BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Robert E. Rich Jr., chairman of Rich Products Corp., has appointed William G. Gisel Jr. to succeed him as president and CEO of Rich Products. Rich's selection of Gisel was unanimously ratified by the company's board. Gisel has served as the company's COO since 1999 and is also a member of the board.
Bill has already done a tremendous job in his leadership role and I am confident that he will continue to help Rich's excel as an innovative company passionate about its customers, its associates and its prospects for long-term global growth, [image-nocss] said Bob Rich Jr. In his new role, Gisel will continue to be head of the company's executive leadership team and is responsible for advancing Rich's overall strategic direction, through its various domestic and international business units and subsidiaries.
Gisel joined Rich's in 1982 and served as general counsel. During the `80s, he worked closely with Bob Rich Jr. on expanding the company's involvement in minor league baseball. As vice president of Bison Baseball Inc., he drove efforts to fund and construct the downtown ballpark, now known as Dunn-Tire Park.
In 1988, Bob Rich Jr. charged Gisel with the task of extending Rich's business into foreign markets as he became vice president of the new International Division. For the next eight years, he led the company's expansion into Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, and was elevated to the post of executive vice president of international and strategic planning in 1993. Today, Rich's operates businesses in China, Korea, Vietnam, India, England, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Canada, and it sells its products in more than 70 countries.
From 1996 until 2006, Gisel became president of Rich's Food Group and COO. During this period, through organic growth, acquisitions and ongoing international expansion, Rich Products more than doubled to its current size of more than $2.5 billion in annual revenues.
Gisel is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has also been active in the food industry as a member of the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) and the Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF). He has also served on more than 20 different charitable, educational, civic and corporate boards.
Rich's board also recently unanimously elected its executive vice president of innovation, Melinda (Mindy) Rich, to become its vice chairman, in addition to her role as a managing shareholder and member of the board. Rich will also continue as president of Rich Entertainment Group.
In her new role, she will continue to lead Rich's culture of innovation. She will direct the organization's creativity and champion products geared towards accelerating Rich's long-term growth.
In her role as president, Rich Entertainment Group, she is responsible for overseeing the Rich organization's baseball, entertainment and travel interests, including:
In 1986, Rich and her husband, Bob, founded Western New York United Against Drug & Alcohol Abuse, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting substance abuse and educating children throughout Western New York. Rich is also very involved in fundraising activities geared toward finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. Mindy and Bob Rich founded and chair the annual Greater Niagara BassEye Celebrity Challenge, part of the national Redbone Tournament Series, which to date has raised more than $500,000 in Western New York, and $10 million nationally for cystic fibrosis research. She has also received numerous awards and honors.
Rich Products founded of the nondairy segment of the frozen food industry and a major supplier and solutions provider to the foodservice, in-store bakery and retail marketplaces. It sells more than 2,000 products to more than 80 countries. Leading brands include Rich's Whip Topping, On Top, Bettercreme, SeaPak, Farm Rich, Casa DiBertacchi, Byron's Barbecue; Tiki Bay, Jon Donaire and Mother's Kitchen specialty desserts.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.