WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ:CENTA), a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets, today announced the appointment of two senior executives, effective October 10, 2016, that will help drive the Company’s growth initiatives in the years ahead.

William Lynch will be joining the firm as Sr. Vice President of Operations. Lynch most recently served as Sr. Vice President – Global Operations for Moen, Inc. and was responsible for supply chain strategy, engineering, strategic sourcing, planning, manufacturing, logistics, quality, and customer service. Prior to his time at Moen, Lynch spent over thirty years at The Clorox Company in numerous management positions, the last of which was Vice President Product Supply Global Operations. Lynch will report to President and CEO George Roeth. Lynch holds an MBA from Georgia State and a BS from Georgia Tech in Mechanical Engineering.

Rodolfo Spielmann, currently a consultant to the Company, has been named President of Pet Consumer Products. Spielmann has 23 years of broad consumer packaged goods experience in a variety of leadership and marketing roles in the U.S. and internationally, most recently with Mars, Inc. as the Global President of Nutro and North American Pet Specialty. Prior to his role at Mars, Spielmann worked for a number of consumer products companies, including Del Monte Foods, H.J. Heinz, and Procter & Gamble. Spielmann holds a Masters and Bachelor degree in Engineering Sciences from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and will also report to President and CEO George Roeth.

Roeth commented, “I am pleased to add the caliber of talent that Bill and Rodolfo bring to Central. Along with our existing strong business unit leaders and dedicated and passionate workforce, these two leaders will help spearhead initiatives to drive top-line growth and focus on continuous cost improvement, both with the goal of driving sustainable profit growth in the years ahead.”

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed and the brands PENNINGTON®, and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products under the PENNINGTON® brand. We also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands AQUEON®, CORALIFE® and ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, Forti-Diet® and CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, IMS™, CADET®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®, HORSE HEALTH™ and VITAFLEX®. We also provide a host of other application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately 3,700 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the Company's website at www.central.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts, including expectations for future growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon the Company’s current expectations and various assumptions. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release including, but not limited to, the following factors:

• seasonality and fluctuations in the Company’s operating results and cash flow;
• fluctuations in market prices for seeds and grains and other raw materials and the Company’s ability to pass through cost increases in a timely manner;
• adverse weather conditions;
• the impending retirement of our CEO, the transition to his successor, our dependence upon our key executives, and the ability to execute on our succession plan;
• dependence on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our business;
• uncertainty about new product innovations and marketing programs; and
• competition in our industries

These risks and others are described in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

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