New Cobb Director To head Cobb's World Technical Support Team - US - James Young has been appointed director of the World Technical Support Team which Cobb-Vantress, Inc has developed over the past five years to provide top-level expertise for the broiler breeding industry.

He moves to Cobb from Tyson Foods, Inc where he has been vice president of operations of a group of complexes producing 20 million pounds of poultry meat each week. He succeeds Dr Leonard Fussell who has decided for family reasons to step down from the position of director and to take on a part-time role within the team.

"Leonard Fussell is relinquishing the position for purely personal reasons which we appreciate, but we are delighted that he will continue to be involved with our World Technical Support Team in a specialist veterinary role in the future," says James Bell, president of Cobb-Vantress, Inc.

"James Young has extensive practical experience in all areas of live production and processing, and is widely recognized for his leadership abilities. The experience of our team in all aspects of broiler breeding is unsurpassed in the world industry."

Mr Young has been with Tyson Foods for 16 years since graduating in business administration at Quachita Baptist University. Within six years of joining the company he had managed three processing plants and was promoted to the position of complex manager over two fully integrated poultry complexes. He became vice president of live production services in 1999, responsible for staff services including a group of veterinarians, nutritionists and breeder specialists caring for the processing of 38.9 million birds per week. He became vice president of sales and operations - Foodservice Deli Group in 2001.

Then in October 2002 he was appointed vice president of operations for the Foodservice Refrigerated Group, responsible for five fully integrated complexes with 5000 employees.

Cobb's World Technical Support Team provides expertise in nutrition, veterinary science, environment control, breeder and broiler production, hatchery operations and data analysis. Its role, supporting Cobb's regional technical services personnel, helps customers in more than 60 countries to take full advantage of the genetic prowess of the Cobb 500, Cobb 700 and Avian breeds.

Source: Issued by BHR Communications for Cobb - 21st January 2004