Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> March 4, 2004
Robert A. Peiser is President and Chief Executive Officer of Imperial
Sugar Company, a $1.1 billion, Houston-based refiner and marketer of
sugar products to retail and industrial customers. He has operated in a
number of roles to successfully finance, restore profitability to, or
otherwise create value in a large number of companies in a variety of
industries. Currently, he has created a strong balance sheet from a
distressed situation, has rationalized capacity and has begun to create
value added margins in a commodity product line through customer
partnerships and creative brand strategies. Prior to this role, he was
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vitality Beverages,
Inc., a $500 million privately-owned Tampa-based company which sells
juice and other beverage products to the foodservice market and private
label juice products to retail establishments. He led a significant
operational turnaround and a series of acquisitions and divestitures
that gave the company a significant presence in its core markets and
eliminated non-core activities. Previously, Mr. Peiser served a number
of companies in need of turnaround management in both a CEO and/or CFO
capacity. He has operated in a number of industries, including airlines,
food processing, retailing, distribution and telecommunications.
Probably his highest profile assignment was while he was Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of St. Louis-based Trans World
Airlines, Inc., where he was widely credited with being the architect of
that company's successful 1995 financial restructuring. He had 10 years
of prior experience with TWA during two five-year periods beginning in
1972 and 1982, respectively, and served as its Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer during its takeover battle with Carl Icahn. Mr.
Peiser began his career with TWA, but, early on, also served in a number
of financial roles at RCA Corporation and its subsidiary, Hertz
Corporation. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the
University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard University. He is
currently a member of the Board of Directors of Ascent Assurance, Inc.,
Kitty Hawk, Inc., and Pinnacle Airlines, and serves on the Council of
Overseers at the Jones Business School of Rice University. He
previously served as an outside director of Phar-Mor, Inc., and Ascent
Assurance, Inc., following their respective emergence from Chapter 11,
and Microware Systems, Inc. He is a past member of the Board of the
Tampa Bay Partnership and Chairman of its International Leadership
Advisory Council, a past Trustee of the Leukemia Society and a past
member of the Boards of the Denver Metro and Colorado Springs Chambers
of Commerce. Profile
Mr. Peiser: The company was a refinery of cane sugar company based in
Sugar Land, Texas, right outside of Houston, up
