"All of us at The Pantry mourn this loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family," said Peter J. Sodini, chairman and chief executive officer. "Steve's passion, dedication and loyalty will [image-nocss] be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues. Serving side-by-side with Steve since he joined us 12 years ago, I have had the privilege of working closely with one of the most talented individuals in our industry as we acquired over 1,600 stores in almost 100 separate transactions."
Ferreira had a long and distinguished career and leaves behind a creative and entrepreneurial legacy at The Pantry, the company added. He has served as The Pantry's senior vice president of business development and real estate, since May 2008. Prior to that, he served as vice president of administration since February 2001 and as vice president of strategic planning since May 1997. Before joining The Pantry, he was chief operating officer of The Store 24 Cos. Inc., a New England-based convenience store chain.
The death comes as Sodini in late April announced plans to retire at the end of his current contract, which expires Sept. 30, 2009. (Click here for CSP Daily News coverage.)
Headquartered in Sanford, N.C., The Pantry is the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States and one of the largest independently operated convenience store chains in the country. As of April 10, 2009, the company operated 1,648 stores in 11 states under select banners, including Kangaroo Express, its primary operating banner.
CSP sends its condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.
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