Atlanta, Georgia, USA-headquartered Americold (www.americold.com), an international temperature controlled warehousing and logistics provider, has announced that Fred W. Boehler, its chief operating officer, also has been named president, effective March 31. At that time he will assume the senior executive leadership role at the company.
Americold owns and operates 177 refrigerated warehouses, with more than 1.1 billion cubic feet of storage in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Argentina and Canada. Its facilities are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers. The company serves more than 3,000 customers, and employs 12,000 associates worldwide.
Jeffrey M. Gault, the current president and ceo, is retiring but will continue to serve on the board of trustees. He will work closely with Boehler during the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.
“I am fortunate to have led Americold through a transformational period, establishing guiding principles focused on operational excellence and customer service…Looking ahead at the next stage of my life, the time is right to execute the plan for continuity of leadership and the next phase of growth at Americold,” said Gault.
“Fred is a talented leader with extensive experience in logistics and supply chain management,” continued Gault. “He has demonstrated keen strategic vision as an integral part of our senior leadership team, along with the ability to drive positive change throughout our operations. I have tremendous confidence in his capabilities to lead Americold.”
Boehler joined Americold in February of 2013 after serving as senior vice president of supply chain with Minneapolis, Minnesota-headquartered Supervalu, Inc., a leading grocery retailer and wholesaler supplying more than 4,300 stores. Prior to that he was senior vice president for logistics and purchasing at Borders Group, Inc.
“Jeff Gault led Americold to consistent growth and success in a rapidly changing industry, and he was instrumental in the decision to expand Fred’s responsibilities,” said Greg Mays, chairman of Americold’s board of trustees. “We recognize Jeff for his insight and valuable contributions and thank him for his three years as an executive of the company. His continued involvement on the board will help ensure that Americold remains on track with its strategic and operational initiatives.”
