Gary R. Chartrand

Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, Acosta, Inc.

Gary Chartrand became Executive Chairman in January 2009. He has been the pivotal force behind quadrupling the company's geographic coverage, transforming Acosta into a leading full-service sales and marketing company in the U.S. and Canada.

Chartrand joined Acosta in 1983 as a Business Manager and subsequently was promoted to Vice President, Regional Vice President of Florida, President, and in 1996, President/Chief Executive Officer. He became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer upon the merger of Acosta and PMI-Eisenhart in 1998. Under his leadership, Acosta-PMI joined forces with Kelley-Clarke, Morris-Alper, and Luke Soules in 1999. In 2002, Acosta expanded services into Canada by acquiring four regional sales and marketing firms to form a network across the U.S. and Canada.

A winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Award, Chartrand was named to the Supermarket News Power 50 list from 2003 to 2009. He currently serves on the Industry Affairs Council of the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association (GMA/FPA) and as National Vice President for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Chartrand is Chairman of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and on the board of directors for the KIPP schools in Jacksonville. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire.