Pilgrim's Pride CEO Goolsby, Dies
DALLAS -- O.B. Goolsby Jr., 60, the chief executive who built Pilgrim's Pride Corp. here into poultry powerhouse, died Monday two days after suffering a massive stroke.
The company said Goolsby was stricken Saturday while on a hunting trip with customers in South Texas. He was airlifted to a San Antonio hospital.
Pilgrim's Pride said it will appoint a special committee of its board to search for a new president and c.e.o. It said it has not set a timetable for naming a replacement.
"Our company has lost a gracious, talented leader who served as an inspiration to everyone around him, and we are deeply saddened by his death," company co-founder and senior chairman Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim said in a statement.
Pilgrim further credited Goolsby for guided Pilgrim's Pride through a period of growth with honesty and humor.
Last year, Pilgrim's Pride launched a hostile $1.1 billion takeover of rival Gold Kist Inc. The move succeeded after Pilgrim's Pride sweetened its initial offer with a deal that vaulted the Texas company to the top of the chicken-producing industry. Pilgrim's Pride said the acquisition helped it compete better in the United States and overseas.
Goolsby is survived by his wife, Barbara, three children and 11 grandchildren.
The company said Goolsby was stricken Saturday while on a hunting trip with customers in South Texas. He was airlifted to a San Antonio hospital.
Pilgrim's Pride said it will appoint a special committee of its board to search for a new president and c.e.o. It said it has not set a timetable for naming a replacement.
"Our company has lost a gracious, talented leader who served as an inspiration to everyone around him, and we are deeply saddened by his death," company co-founder and senior chairman Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim said in a statement.
Pilgrim further credited Goolsby for guided Pilgrim's Pride through a period of growth with honesty and humor.
Last year, Pilgrim's Pride launched a hostile $1.1 billion takeover of rival Gold Kist Inc. The move succeeded after Pilgrim's Pride sweetened its initial offer with a deal that vaulted the Texas company to the top of the chicken-producing industry. Pilgrim's Pride said the acquisition helped it compete better in the United States and overseas.
Goolsby is survived by his wife, Barbara, three children and 11 grandchildren.