Mr. Block, who joined the Board of Directors in 2000, has served as President of Food Distributors International since 1986 and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Reagan from 1981 to 1986. In his current position, Mr. Block is president of Food Distributors international, a trade association comprised of food distribution companies that supply independent grocers and food service operations in the U.S. , Canada , and 19 other countries. Prior to his leadership post with the USDA, he served as Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Illinois , where his family owns a 4,000-acre farm that produces corn, soybeans, and 18,000 hogs a year. Mr. Block serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the U.S. Friends of the World Food Program. He is a Director of several other corporations: Archer Daniels Midland Company, Hormel Foods, and Deere & Company. Mr. Block is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a West Point graduate. |