UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 15, 2014 (May 12, 2014)

 

GREIF, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 
					
Delaware	 	001-00566	 	31-4388903	
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)	 	(Commission
File Number)	 	(IRS Employer
Identification No.)	

425 Winter Road, Delaware, Ohio	 	43015	
(Address of principal executive offices)	 	(Zip Code)	
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (740) 549-6000
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
 
¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)	
 
¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)	
 
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))	
 
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))	

 

Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management
 
Item 5.02.	Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.	
Item 5.02(c)
Appointment of Chief Financial Officer
On May 12, 2014, Greif, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that Lawrence A. Hilsheimer has been appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective as of May 12, 2014. In his position, Mr. Hilsheimer will be the principal financial officer of the Company and will oversee all of the Company’s corporate and operating finance functions.
Mr. Hilsheimer, age 56, served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company from April 2013 to April 2014. From August 2012 to March 2013, Mr. Hilsheimer served as the president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Retirement Plans for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. From January 2010 to July 2012, Mr. Hilsheimer served as the president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Direct & Customer Solutions. For the two years prior to that time, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Columbus-based insurance and financial services company. Prior to joining Nationwide, he was vice chairman and regional managing partner for Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP and served on the board of directors of the Deloitte Foundation.
Mr. Hilsheimer received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University and his law degree from Capital University Law School.
In addition to his business background, Mr. Hilsheimer is a board member of Battelle for Kids. He is also on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Fisher College of Business and is on the Audit and Compliance Committee of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees.
In connection with his employment, Mr. Hilsheimer received a stock award of 15,000 shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company. These shares are subject to a risk of forfeiture if Mr. Hilsheimer’s employment is terminated prior to vesting and are subject to a restriction on transfer until May 12, 2019. These shares will vest in increments of 5,000 shares on each of May 12, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Dividends will be payable on these shares prior to vesting or forfeiture. In addition, Mr. Hilsheimer will participate in the Company’s long and short term incentive compensation plans, a supplemental executive retirement plan, and other employee benefit plans generally made available to executive officers of the Company.
A copy of the news release announcing Mr. Hilsheimer’s appointment as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Section 9 – Financial Statements and Exhibits
 
Item 9.01.	Financial Statements and Exhibits.	
 
(d)	Exhibits.	

Exhibit No.	  	Description	
		
99.1	  	Press release issued by Greif, Inc. on May 12, 2014, announcing the appointment of Lawrence A. Hilsheimer as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.	

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	 		 	GREIF, INC.	
				
Date: May 15, 2014	 		 	By	 	/s/ Gary R. Martz	
	 		 		 	Gary R. Martz
Executive Vice President	

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	  	Description	
		
99.1	  	Press release issued by Greif, Inc. on May 12, 2014, announcing the appointment of Lawrence A. Hilsheimer as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.	

Exhibit 99.1
Greif, Inc. Appoints Lawrence A. Hilsheimer as CFO
DELAWARE, Ohio (May 12, 2014) –  Greif  (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B), a world leader in industrial packaging products and services, announced today that Lawrence A. Hilsheimer has joined the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Hilsheimer will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer David Fischer. As CFO, Hilsheimer will oversee the controller functions, treasury, investor relations, information systems, tax and internal audit.
“Larry’s demonstrated track record as a successful CFO and his extensive business expertise make him the perfect candidate to step into this critical role,” stated David Fischer, CEO. “This is an important time for Greif as we position the company for sustained profitable growth. Larry brings a deep understanding of financial operations and experience driving material improvements in business operations. Further, Larry is a perfect fit for the ‘Greif Way,’ the culture of our company which has been rooted in ‘The Golden Rule’ for over 137 years. After an extensive and thorough search for the right person, I am pleased to welcome Larry to Greif, and look forward to working closely with him.”
Fischer added, “With the recent hiring of David Lloyd as Corporate Financial Controller, the promotion of Chris Luffler as Business Managerial Controller and the appointment of Larry as CFO, we have in place an exceptional team with the experience necessary to ensure we achieve both the financial goals and long term growth objectives of the company.”
Hilsheimer most recently served as Executive Vice President and CFO for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG). He came to Scotts from Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. At Nationwide, Hilsheimer first served as Executive Vice President and CFO before becoming President and COO of a number of Nationwide’s operating units. Before Nationwide, Hilsheimer spent more than 28 years at Deloitte & Touche LLP, over 20 of those years as a partner in various leadership roles, including Vice Chairman and Regional Managing Partner.
Hilsheimer holds a BSBA degree from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School.
About Greif
Greif is a world leader in industrial packaging products and services. The company produces steel, plastic, fibre, flexible, corrugated, multiwall and reconditioned containers, intermediate bulk containers, containerboard and packaging accessories, and provides blending, filling, packaging and industrial packaging reconditioning services for a wide range of industries. Greif also manages timber properties in North America. The company is strategically positioned in more than 50 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. Additional information is on the company’s website at  www.greif.com .
###

Contact:
Scott Griffin
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Greif, Inc.
(740) 657-6516