US Foods names Dave Flitman as CEO

Dave Flitman will be the new chief executive officer and board member of leading foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp., effective Jan. 5, 2023. Flitman replaces Interim CEO Andrew Iacobucci who took the post in May following the departure of former CEO Pietro Satriano who led the company for 11 years.

Rosemont, Ill.-based US Foods stated that Flitman brings a wealth of global business leadership, executive management skills and extensive commercial distribution experience to the post, including more than 35 years of involvement in manufacturing and distribution across multiple industries, including food distribution.

“After a thoughtful and thorough search for the future leader of our great company, I am thrilled that Dave Flitman will join US Foods as chief executive officer and a member of our talented board,” Bob Dutkowsky, US Foods executive chairman, said in a statement. “Dave is a highly accomplished executive who brings an impressive combination of CEO, supply chain and commercial experience and a proven track record of driving operational excellence, profitable growth, shareholder returns and a people-centric, high-performing culture.”
 
Flitman since April 2021 has been president and CEO of Dallas-based Builders FirstSource, the largest U.S. supplier of building products, prefabricated components and value-added services, and was president and CEO at BMC Stock Holdings prior to the merger of the two companies.

Related:US Foods wraps up acquisition of Smart Foodservice Warehouse

He also since 2017 has been a director at Atlanta-based Veritiv Corp., a leading packaging distribution company, where he is currently a member of the audit and finance committee and chair of the compensation and leadership development committee. 

“This is a perfect time to join US Foods,” Flitman said in a statement. “It’s an honor and a privilege to lead US Foods into the future, alongside its talented 28,000 associates. I look forward to building on the current momentum the team has built in executing the company’s long-range plan, driving operational excellence, creating value for our customers and shareholders and fostering a culture where associates thrive.”

From 2015 to 2018, Flitman was president and CEO of Performance Foodservice, the largest segment of Richmond, Va.-based foodservice distribution company Performance Food Group Co. 

In addition, he was previously chief operating officer and president, USA & Latin America, at Univar Solutions Inc., a Downers Grove, Ill.-based chemical and ingredient distributor; senior executive vice president at Naperville, Ill.-based Nalco Water, a supplier of water, energy and air improvement solutions and services for industrial and institutional markets; executive vice president and president, water and process services, at St. Paul, Minn.-based Ecolab; and president of the former Allegheny Power. Flitman began his career at Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont where he spent two decades in various operational, commercial, and global business leadership positions. 

US Foods’ search for a permanent CEO began last May with Dutkowsky stating that “after careful consideration, the board determined that it is time for a change in leadership.” At that time, US Foods named James J. Barber, Jr., Scott D. Ferguson and David A. Toy as new independent directors with Ferguson and Toy joining the five-member CEO search committee.