President Bush has picked Kellogg CEO Carlos Gutierrez as John Evans’ replacement for Secretary of commerce.
Mr. Gutierrez is an American of Cuban descent, but spent much of his young adulthood in Mexico. He started out as a truck-driver in Mexico City’s Kellogg subsidiary.
Gutierrez, Kellogg's CEO since April 1999, is credited with shaping a major corporate and marketing overhaul at Kellogg, narrowing the company's primary focus to cereal and wholesome snacks and reducing the company's debt. Under Gutierrez, Kellogg's net sales rose from $6.2 billion in 1999 to $8.8 billion last year, a 43 percent increase. Earnings per share increased 131 percent, from 83 cents to $1.92, and cash flow went up 82 percent, from $529 million to $961 million.Quite impressive.
It was rather humorous to hear Democrat pundit Bob Bechel dismiss Mr. Gutierrez as a “cereal salesman” on FoxNews this morning. Ah, yes. Between the nod to Mr. Gutierrez and that to Alberto Gonzales as the president’s choice for Attorney General, one wonders how long it will be before the cries of “Uncle Tomás” will be heard throughout the land. (A week or so ago, the Onion had this Onion-like headline: “Ashcroft Loses Job to a Mexican.” LOL!)
