Harvard Business School Club of Jacksonville

(Seating will be limited)

The Club will be hosting its annual dinner with Acosta's Executive Chairman Gary Chartrand as keynote speaker, who will share his story of how Acosta has become the leading retail sales marketing and service firm in the U.S. and Canada, driving over $50 billion in sales for its clients.

Immediately prior to dinner, the Club will hold its Annual Membership Meeting to elect the Officers and Directors for the next fiscal year of 2010-2011. If you cannot attend the meeting, please download the proxy form and voting instructions here and mail or fax in your vote.

Cost: $55 for Members/Spouses/Other, and $70 for Non-members/Guests.

When: Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Cocktails at 6:00 p.m.; dinner served at 7:00 p.m.

Location: University of North Florida, University Center, Jacksonville, FL. Get directions here.

New! Fax your registration and payment by credit card: simply download the invitation and credit card authorization form, complete and fax back to (904) 273-8068.

>> Not a member? Join the Club now and your membership will be good through next year (June 2011) plus save $15 per person on this event! Click here first to become a member, then make your reservations to this event at the member price.

Gary Chartrand is the Executive Chairman of Acosta. Gary joined Acosta in 1983 as a Business Manager and subsequently was promoted to Vice President, Regional Vice President of Florida, President, and in January 1996, President and Chief Executive Officer. Gary became Chairman-Chief Executive Officer upon the merger of Acosta and PMI-Eisenhart in July 1998. Under his leadership, Acosta-PMI joined forces with Kelley-Clarke in June 1999, Morris-Alper in August 1999, and Luke Soules in September 1999. In May 2002, Acosta expanded services into Canada by acquiring four regional sales and marketing firms to form a North American network.

Gary has served on the Board of Directors of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. He has served on several Advisory Boards for the consumer products companies represented by Acosta. Gary received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the State of Florida in May 2001, and was named to the Supermarket News Power 50 list from 2003 to 2009, indicating the 50 most influential people in the industry.

Gary currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chartrand Foundation, Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, St. Vincent’s Hospital, and Fresh Ministries; He serves as Chairman of the board for Acosta, Inc. and the advisory board of CNL Bank of Jacksonville. He is Chairman of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and a director on the board of the KIPP schools in Jacksonville, FL. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for the I. M. Sulzbacher Homeless Center in Jacksonville. He is currently serving as a Vice President of the MDA “Aisle of Smiles” campaign. He is also an enthusiastic supporter of the Wounded Warrior Program, Catholic Charities, Guardian of Dreams Catholic schools, and the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Gary is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. He resides in Ponte Vedra Beach with his wife, Nancy. They have two children, Jeffrey and Meredith.

Acosta is a leading full-service sales and marketing agency, providing outsourced sales, merchandising, marketing and promotional services to manufacturers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The Company represents more than 160,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) for over 1,200 manufacturers, and services more than 120,000 traditional grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience stores, drug stores and natural food stores, as well as the wholesalers who serve these same channels. The Company employs over 15,000 associates and operates 64 offices in the U.S. and Canada.

Acosta Sales & Marketing was founded in 1927 by Louis T. Acosta and operated as a family-run, single-market food broker, only serving the Jacksonville area. In 1974, Acosta initiated the first stage of its expansion plan by opening an office in Tampa, Fla. By the early 1990s, Acosta dominated the industry in the Southeast. With the merger of Acosta and PMI-Eisenhart (Midwest) in 1998, the subsequent 1999 acquisitions of Kelley-Clarke (West) and the MAI companies (East), the 2002 acquisitions of four regional Canadian companies, and the 2003 acquisition of Luke Soules (Southwest), Acosta realized its goal of becoming an agency providing services to manufacturers across the U.S. and Canada.

Today, Acosta offers consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies outsourced headquarter sales, retail merchandising, marketing, and customer support services in grocery stores, mass merchandiser stores, club stores, convenience stores, drug stores, fresh food markets, military commissaries and exchanges, and other specialty stores. Acosta’s associates call on more than 110,000 retail outlets every month. As a company, on behalf of its clients, Acosta represents over $50 billion in sales and almost 25 percent of all products that pass through a typical grocery store’s warehouse.