Former Farmer Bros. Pres Joins Unified Board

Unified Grocers, Inc. has appointed Roger “Rocky” M. Laverty, former president and CEO of Farmer Bros. Co., to its board of directors.

Prior to serving with Torrance, Calif.-based Farmer Bros. from 2006-2011, Laverty was president/CEO of Diedrich Coffee, Inc. from 2003-2005, and CEO of diversified supply chain aggregator Prime Advantage from 1999-2002. He has also held positions with Smart & Final, a chain of warehouse and wholesale stores.

"Like all of our board members, Rocky will be an active partner in our day-to-day business and we look forward to his contribution as our company continues to grow," said Unified President and CEO Bob Ling.

Unified Board Chairman Richard E. Goodspeed agreed: "Rocky is a leader and an innovator in the food industry and brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to our board of directors.”

Commerce, Calif.-based Unified Grocers is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States.