{mosimage}Donaldson has 25 years' experience in the foodservice distribution industry, starting at the former Sky Brothers, Inc., in Altoona, PA, where he worked in a variety of positions.
Donaldson went on to become president of Institution Food House, Inc. (IFH), based in Hickory, NC. He headed that large regional broadline distributor until 1992 when he was recruited to ProSource Distribution Services, Inc., the $4 billion nationwide chain restaurant distributor headquartered in Miami, FL. He was executive vice president and coo of ProSource.
Following the sale of ProSource to AmeriServ in the late 1990s, Donaldson returned to central Pennsylvania to practice law. He was appointed deputy attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where he prosecuted cases in the Organized Crime & Narcotics Section under the last three Pennsylvania Attorneys General before joining the ID Top 50 distributorship here.
"As our company continues to grow and look ahead, we determined that there was a need for additional high-caliber talent to oversee day-to-day operations and position our organization for that growth," Robert E. Lee, president and ceo, affirmed. "Robert Donaldson's foodservice experience and strategic thinking will be an asset W. S. Lee & Sons, Inc., now and in the future."
In this leadership position at the UniPro-member company, Donaldson will be responsible for serving as a main conduit and mentor among ownership, Senior Management, employees, key business partners and customers.
"I look forward to this opportunity to being part of the Lee family business with its 130-plus-year rich tradition of building key relationships with customers and vendors for the benefit of all stakeholders," Donaldson stated. "With all the past and continued success of W. S. Lee, as well as the potential on the horizon, my decision to re-enter the foodservice distribution business with this company at this point in time was clear. I am pleased to be part of the team."
A native of Altoona, PA, Donaldson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami (FL) School of Law. He has served on boards of directors for regional and national companies as well as a number of non-profit organizations.
Donaldson has also been an instructor at Penn State in the Crime, Law and Justice curriculum. Along with his spouse, Carolyn, Donaldson is active in the community. The Donaldsons have two daughters who are both students at Penn State.
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