CEO of the Week: US Foods Holding Corp.’s Pietro Satriano

Under CEO Pietro Satriano, US Foods Holding Corp. has been feeding the needy as it also helps restaurants reopen after the Covid-19 shutdown.

The Rosemont, Illinois-based foodservice distributor this month announced it is donating roughly $250,000 of food to help the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, bring pop-up food pantries to communities of color on Chicago’s South and West Sides, which have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, longtime food insecurity and the recent civil unrest.

“In this unprecedented time, we know too many Chicago families are struggling to access fresh, healthy food,” Satriano said. “We’re proud to play a part in helping the Food Depository bring additional pop-up food pantries to communities with an urgent need for food.”

The initiative is the latest that US Foods is doing to serve in the pandemic. In May, the company announced it had donated more than $10 million in food and supplies to local food banks and charitable organizations across the country since the beginning of March. The donations include items such as meat, dairy, produce and other non-food supplies.

“We are proud of our long-standing partnerships with local food banks and charities across the country,” Satriano said. “As our partners work to keep up with unprecedented demand, we’re pleased to play a role in supporting ongoing hunger relief efforts.”

US Foods also continues to collaborate with restaurants across the country to donate products and logistics support to meal packing events designed to provide much-needed relief to displaced food service workers, first-responders and health care workers, according to the announcement.

Meanwhile, the company is also giving away free reopening kits to qualifying independent restaurant owners to help support restaurant reopening efforts in communities across the United States. The reopening kits provide independent restaurant operators with masks and safety guidance posters, as well as resource guides to navigate state and local Covid-19 reopening requirements.

The free reopening kits are part of the company’s ongoing commitment to helping operators “Make It” as they begin their reopening efforts, according to the announcement. US Foods offers a suite of resources and tools as part of the company’s “Make It Now” platform including its Restaurant Reopening Blueprint launched last month.

The guide provides recommendations for approaching regulatory requirements, principles for planning an effective reopening, best practices for approaching front-of-house and back-of-house operations, and specific solutions for other foodservice formats such as cafeterias, quick-service restaurants, fast-casual restaurants, food courts, and bars and lounges.

Satriano was named CEO and joined the board in July 2015, and was appointed chairman in December 2017. He previously held the role of chief merchandising officer where he led and developed business strategies to continuously improve the company’s expertise in procurement, category management and product innovation, the company states on its website.

Prior to joining US Foods in 2011, Satriano was president of LoyaltyOne Canada, the company behind AirMiles, Canada’s largest consumer loyalty reward program. He also served as executive vice president of Loblaw Brands at Loblaw Companies where he was responsible for its private No Name label and executive vice president, food segment, where he had national accountability for all aspects of merchandising for Loblaw’s food business.

Satriano began his career in strategy consulting, first with what is now The Boston Consulting Group in Toronto and then with the Monitor Company in Milan, Italy.

Headquarters: Rosemont, Illinois

Age: 57

Education: Bachelor’s degree, economics and MBA, Harvard University

First joined company: 2011

Prior to joining U.S. Foods: President, LoyaltyOne Canada

Named CEO: 2015

He’s No. 127 on Chief Executive and RHR International’s CEO1000 Tracker, a ranking of the top 1,000 public/private companies