Dollar General adds retail vets to board

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. Dollar General announced that the appointments of veteran retailers Warren Bryant and William Rhodes, III to its board of directors have become effective in conjunction with the completion of the company’s initial public offering. With these additions, Dollar General’s board of directors now comprises six members.

“We are very pleased that Warren and Bill have joined our board,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's chairman and chief executive officer. “Both gentlemen bring relevant industry experience, having spent the majority of their careers at leading national retailers. Importantly, they each have worked across multiple facets of a retail organization, developing expertise in store operations, supply chain management and finance. We are confident that both will bring valuable knowledge to our newly-expanded board and look forward to their contributions as we drive the Dollar General business forward.”

Bryant served as the president and chief executive officer of Longs Drug Stores, a retail drugstore chain on the West Coast and in Hawaii, from 2002 through 2008 and as its chairman of the board from 2003 through his retirement in 2008. Prior to joining Longs Drug Stores, Mr. Bryant served as the senior vice president of The Kroger Co., a retail grocery chain, from 1999 to 2002. Bryant is a director of OfficeMax Incorporated.

Rhodes was elected chairman of AutoZone, a specialty retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories, in June 2007. He has served as president, chief executive officer and a director of AutoZone since 2005. Prior to his appointment as president and chief executive officer, Rhodes was EVP store operations and commercial. Prior to that time, he served in various capacities within AutoZone. Prior to 1994, Rhodes was a manager with Ernst & Young, LLP.