Sysco

Infobox_Company
company_name = Sysco Corporation
company_
company_type = Public (NYSE|SYY)
company_slogan =
foundation = 1969
location = Houston, Texas, USA
key_people = Richard J. Schnieders, Chairman & CEO
Gregory Otterbein, President & CEO of Sysco Foods Of Northern New England
num_employees = 47,500 (2005)
industry = Foodservice Distribution
products =
revenue = profit$30.281 billion USD (2005)
operating_income = profit$1.600 billion USD (2005)
net_income = profit$961.457 million USD (2005)
homepage = [http://www.sysco.com/ www.sysco.com]

Sysco Corporation nyse|SYY is the largest foodservice distributor in North America. It distributes frozen foods, various canned and "dry" foods, "fresh" meats, imported "specialties", and fresh produce. The company also supplies various non-food items, including disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware, cookware, restaurant and kitchen equipment, and cleaning supplies.

Sysco, an acronym for Systems and Services Company, services over 400,000 customers, which include restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, summer camps, hotels and motels, and industrial caterers, as well as regional and national chain restaurants. As of July 2, 2005, the company operated 170 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The company was founded by John F. Baugh in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company became public on March 3, 1970.

Sysco competes with national distributors U.S. Foodservice, Performance Food Group, and Edward Don and Company, as well as regional companies such as Gordon Food Service, Ben E. Keith, Sunspun Food Service, and local foodservice distributors.

ERCA Foodservices

In 2002, Sysco purchased SERCA Foodservices and renamed it Sysco Canada. SERCA had been owned by the supermarket giant Oshawa Group, which was acquired by Sobeys in 1998.

YGMA Network

The SYGMA Network, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sysco that provides food and non-food products to chain restaurants throughout the United States.

SYGMA was founded in January 1984 when senior officers of Sysco Corporation started discussions for forming a new distribution company. The first products were shipped in May 1985 from SYGMA’s first distribution center in Oklahoma. In 1988 Sysco acquired CFS, increasing head count at the organization.

SYGMA's customers include over 13,500 restaurants representing 37 "concepts". Operating from 18 distribution centers, SYGMA is one of the largest chain distributors in the United States with sales over $4.2 billion. 165 million cases of product are delivered each year. SYGMA currently employs approximately 2,800 employees.

iCare

In 2006, Sysco announced the formation of the "iCare" Program. iCare partnered Sysco with numerous vendors of non-foodservice related products that serve the restaurant industry to provide value-added services. iCare partners are afforded booth space at Sysco food shows and are promoted vigorously by Sysco's Business Review Managers. In return, iCare vendors offer special discounts and incentives to Sysco customer restaurants. The iCare program began under the leadership of Vivian Ramos, however, Ashley Beavan has now assumed control of the program and has committed to vastly increasing its effectiveness.

iCare partners include:
* Applied Media Technologies Corporation, which provides Sirius Satellite Radio and on-hold messaging to Sysco customer restaurants

Guest Supply

Sysco also owns Guest Supply, a more catalog-based service geared at hotels. Guest Supply does not employ marketing associates in the way Sysco does; most of the purchasing is done via their annual catalogs and online.

Governance

The company is governed by a board of directors. Current members of the board are: John Cassaday, Judith Craven, Jonathan Golden, Joseph Hafner, Richard Merrill, Nancy Newcomb, Richard Schnieders, Phyllis Sewell, John Stubblefield, Richard Tilghman, and Jackie M. Ward.

External links

* [http://www.sysco.com Sysco Corporation]
* [http://www.sysco.com/services/features/chefs_showcase/chefs_showcase_archive.html List of customers]
* [http://www.businessweek.com/bw50/2007/58.htm BusinessWeek 50 ranking and analysis of Sysco]
* [http://retail.seekingalpha.com/article/35418 SeekingAlpha analysis of Sysco]
* [http://www.SYGMAnetwork.com The SYGMA Network, Inc.]