CARY, N.C. -- Southeastern convenience store chain The Pantry Inc. has announced that its board has elected Thomas W. "Tad" Dickson, former chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to serve as chairman effective April 2, 2014.
He replaces Edwin J. Holman, who has been chairman since Sept. 2009.
The move follows a protracted, contentious battle between the existing leadership and a group of "dissident" shareholders over the past performance, management experience and future direction of the chain, with each sides putting up its own slate of nominees.
The Pantry's leadership had nominated Dickson to counter the charge by CPS that the board did not possess enough retail experience.
Concerned Pantry Shareholders (CPS), as the group called itself, succeeded in placing three new directors on the public company's nine-person board.
Following the vote at the annual shareholder meeting in March, in which Holman was voted out, both sides have vowed to move forward together for the good of the company and its investors.
Dickson brings to the role of chairman nearly two decades of operational and management experience in the supermarket industry, including more than 15 years as a public company director, and possesses broad supermarket and real-estate knowledge, particularly in The Pantry's core geographies.
As reported in a 21st Century Smoke/CSP Daily News Flash, Dickson most recently served as chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter, a leading regional supermarket chain in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States, from February 1997 up to the company's sale to The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, in Jan. 2014, and as chairman of its board from March 2006 to Jan. 2014.
Prior to serving as chairman and CEO, Dickson served in various executive posts at Harris Teeter (formerly Ruddick Corp.) and its former subsidiary, the textile company American & Efird Inc., and as a director of Harris Teeter from Feb. 1997 to Jan. 2014.
"Tad Dickson's significant executive retail experience in the southeastern U.S. makes him highly qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors," Holman, said in late January. "Through his longstanding career at and leadership of Harris Teeter, Tad has a deep understanding of our industry and the region in which we operate, as well as substantial public company board experience. We are delighted that Tad has agreed to serve, if elected, as a new, independent director on The Pantry's board and look forward to benefiting from his insights as we continue to position the Company for future growth and success."
In announcing Dickson's departure from Harris Teeter, Kroger CEO W. Rodney McMullen said: "Tad has done an outstanding job as the CEO for the past 16 years. During his tenure as CEO, the management team of Harris Teeter has more than doubled the sales of the company and increased the operating profit fourfold by building over 100 new stores, expanding into new markets and improving the overall operating performance of the company."
In other Pantry news, on an interim basis, Gordon Schmidt has succeeded Joe Venezia as senior vice president of operations for Kangaroo Express.
Venezia stepped down suddenly in February, joining Toys R Us & Babies R Us, Wayne, N.J. Previously, he was with Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo and Procter & Gamble. He has also served as a captain and company commander in the U.S. Army and received a Bronze Star for bravery during Operation Desert Storm.
Schmidt joined The Pantry in July 2013 as a division vice president. Previously, he was with Target and Kmart.
Based in Cary, N.C., The Pantry is a 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 3, 2014, the company operated 1,537 stores in 13 states under select banners, including Kangaroo Express, its primary operating banner. The Pantry's stores offer a broad selection of merchandise, as well as fuel and other ancillary services designed to appeal to the convenience needs of its customers.
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