Tyson Foods’ chief rings NYSE bell

Donnie Smith, the president and CEO of Tyson Foods, was in New York on Tuesday (May 15) to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

His appearance marked the 15th anniversary of trading for Springdale-based Tyson on the exchange, according to a Tyson statement.

“Our company has grown significantly since 1997, expanding our chicken business and diversifying our portfolio to include beef, pork and prepared foods,” Smith noted in the statement. “And, we expect our business to continue to grow as we serve the needs of our customers. We’re currently experiencing our third consecutive year of solid earnings and remain focused on improving our operational efficiencies, adding more value to our products and expanding our international presence.”
 
According to the release, Tyson Foods’ sales today are more than five times what they were in 1997, while the company’s overall employment has almost doubled. The company generated sales of $6.4 billion in fiscal 1997 and employed 63,000 people. In fiscal 2011 the company’s sales were $32.3 billion and total employment was 115,000.