PEOPLE NEWS

Petroleum Consolidators of America, Inc., a company that has acquired two gas stations to date, created a four-member advisory board.

"We are extremely excited about the creation of the four-member advisory team as their combined qualifications will greatly assist us in streamlining the integration process of our first two acquisitions," said Douglas Martin, chairman of Petroleum Consolidators.

Two of the advisors are veterans to the industry, with more than 15 years experience in the gasoline retailing industry, according to Martin. Both have experience in the operations and development of gas retailing locations. The other two members have been involved in the commercial real estate and investment banking industries with more than 30 years of combined experience. All four members were chosen based on their diverse backgrounds and individual skill sets, Martin said.

In supplier news, Walkers Shortbread named a successor to retiring president and CEO Norman Barnes. Steve Dawson, the current managing director of food from Britain North America Inc.

Dawson will join the company in April and undergo a three-month transition period, then, in July, he will take over the position while at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.

Dawson has held his position with Britain North America since 1998. There he gained knowledge of the biscuit and food industry.

"Steve has great professionalism and experience and is already very familiar with Walkers as he has worked closely with us over the years," said Barnes. "He brings new skills and fresh ideas but there are no major strategic changes planned and we anticipate continuing our steady, long term growth."

He continued: "I know that under Steve's leadership the company will be in good hands and continue to develop as a major brand in the specialty cookie and food industry."

In other supplier news, Corozonas Foods appointed Bob Beck to the position of vice president of sales. In this position, he will lead the company's sales operations and expansion plans, as well as enhance broker, distributor and retailer relationships.

Beck came to the position from Centennial Specialty Foods, where he was the vice president of sales and marketing. In this role, he took the company public. He has 20 years of experience in food, including roles with Nestle, Luigino's and the launch of ConAgra's Healthy Choice brand.

Also hired was Greg Fry to the position of director of operations. In this role, Fry will lead production, quality assurance and control, procurement, research and development and head up all other growth operations. Fry has spent time with various food companies, including Premier Nutrition, Mauna Loa, Kraft Foods and Dole.

"Corazonas Foods is a young company but is gaining 35 years of food industry expertise with the addition of Bob Beckwith and Greg Fry to our team," said Ramona Cappello, co-founder and CEO. "With a well-rounded management team in place now, Corazonas Foods is poised for tremendous growth in 2007!"

In other supplier news, Mark Kushner joined AL Systems, Inc., a software solutions provider for distribution operations. Kusher will serve as the company's vice president of operations.

In this role, he will manage clients' needs and lead project management, engineering, customer service and production.

Kushner brings more than 15 years of experience in operations to the position. He comes to AL Systems from Systech International, a packaging efficiency and product safety solutions provider to the pharmaceutical industry, where he was the vice president of corporate development. Hew has also spent time with Manugistics as the vice president of market strategy.

"As AL Systems continues to increase revenue, profitability, number of clients, and complexity, so has the need increased for seasoned operations leadership," said Paul Lightfoot, CEO of AL Systems. "With Mark Kushner joining the AL Systems family, we are taking our operations performance to the next level to ensure that we consistently satisfy the needs of our clients."
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