Keith E. Alessi Appointed To WLR Foods' Board Of Directors

Business Wire, Sept 17, 1998

BROADWAY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1998--WLR Foods, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: WLRF) Board of Directors has appointed Keith E. Alessi to the Board.

Mr. Alessi is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of TeleSpectrum Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TLSP) in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. TeleSpectrum is a leading provider of telemarketing services, operating 15 call centers in the United States and Canada. Mr. Alessi is also a member of the Board of Directors of Cort Business Services (NYSE: CBZ) and Town Sports International.

From June 1996 to March 1998, Mr. Alessi was Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Jackson Hewitt, Inc. (NASDAQ: JTAX) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Under Mr. Alessi's leadership, Jackson Hewitt's stock price rose 1,400 percent from January to December 1997, making it the best performing stock in the country that year. He previously served, from 1988 to 1996, in various executive positions at Farm Fresh, Inc. of Norfolk, Virginia and he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Richfood, Inc. (NYSE: RFH) in Richmond, Virginia from 1986 to 1988.

Mr. Alessi earned his masters in business administration, with distinction, in 1979 from the University of Michigan, a bachelor of science degree, with distinction, from Wayne State University and was licensed in Michigan as a CPA in 1981. A resident of Lexington, Virginia, Mr. Alessi is currently on the staff of the Virginia Military Institute, serving as a part time instructor in the Department of Business and Economics where he teaches a course in entrepreneurship.

Upon his election to WLR Foods' Board of Directors, Chairman Charles W. Wampler, Jr. said, "Keith Alessi is well known as an innovative entrepreneur and a driving force in the businesses fortunate enough to be able to call on his talents. The Board is most pleased that he will be joining us and we look forward to his contributions in the future."

Mr. Alessi's appointment continues through October, at which time he will stand for election as a Class A Director for a 2-year term.

WLR Foods is a fully integrated provider of high quality turkey and chicken products primarily under the Wampler Foods(R) brand. It is nationally ranked as the seventh largest poultry processor by sales volume and is an international leader in poultry exports. WLR Foods has processing operations in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.