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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) February 4, 2000
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NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 333-76763 52-2006441
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(State or other (Commission (I.R.S. Employer
jurisdiction File Number) Identification No.)
of incorporation)
85 Shannon Road Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17112
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including zip code: (717)526-2200
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Page 1 of 4 Pages
Exhibit Index - Page 3
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INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN REPORT
Item 5. Other Events
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On February 4, 2000, New World Pasta Company announced that John Denton
was named the Company's new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and
will succeed C. Mickey Skinner, who is retiring. Mr. Skinner will
remain as Chairman Emeritus. A copy of the press release announcing Mr.
Skinner's retirement and Mr. Denton's appointment is incorporated
herein by reference and a copy is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: February 8, 2000
NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY
By /s/ Mark E. Kimmel
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Mark E. Kimmel
Secretary and General Counsel
Page 2 of 4 Pages
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Exhibit Index
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Exhibit No. Description Page No.
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99 Press Release dated 4
February 4, 2000
Page 3 of 4 Pages
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New World Pasta Announces New Chief Executive
Harrisburg, PA February 4, 2000 - C. Mickey Skinner and the Board of
Directors of New World Pasta Company ("New World") today named John Denton as
the company's new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Mr. Skinner
who will remain as Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Denton most recently served as CEO and
President of Snyder's of Hanover ("Snyder's"), a pretzel and snack food concern
that is controlled by the Wareheim family of Hanover, PA. While at Snyder's, Mr.
Denton was responsible for growing the business into a leading player in the
pretzel industry and for creating one of the region's leading distribution
businesses serving the snack food industry. Prior to his role at Snyder's, Mr.
Denton was in charge of another Wareheim-controlled company, Hanover Foods,
where he established a strong track record of revenue and earnings growth for
this processor of frozen and canned foods. Previously, Mr. Denton worked in the
food products division of Procter and Gamble and brings over 25 years of
experience in the food industry to New World Pasta.
Mr. Skinner stated that, "New World Pasta is fortunate to be able to
attract an individual of John Denton's stature and experience. I believe John
and the New World Pasta management team are positioned to take the company to
much higher levels of success."
He added, "I also appreciate the Board's understanding of my desire to
take a much less active role in the company's operations. I believe I am now
much better prepared to enjoy retirement."
"I applaud the fine work Mickey Skinner and his team have done during
the past year in making the transition from Hershey to a successful independent
operation and look forward to my association with New World employees and trade
partners," commented Mr. Denton.
David Ying of Joseph Littlejohn & Levy noted, "We are very happy that
John Denton has decided to join us and think that he is uniquely qualified to
continue to grow the core branded business as well as expand into areas not
currently served by the company. We also think that the combination of John
Denton with our partners at Miller Milling gives us some of the best talent in
the food industry, from procurement all the way to the customer."
John C. Miller of Miller Milling Company said, "We were very lucky to
have had Mickey Skinner at the helm during New World Pasta's creation and busy
first year. He has done everything he said he would and we owe him a great debt
of gratitude. We must now respect his desire to return to a lighter schedule. I
am most confident we have found the right person in John Denton to take New
World to the next level."
Mr. Skinner served as the head of the company since 1984, first in his
role as President of the Hershey Pasta Division and, more recently, as CEO of
New World Pasta Company. New World was formed in January 1999 after the business
was acquired from Hershey Foods Corporation by an investor group that included
Mr. Skinner, Miller Milling Company and New York investment firm Joseph
Littlejohn & Levy ("JLL"). Mr. Denton takes over for Mr. Skinner after he led
New World to a successful split from Hershey and established itself as a
stand-alone business. Today, New World Pasta is the #1 branded pasta
manufacturer in the country, with leading brands such as RONZONI, SAN GIORGIO,
AMERICAN BEAUTY, SKINNER, MRS. WEISS and P&R.
"We thank Mickey for all of his hard work and accomplishments over the
past year," said Mr. Ying of JLL. "He has done a great job of transitioning the
company away from Hershey and positioning the business to capitalize on its
industry-leading brands. Even though he desires a less active role, Mickey will
continue to help the company by serving on the Board with JLL and Miller Milling
Company."
Joseph Littlejohn & Levy is a leading New York investment firm managing
three equity funds with committed capital exceeding $1.6 billion. The venture
follows JLL's successful partnership structures in the chemicals, building
products, radio broadcasting, automotive and health care industries utilizing
the leadership of strong management teams to realize significant returns from
strategic investments.
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