Wendy's CEO, Gordon Teter, Dies Unexpectedly

DUBLIN, Ohio (PROTEXT) - Gordon F. Teter, 56, chairman, CEOand president of Wendy's International (NYSE: WEN) passed awaylast night at his home of natural causes. The medical examinerwill determine the exact cause of death. "Gordon was a great friend and a tremendous leader," said DaveThomas, founder and senior chairman. "He had a great businessmind and a passion for people. He was one of the smartest men Iknew, and he taught all of us how to be better businesspeople. Wewill miss him dearly," he added. Teter joined the company in 1987 as executive vice presidentof restaurant operations, after more than 20 years in thefranchised restaurant industry. He joined Wendy's board ofdirectors in 1990 and became president and chief operatingofficer in 1991. He was promoted to CEO in 1995 and added thetitle of chairman in 1997. Teter's leadership and innovations in restaurant operationsand franchisee relations guided the Wendy's system throughout thepast decade of outstanding growth and prosperity. Teter considered one of his greatest accomplishments to be the1995 merger of Wendy's and Tim Hortons, the coffee and freshbaked goods chain headquartered in Toronto. Tim Hortons has grownby nearly 50% in the number of restaurants and significantlyincreased profits in the past four years, and expanded into theUnited States in the Columbus, Detroit and Buffalo markets. A Lawrence, Ind., native, Teter received his undergraduatedegree from Purdue and a master's degree in businessadministration. He was an all-star high-school running back andplayed football at Purdue. He was selected on the All Big TenAcademic football team and was named MVP and captain of Purdue'sbaseball team. Teter had a deep commitment to education and the cause ofadoption. He was a founding trustee of the Dave Thomas Foundationfor Adoption and a national judge for the Wendy's High SchoolHeisman program. He also served on the Advisory Board of theKrannert School of Business at Purdue. He is survived by his daughter, Molly, former wife, Carol, hismother, Bonnie, and brother Jim, both of Indianapolis.Arrangements are pending and will be made public as they areavailable. Wendy's International, Inc. is one of the world's largestrestaurant operating and franchising companies with nearly $7billion in systemwide sales. There are more than 5,500 Wendy'srestaurants worldwide and more than 1,800 Tim Hortons restaurantsin North America. ots Original Text Service: Wendy'sInternational, Inc. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact:Denny Lynch of Wendy's International, Inc., 614-764-3553 Website: http://www.wendys.com

Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug"PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to bepublished under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial serviceproviding distribution of press releases from clients, who areidentified in the text of Protext reports and who bear fullresponsibility for their contents.

PROTEXT