from the Chicago Tribune: President Bush today chose Carlos Gutierrez, a native of Cuba who rose from truck driver to chief executive officer of Kellogg Co., to be Secretary of Commerce.
“Carlos’s family came to America from Cuba when he was a boy,” Bush said in the Roosevelt Room. “He learned English from a bellhop in a Miami hotel and later became an American citizen. When his family eventually settled in Mexico City, Carlos took his first job for Kellogg as a truck driver, delivering Frosted Flakes to local stores.”
“I believe passionately in your leadership and direction you’ve set,” Gutierrez told Bush. “I believe in your call for a vibrant, growing, entrepreneurial society where everyone has the opportunity to experience the joy and the pride of ownership, where everyone can contribute and where everyone can benefit. I have had the opportunity to live that American dream, so I know that the president’s vision is noble, I know it’s real and I know it’s tangible.”
Gutierrez, Kellogg’s CEO since April 1999, is credited with shaping a major corporate and marketing overhaul at Kellogg, narrowing the company’s primary focus to cereal and wholesome snacks and reducing the company’s debt.