Mr. Townsend was elected to the Board of Directors in December 2005 and serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Townsend also serves on the Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. Steven Townsend served for nearly 25 years at United Natural Foods Inc. the leading natural and organic food distributor in the United States. Mr. Townsend was Chairman and CEO from 2003 until his recent retirement from the Company. He joined UNFI in 1981 as Controller and has held progressively advancing executive positions including President Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. During his five-year tenure as President CEO and Chairman Mr. Townsend was instrumental in growing sales from approximately $1 billion per year to more than $2.3 billion per year - a five year CAGR of 17 percent; increasing income at a five year CAGR of 12 percent; increasing distribution capacity by 68 percent; and successfully completing more than 25 acquisitions. Earlier in his career he held management positions at Harris Corporation and Tupperware Corporation. He holds an MBA in Management and Information Systems and a BS in Accounting Summa Cum Laude from Bryant College. In the past 5 years Mr. Townsend served as a director of Savings Institute Financial Group a publicly traded bank in the United States as well as United Natural Foods Inc. |