1998 Annual Report
Tribute to John F. Baugh
Retired Senior Chairman Of The Board
Fiscal 1998 was an especially significant year at SYSCO because of the
retirement of John F. Baugh, former Senior Chairman of the Board, founder,
and the principal driving force behind the company's formation and successful
growth throughout the past 28 years. Mr. Baugh, 82, was the visionary who
convinced eight other very successful owners of independent foodservice
firms to join together in forming SYSCO - a Systems and Services Company.
In an industry bound by a tradition of independence, autonomy and competitiveness,
the notion that a collaboration for mutual benefit could succeed and even
extend nationwide appeared to many either totally unsound or truly inspired.
Mr. Baugh's plan that allowed the original owners to collect their full
stock privileges only if the company grew at an annual rate of 15 percent
for each of the next three years was sufficient incentive for everyone
to work together in the formative days.
Many speak of John Baugh with reverence, saying this enterprise succeeded largely due to his integrity, intelligence and dogged perseverance, as well as the example he set of fairness to suppliers, customers and employees. SYSCO has merged with more than 59 independent businesses to create stand-alone operating companies and countless others have been folded into existing SYSCO companies to create the $15 billion giant that leads the industry today - a success story by any measurement. But Mr. Baugh, and his wife of 62 years, the former Eula Mae Tharp, also have contributed significantly to the community, remaining active with Baylor and Houston Baptist universities, where Mr. Baugh has served as trustee, and have enriched the lives of many through philanthropic efforts. We salute a gentleman who set the standard for SYSCO, raised it higher and continues to uphold it in every facet of his life. |