all GSF worldwide activities to ensure the attainment of all quality, cost, timeliness, safety and customer satisfaction objectives and company financial and growth goals’.

Mark Wetterau, chairman and CEO of Golden State Foods, said: "I'm confident that Brian and his expanded team will continue to bring strong leadership and proven relationship management to our global food processing and distribution partnerships, along with strategic, innovation solutions to take us to the next level in customer satisfaction and company growth.”

Since 2017, Mr Dick has been corporate senior vice president and also president of global liquid products and GSF Fresh produce.

The company, a leading supplier to fast-food giant McDonald's for 65 years and one of the largest suppliers to the fast-food sector, services approximately 120,000 restaurants in more than 40 countries from its 40+ locations on five continents. With annual revenue of $6.9 Billion USD (2017), it currently employs over 7,000 staff (2019).

Mr Dick previously led strategy and oversight of all global liquid products, dairy, protein and produce operations worldwide as senior corporate vice president and president of global manufacturing.

He joined GSF in 1999 as business development manager for GSF Egypt and helped diversify the company's liquid products and protein businesses domestically and overseas.

Based in the United States since 2002, he served in multiple business development roles and led the U.S. sales force beginning in 2006 as group vice president of sales and marketing.

Chairman and chief executive at GSF, Mark Wetterau said: "I'm confident that Brian and his expanded team will continue to bring strong leadership and proven relationship management to our global food processing and distribution partnerships, along with strategic, innovation solutions to take us to the next level in customer satisfaction and company growth."

Under Brian's leadership as group vice president and general manager – liquid products in Conyers, Georgia in 2010, the growing liquid products plant achieved excellent quality and audit scores, improved efficiencies, and earned various customer Supplier of the Year awards, as well as GSF's 2011 Chairman's Challenge Award.

With his 2013 promotion to corporate vice president and president – liquid products, North America – Brian continued to expand GSF's national footprint in liquid products.

In 2017, his leadership expanded internationally in his role as corporate senior vice president and president, global liquid products and GSF Fresh! Produce. He developed solid structure in GSF's food manufacturing groups to support growth in customer bases profitably.

Golden State, which has not had anyone in the COO role since 2017, has seen a number of executive moves this year after it announced in April a new top management structure in an attempt to accelerate growth.

Founded in 1947 in the Los Angeles area, Golden State Foods began business as a small meat company providing products to area restaurants and hotels. The company teamed up with the McDonald’s Corp. in the 1950s to become a major player in the food processing and distribution industries.

For more information on Brian Dick’s appointment, or on GSF, please contact Kylie Banks, Porter Novelli, or telephone 001 813 841 6054.

To submit graduate news items, or for general enquiries about this story, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.

Photo credit: GSF

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