Dean Foods Company announced its succession plan for the President of Dean Dairy Group

Food & Drink Weekly, Sept 19, 2005

Dean Foods Company announced its succession plan for the President of Dean Dairy Group. Effective January 1, 2006, Alan Bernon, Chief Operating Officer of Dean Dairy Group's Northeast Region and member of the Dean Foods board of directors since 1997, will assume the role of President. Pete Schenkel, President of Dean Dairy Group and a member of the company's board of directors since January 2000, will become vice chairman of Dean Foods' board of directors, taking an active role in ensuring a smooth transition of leadership for the company's largest segment.

Schenkel joined the company in 2000 in connection with the acquisition of Southern Foods Group. While under his leadership, the Dairy Group has become the nation's leading dairy processor, growing to more than 100 processing plants nationwide and encompassing more than 50 regional dairy brands. Schenkel also was instrumental in consolidating the company's dairy operations following the merger of Dean Foods and Suiza Foods Corporation in 2001. Bernon has served as chief operating officer of the Northeast Region of the Dairy Group and a member of Dean Foods' board of directors since 1997, when Dean Foods acquired Garelick Farms, based in Franklin, Mass. Under Bernon's leadership, Dean Foods' Northeast Region has acquired and successfully assimilated seven dairies, including Tuscan Dairy and Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms, in addition to the northeast operations of Legacy Dean Foods.