Jim Reese

Jim Reese began his career in 1974 with General Foods Corporation, the Food Division of Philip Morris. From 1974 to 1982, Reese served in various operations management positions in the Breakfast Foods Division of General Foods Post Cereal Manufacturing and Research Facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 1982, he was promoted to the position of Operation Services Manager of the Breakfast Foods Division of General Foods in White Plains, New York, where he won General Foods Division award for excellence in execution. In 1985, Reese moved to Jacksonville, Florida, to become Manufacturing Manager of the worlds largest coffee plant, General Foods Maxwell House Coffee plant, in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1987, he was promoted to Plant Manager. In 1989, Reese co- founded the First Coast Manufacturers Association.
In 1991, Reese left General Foods to become Division Vice President of Operations for Frito-Lay, the $5+ billion snack food division of PepsiCo. In that capacity, Reese was responsible for supporting sales in excess of $900 million through eight manufacturing plants, 22 distribution centers, sales warehouses and a 130-driver fleet, in addition to overseeing the companys engineering and quality assurance programs. During Reeses tenure, his division led the nation with record growth in sales and profits, managing annual sales growth in excess of 15 percent. Reese achieved the coveted Herman Lay Award for Sales Leadership for three straight years, and he was recognized as a primary leader in the companys organizational development and change initiatives, leading the company in performance improvement in all areas of product quality.
Reese left Frito Lay in 1994 to become Chief Operating Officer of The Honeybaked Ham Company in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was responsible for the companys 125-store retail operations, catalog business, new business development, business-to-business services, corporate gift services, real estate, store construction, purchasing and quality assurance. During his tenure at Honeybaked Ham Company, Jim achieved more than 10% annual growth in the companys retail and catalog sales programs and more than 20% annual growth in business-to-business sales. Reese also led the re-engineering of store operations for a two-year cost reduction of $4 million.
Reese joined Randstad in 1998 and subsequently became Managing Director of Operations for Randstad North Americas Southeast division, the companys largest operating division. In that capacity, Reese was responsible for 1,500 staff working out of 300 branch offices across the southeastern United States. In January 2001, Reese was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer of Randstad North America, and in May 2001 he was named CEO of Randstad North America and member of the Executive Board of Randstad Holding NV, with oversight over Randstad North America and Randstad United Kingdom. As CEO of Randstad North America, Reese oversees all aspects of the company, with responsibility for more than 500 offices and 2,300 staff, who together put more than 45,000 individuals to work each week across the United States and Canada. With more than 65 branch offices, Randstad United Kingdom puts an average of 8,500 people to work each week.
Reese earned his B.B.A. in marketing and business from Western Michigan University in 1980. An active member of the metro Atlanta community, Reese serves as chairman of the board of Fellowship Christian High School and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and The Carter Center Board of Councilors. Reese lives in the North Atlanta area with his wife and three daughters.