(LOS ANGELES) — Unified Western Grocers’ Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) continues as a vibrant and ongoing outreach to youth of the Los Angeles and Portland areas. The program is now in its sixth year in the Southern California Division in Commerce, Calif. and in its second year in Unified’s Pacific Northwest Division in Portland, Ore. Unified’s SYEP offers high school 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to investigate careers in the grocery industry while gaining valuable work experience and practical skills.
“It’s our chance to give back to the community,” said Alfred A. Plamann, Unified’s president and CEO. “Our employees and member retailers try to help point these students in the right direction, whether or not they plan on entering the grocery business.”
During the six-week summer internship, students in the program work in various departments throughout the company. Additionally, they attend a variety of educational events and activities designed to teach them about the grocery industry and how it operates. The program concludes on August 17 with a farewell luncheon where the winner of an essay contest will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
“On-the-job experience is one of the best ways to learn,” said Plamann. “Our staff looks forward to working with these bright, young people as part of the Unified team.”
Unified Western Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the Western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $3 billion in sales during the 2000 fiscal year, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to benefits expected to be derived from the proposed acquisition. There are a variety of factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements above. These factors are outlined in Unified's Form 10-Q and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.