FORT WORTH, TX (November 1, 2011 - IFDA)—Kent McClelland, president and COO of Shamrock Foods Company, was recognized for his leadership and exceptional contributions to foodservice when he was presented the IFDA Cornerstone Award on October 25.
The award recognized Mr. McClelland’s industry work through the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA), including serving as a member of the IFDA Board of Directors since March 2002, serving on the IFDA Executive Committee from 2006-2010, and the engagement of Shamrock Foods at many levels in IFDA. McClelland was presented the award before his peers at the Distribution Solutions Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
Kent McClelland (center), president and COO of Shamrock Foods Company, was presented the IFDA Cornerstone Award in recognition for his leadership and industry contributions through his work with IFDA. The award was presented by IFDA Chairman Mac Sullivan (left), CEO of Pate Dawson Company, and Mark Allen, IFDA president & CEO.
“In his service on the IFDA Board, Kent welcomes the opportunity to get involved and provide leadership,” said IFDA President & CEO Mark Allen during the award presentation. “Kent has true passion for this industry, says what he means, and his zeal has brought substantial benefits to IFDA and to this industry.
“Kent has been instrumental in getting the Foodservice GS1 standards initiative off the ground and he has ensured that Shamrock Foods is at the forefront both in guiding the initiative and in implementation,” said Allen, who noted that Shamrock Foods had recently received the 1SYNC PaceSetter Award, presented to the company for rapid implementation and superior execution in adopting Foodservice GS1 US Standards.
“Kent certainly ensures that Shamrock walks the talk. His commitment and drive are one of the reasons that the initiative has made so much progress,” said Allen. Two years after the launch, the initiative is now halfway to meeting industry adoption goals.
McClelland was commended for his engagement in IFDA’s efforts on Capitol Hill by developing good relationships with Arizona lawmakers and advancing the industry’s priorities. He was also recognized for his consistent support of IFDA programs, ensuring that Shamrock Foods is engaged in the work of the trade association through planning of events such as the Distribution Solutions Conference and participating in leadership committees including the Human Resources Committee, Government Relations Committee, and the IFDA Supplier Advisory Council.
“Of all the organizations that we are a part of, I think this is one of the most important,” said Mr. McClelland is accepting the award. “The work IFDA does at the Distribution Solutions Conference—for all our operations folks and so many other important parts of the organization—and the work IFDA does in government relations, is absolutely vital to our industry.”
Past recipients of the IFDA Cornerstone Award include:
- (2003) Boyd L. George, chairman & CEO, Alex Lee, Inc., Hickory, NC
- (2004) Roger Toomey, president & CEO, UniPro Foodservice, Inc., Atlanta, GA
- (2005) Tom Lankford, retired president & COO, Sysco Corporation, Houston, TX
- (2006) Martin Whelan, former chairman, Ettline Foods Corporation, York, PA
- (2007) Carolyn Doerle, managing director/CEO, Doerle Food Services, LLC, Broussard, LA
- (2008) Dan Gordon, chairman, Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, MI
- (2009) Mike Roach, president, Ben E. Keith Foods, Fort Worth, TX
- (2010) Jim Kite, president, Ellenbee Leggett Company, Inc., Fairfield, OH
- (2011)* John Martin, CEO, Martin Brothers Distributing Co., Inc., Cedar Falls, IA
* The award was previously presented at the IFDA Partners Executive Forum held in January. Due to the award presentation now taking place at the Distribution Solutions Conference in October, two awards were presented in the 2011 calendar year.
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