000201 Fresh Foods Names Veteran Business, Civic Leader

Cincinnati, OH - Fresh Foods, Inc., which is now operating under the name "Pierre Foods," has named a long-time Hickory, North Carolina business, government, and civic leader to fill an unexpired term on its board of directors.

Bruce E. Meisner was appointed as a director during a board meeting February 3. He succeeds L. Dent Miller for a term expiring in the year 2001. Miller, who had been a director since 1998, resigned in January following his retirement as president of Claremont Restaurant Group, LLC. Fresh Foods sold Claremont Restaurant Group in October 1999 to a group led by Carousel Capital Partners, L.P.

Meisner is owner of Bruce E. Meisner Appraisal Company in Hickory and has been a member of the Hickory City Council since 1983.

"The leadership in business, civic, and governmental affairs that Bruce brings to our board will provide us experience and expertise in additional areas. We are confident he will make a valuable addition to our company as a director," said David R. Clark, vice chairman. "We will miss Dent," Clark continued, "but we fully understand his desire to slow down at least a little and enjoy the fruits of his lifetime of hard work and great accomplishments."

In addition to his professional and city government posts, Meisner is on the executive committee of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and served as its chief elected official for two years. He is a past regional vice president, director, executive committee member, and subcommittee chairman for the North Carolina Association of Realtors. He is president- elect of the Hickory-Catawba County Board of Realtors and is a past Realtor of the Year.

Meisner's wide-ranging civic activities include: BB&T, Advisory Board member and marketing committee chairman; Lake Hickory Rotary Club, past president, past Rotarian of the Year, and Paul Harris Fellow; Lenoir-Rhyne College, past member of the Board of Visitors; Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, properties committee member; Big Brothers- Big Sisters Program, past member of the board of directors; Lake Hickory Country Club, past member of the board of directors; and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, properties committee member.

Pierre Foods owns and operates food processing facilities in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Claremont, North Carolina. It is a leading manufacturer of fully cooked branded and private-label protein and bakery products. Pierre also is the largest integrated producer of microwaveable sandwiches. Effective December 31, Pierre Foods, LLC, was merged into Fresh Foods and since then the company has operated under the name "Pierre Foods," which is well recognized in the foodservice industry.

Pierre Foods provides specialty beef, poultry, and pork products formed and portioned to meet specific customer requirements. Pierre Foods sells primarily to the foodservice market and today serves many leading national restaurant chains, a majority of primary and secondary schools, long-term healthcare facilities, military, vending, convenience store, and other niche markets. SOURCE Fresh Foods, Inc.

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