CROSSMARK Canada Chairman Glen Wilson Retires After Years of Service to Grocery Industry

TORONTO, March 19, 2012 /CNW/ - After 12 years of leadership and dedicated service, Glen Wilson, Chairman of CROSSMARK Canada (www.crossmark.ca), has announced his retirement from CROSSMARK effective April 30, 2012.

Wilson's career within the Grocery/CPG industry spans four decades and his knowledge, influence and experience have left a lasting impression on several organizations and industry leaders, including CROSSMARK Canada, General Foods and Kraft Foods.

Wilson began his career as a clerk in the dairy section of a Winnipeg Safeway store.  He worked his way up to a sales representative position for General Foods.  Then, in 1975 at the age of 25, he purchased an independent grocery store in Niverville, MB.  After two years in retail, he went back into sales for General Foods where he rose through the ranks from District Sales Manager to National Sales Manager.  After working on the Kraft/General Foods merger, Wilson was promoted to Director of Sales for the Atlantic and Western Regions.  In 1991, he was appointed Vice President of Sales and soon was promoted to Vice President of Sales and General Manager - Kraft Foods Canada.

In 1998, Wilson left Kraft and started his own company, National Links, with his partners Brian Carley and Bruce Forbes -- a business that grew with the help of brands such as Ben & Jerry's and Humpty Dumpty potato chips.  In 1999, the trio partnered with CROSSMARK and became the first truly national company in the Canadian broker industry. Beginning in 1999 with a small group of 30 dedicated employees and two supervisors, the company has since grown to more than 1,200 CROSSMARK associates today; Glen's leadership was instrumental in the success and growth of CROSSMARK Canada.

Wilson has mentored many of today's CPG/food and beverage industry leaders and remains very active in several industry organizations, such as serving on the Sales Council for GPMC, as an Associate Member Council for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, and as a board member for the Grocery Industry Foundation.

"Glen's passion, leadership and commitment to excellence have built a lasting legacy within the Canadian grocery industry landscape," said John Thompson, CEO of CROSSMARK, Inc.

Thompson said that although Wilson will be stepping back from the CROSSMARK business, he will stay on as a strategic advisor to the new President of CROSSMARK Canada, Chris Terrio.

"We would like to thank Glen for all of his efforts in building a strong and growing company and for his tireless work on building lasting relationships in the Canadian market that will serve our business and industry for years to come," Thompson said.  "And we certainly wish Glen the best for a happy and healthy retirement," he added.

CROSSMARK is a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, providing growth solutions with exceptional service to manufacturers and retailers. For more than 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives across a wide range of retail channels. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, Event Marketing, In-Store Data Collection, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 30,000 associates worldwide with 40 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Contact: Phil Roth
Corporate.communication[email protected]