Nash Finch Company

Delta Airlines tolerating antisemitism

Although Delta announced in January that the Saudi airline would join its SkyTeam network next year, the implications of the deal only came to light recently, according to people who have scrutinized the details. Saudi Arabia, which is governed by strict Islamic law, requires citizens of almost every country to obtain a visa. People who wish to enter the country must have a sponsor; women, who must be dressed according to Saudi standards of modesty, must be met at the Saudi airport by a man who will act as a chaperone. Delta's Board of Directors is a who's who of corporate America. We can now add their names to long list of anti Semites and cowardly America's. Harsh? Not in the least. Besides banning Jewish passengers flying to Saudi Arabia from the United States, the airline will have to also ban Jewish pilots and Jewish flight attendants from these Middle Eastern routes. So Delta's employees will either be totally non- Jewish or the airline will have to create separate schedules, separate working conditions, and separate administrative structures for its Jewish employees. Such corporate machinations, based entirely on religion, should be very interesting to watch. Edward H. Bastian has been President of Delta since September 1, 2007. Mr. Bastian was President and Chief Executive Officer NWA from October 2008 through December 31, 2009.   He was President and Chief Financial Officer of Delta from September 2007 to October 2008.  Mr. Bastian was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Delta from July 2005 to September 2007 and was Senior Vice President - Finance and Controller of Delta from 2000 to April 2005.  He currently serves on the International Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity and the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta.  Roy J. Bostock has been the non-executive Vice Chairman of Delta's Board of Directors since October 29, 2008.  Since 2002, he has served as a principal of Sealedge Investments, LLC, the Chairman of the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development. Mr. Bostock served as Chairman of B/Com3 from 2000 to 2002, and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the McManus Group from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Bostock is a director of Yahoo! Inc. and Morgan Stanley. Age 69. John S. Brinzo was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (currently named Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.

Daily Developments: Nash Finch Gets Unsolicited Offer, Sells 4 CO ...

The Edina-based food distribution company hadn’t been looking to sell its Hispanic-oriented Avanza stores, but it took Texas-based Lowe’s Market up on an unsolicited offer.

Nash Finch Company has sold four of its five Avanza stores to a Texas-based supermarket chain after receiving an unsolicited offer for them.

Bob Dimond, CFO, executive vice president, and treasurer of Edina-based Nash Finch, told Twin Cities Business on Friday that Nash Finch hadn’t been looking for a buyer to purchase its Hispanic-oriented Avanza stores. But when Littlefield, Texas-based Lowe’s Market submitted a bid, the company conducted an evaluation and determined that the offer was in its best interest.

Dimond declined to reveal the financial terms of the transaction, which he said closed within the past two weeks.

The four Avanza stores that Nash Finch sold are located in Colorado. Dimond said Lowe’s Market indicated that it plans to keep the Avanza name and the Hispanic orientation of the stores that it bought.

Lowe’s Market is licensed to use the Avanza name exclusively in the Colorado market and is permitted to open additional stores within the state should it choose to do so, according to Dimond.

Nash Finch will continue to operate its fifth Avanza store, which is in Omaha.

Avanza is Spanish for “advance.” The company opened its first Avanza stores in 2002.

Nash Finch is a food distribution company that serves independent retailers and military commissaries in 36 states, Washington, D.C., Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Azores, and Egypt. Its revenue for the fiscal year that ended January 1 totaled approximately $5 billion, which ranks it among Minnesota’s 15-largest public companies .