REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Guckenheimer, the San Francisco Bay Area-based food service company that pioneered restaurant style dining and innovative nutrition programs for the corporate market, named Randall Boyd as CEO and chief operating officer. Boyd succeeds co-founder Jeanie Ritchie, who will continue to serve as executive chairman of the board.

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"Randall is a true leader with a proven track record of success and the big-picture thinking we need to bring Guckenheimer into a new era," said Ritchie who offered him the position following a senior level consulting assignment with the company.

Boyd, who began his career at IBM, has more than two decades of experience in sales, marketing strategy and operations management. In 1989, he joined Sky Chefs Inc. as the vice president of marketing and sales and then led global marketing and sales as the company expanded internationally. He became CEO of the Americas and a member of the global executive board. Under Boyd's leadership, Sky Chefs became the world's largest provider of in-flight catering, servicing 210 airlines in 41 countries and was acquired by Lufthansa in 2001 (now LSG Sky Chefs Inc.).  In 2002, Boyd was awarded the Inflight Food Association's President's Award for successfully leading the industry through intense security regulatory changes following the events of September 11.

In accepting the position Randall said, "I am honored to join Guckenheimer. The company is full of talented people who have a passion for culinary excellence. We have an exciting opportunity to grow the company by serving clients who value providing exceptional dining opportunities to their employees. I view the company as a strategic partner to our clients. We can help them attract, nourish and retain the best talent in their industries. Our goal is to utilize our venues as a platform to encourage delicious healthy eating and contribute to improved wellness, in the work place and at home."

In addition to his background in strategy and C-suite management in the food service industry, Boyd comes from a food-centric family. "My grandfather was a French chef; my mother owned her own catering company and my brother has spent his entire career in the food industry. So a commitment to quality, from-scratch meals and top-notch customer service will always remain top priorities at Guckenheimer," added Boyd.

Boyd holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Business Administration from Millsaps College.

Guckenheimer was founded in 1963 in the heart of the burgeoning Silicon Valley by the late Dr. C. Stewart Ritchie III and his wife Jeanie, also a health care professional, with an aim to provide corporate campus employees with restaurant quality food. Guckenheimer later enhanced its concept of excellence in food choices convenient to the workplace by pioneering health-centric corporate dining with locally sourced, organic and fresh meals-from-scratch. The company continued to expand to serve many of Silicon Valley's top technology companies as well as mid- to large-sized organizations in various industries throughout the United States, including corporate leaders in sporting goods, healthcare, retail, consumer, entertainment, higher education and biotech.

About Guckenheimer
As a specialty food service operation, Guckenheimer maintains its legacy of "Nourishing Inspiration" in the workplace by offering unique-to-industry health and wellness programs led by registered dieticians and customized cafe creations. What began as a humble, student-operated artisanal sandwich cart on the Stanford medical campus transformed into the fourth largest and, now only independent national food service and corporate catering organization with more than 300 accounts in 31 states. All accounts are led by professional chefs trained in the culinary arts and fine-dining. In 2013, Guckenheimer will celebrate 50 years of culinary excellence, innovation, sustainable practices and superior service. Visit us on Facebook or at www.guckenheimer.com for more information.

SOURCE Guckenheimer