McLane Names New President/CEO
Supply-chain services company McLane Co. has appointed Tony Frankenberger president and CEO, effective Aug. 28, upon the retirement of Grady Rosier, who has headed the company for the past 25 years.
During Rosier’s more than 36 years at McLane, the company has seen significant market share growth and substantial annual revenue increases from under $6 billion to $50 billion-plus. Its grocery division grew from convenience stores to other channels, among them drug stores, mass-market retailers, warehouse clubs, value stores, supermarkets and alcoholic beverage distribution. Rosier played a key role in the sale of McLane from Walmart to Berkshire Hathaway in 2003, and he led the charge for a new foodservice division for QSR, fast-casual and casual restaurants that swiftly became one of the largest in the industry. He has also been a dedicated supporter of such charitable organizations as Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and United Way.
“McLane is not just a company to me,” said Rosier. “It has been my passion, and the people at McLane are my family.”
Before joining McLane, Rosier spent more than a decade in various executive roles in the convenience channel, He also served for six years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was in the reserves for several more. Rosier was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2015.
In addition to becoming president and CEO of McLane, Frankenberger will retain his responsibilities as president of McLane Grocery, a $33 billion business unit providing supply chain solutions to more than 70,000 retailer locations. Frankenberger joined the company more than 35 years ago, shortly after he concluded his service with the U.S. Air Force in 1985. He started out as a washer, fueler and mechanic in the transportation department and rose through the ranks, gaining more than 15 years of senior management experience, including several past leadership positions in merchandising, procurement and operations.
“I have personally known Tony for more than 30 years and feel this is a tremendous opportunity for him to continue building the sustainability and growth of McLane into the future,” noted Rosier. “He is an exceptional leader with a track record of operational excellence, building high-performance teams and extraordinary customer service.”
For his part, Frankenberg said that he was “honored to follow in [Rosier’s] footsteps at an incredible company with outstanding teammates.”
A wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. with 24,000 employees, Temple, Texas-based McLane is one of the largest supply chain services leaders in the United States, providing grocery and foodservice solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores, and chain restaurants. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, the company operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private fleets. The company buys, sells and delivers more than 50,000 consumer products to nearly 110,000 locations across the United States. Additionally, McLane provides alcoholic beverage distribution through its subsidiary, Empire Distributors Inc.
