Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> August 27, 2001

Vincent Gierer Jr. – Ust Inc (ust)

VINCENT A. GIERER, JR., was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of UST, Inc. in December 1993, a holding company for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, International Wine & Spirits Ltd., UST Enterprises Inc. and UST International Inc. Mr. Gierer also serves as President of the company, a position he has held since September 1990. After joining the company in 1978, Mr. Gierer was elected Controller in 1983. In 1986, he was promoted to Senior Vice President. That same year, Mr. Gierer was elected to the company's Board of Directors. In July 1987, he was elected Chief Financial Officer while retaining the title of Senior Vice President. In 1988, he was elected an Executive Vice President, a position he held until 1990. Mr. Gierer was associated with the accounting firm of Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young). He is member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Financial Executives Institute. Mr. Gierer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Iona College. He is also a Vietnam veteran, having served in the U.S. Army. Profile
TWST: Could we start out with a quick overview of the company as you see

it today?

Mr. Gierer: Our principal businesses are smokeless tobacco and wine. The

smokeless business is much bigger