EVANSVILLE, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 20, 2013-- Berry Plastics Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) announced at its Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on March 20, 2013, that the Company’s shareholders re-elected Donald C. Graham, David B. Heller, and Carl J. (Rick) Rickertsen to the Company’s Board of Directors.

“I am pleased that Don, David, and Rick were re-elected to Berry’s Board of Directors,” said Jon Rich, Chairman and CEO of Berry Plastics. “Together, they bring a wealth of knowledge gained from years of experience in the plastics packaging and private equity sectors, and by serving on boards of both private and publicly traded companies. Their knowledge, experience, and insight will be beneficial to Berry as we pursue our deleveraging and strategic growth initiatives.”

Donald C. (Don) Graham founded “The Graham Group,” an alliance of independently owned and operated industrial businesses and investment management firms, and has been a member of Berry Plastics’ Board of Directors since 2006. Over nearly half a century, Graham built a substantial family industrial concern—founding consumer packaging, capital equipment and building products businesses, and investing in companies serving a wide range of consumer and industrial sectors. Graham founded Graham Packaging Company, in which he sold a controlling interest in 1998 and retained a minority ownership position until the company was sold in 2011. Graham participates on several advisory boards of The Graham Group’s independently owned and managed investment concerns and continues to provide guidance as an active board member of and investor in many underlying portfolio companies.

David B. Heller became a member of Berry Plastics’ Board of Directors in October 2012. Heller is the former Global Co-Head of the Securities Division at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he also served on the Management Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1989 in New York and also spent significant time living and working in Tokyo and London during his career with the firm. He retired from Goldman in March of 2012. Currently he serves as a Trustee for the Acumen Fund, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Project Morry, and Third Way. Heller earned a B.A. from Harvard College and continues to be involved with the university.

Carl J. (Rick) Rickertsen became a member of the Company’s Board in January 2013. Rickertsen is currently managing partner of Pine Creek Partners, a private equity investment firm, a position he has held since January 2004. He has worked in private equity since 1987. Prior to founding Pine Creek Partners, Rickertsen was chief operating officer and partner of Thayer Capital Partners. Rickertsen was a founding partner of three Thayer investment funds totaling over $1.4 billion and is a published author. He serves on the board of directors of MicroStrategy, Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund, and Noranda Aluminum. He was formerly a board member Convera Corporation, UAP Holding Corp., and Homeland Security Capital Corporation. Rickertsen received a B.S. from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

About Berry Plastics

Berry Plastics Group, Inc. is a leading provider of value-added plastic consumer packaging and engineered materials delivering high-quality customized solutions to our customers with annual net sales of $4.8 billion in fiscal 2012. With world headquarters in Evansville, Indiana, the Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BERY. For additional information, visit the Company’s website at www.berryplastics.com.

Source: Berry Plastics Group, Inc.

Berry Plastics Group, Inc.
Media Contact:
Eva Schmitz, 812-306-2424
evaschmitz@berryplastics.com
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Dustin Stilwell, 812-306-2964
dustinstilwell@berryplastics.com