Americold Announces Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

ATLANTA, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Americold today announced that Jeffrey M. Gault, a director of Americold, has been appointed by the board of trustees as the President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, succeeding Jos Opdeweegh, who has resigned for personal reasons. 

Mr. Gault is a seasoned executive with more than 40 years of experience in leading and developing successful business enterprises.  Mr. Gault is an architect and environmental planner who has held senior executive positions with respected institutions including H.F. Ahmanson & Co; Home Savings of America F.A.; Sun America, Inc; and KB Homes.  Mr. Gault has been a managing partner of joint ventures with affiliates of Whitehall Funds/Goldman Sachs and Northstar Realty Finance.  He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute Governor, and a board member of Morgans Hotel Group.

"We are pleased and fortunate that Jeff has accepted this appointment," stated Ron Burkle, managing partner of Yucaipa, Americold's largest shareholder.  "Jeff is a proven leader with a track record of exceptional business and leadership success."

About Americold

Americold is the global leader in temperature controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, offering the most comprehensive warehousing, transportation, and logistics solutions in the world.  Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates 182 temperature-controlled warehouses, with over 1.1 billion cubic feet of storage, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Argentina and Canada.  Americold's warehouses are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers.   Americold serves over 3,000 customers, and employs 12,000 associates worldwide. 

For more information about Americold visit www.americold.com.

SOURCE Americold