Mark S. Wetterau Sr., the 65-year-old chairman and chief executive officer at Irvine-based Golden State Foods, died at home Monday, May 8 due to ongoing health issues, the company said Thursday, May 11.
Wetterau, a top executive for the food distributor for 25 years and an Orange County resident, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, GSF said in a statement.
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Conrad Wetterau, Mark’s brother, business partner and 25-year GSF board member, will serve as GSF’s chairman. Mike Waitukaitis, a 13-year company veteran, will continue to serve as vice chairman.
With its offices on Von Karman Avenue in Irvine, the privately-held GSF is one of the largest food distributors serving McDonald’s. Forbes estimates its revenue in 2022 was $5.1 billion. The company’s key manufacturing plant for McDonald’s restaurants in the Western United States is in City of Industry. GSF affiliates produce and deliver food to Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell.
“Despite the significant loss of my dear brother, best friend, and long-time GSF leader, Mark, we will continue to build on the incredible momentum of this thriving organization to best serve our valued customers at the highest levels throughout the world,” Conrad Wetterau said.
Waitukaitis called Mark Wetterau a “charismatic, energetic leader, who tirelessly inspired his fellow associates and teams to achieve more than they ever thought possible.”
The Wetterau family business in St. Louis dates to 1869. It was Wetterau Associates that bought GSF in 1998 with investor Ron Burkle at The Yucaipa Cos. The Wetterau-owned firm would take 100% ownership of GSF by 2004.
As the story goes, the family’s creed, “We believe in God and the dignity of all people,” was key to closing the deal to buy GSF. Those words are prominent on the entry wall at Golden States’ headquarters, in every one of its facilities, on the company’s website and on employee business cards.
In a 2010 interview with the Register, Wetterau said that GSF, which sells nothing to the general public and needs no advertising, comes down to this: “Customers’ success is our success.”
“My dad always said that ‘our people are our greatest asset,’ ” said Mark’s son, Stephen Wetterau, a 14-year GSF employee and currently vice president of logistics at the company’s Quality Custom Distribution division.
Wetterau is survived by his wife of 39 years, Virginia “Ginny”, his three children, M. Stephen Jr., Elizabeth Bakman (Shaymus), and Olivia Luce (Bryn), his three grandchildren, Dean, Cole and Lily Bakman, his brother, T. Conrad (Marguerite) and his sister, Elizabeth W. Harbison (Keith).
A private family burial will be held May 27 in St. Louis. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the GSF Foundation and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
A celebration of Wetterau’s life will be live-streamed from Southern California on June 24. For more details, go to goldenstatefoods.com/mark-wetterau-celebration-of-life the day before the event.
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