KV Pharmaceutical Company (NYSE: KV-A) announced today that the Board of
Directors has terminated, for cause, the employment agreement of the
Company’s chairman and chief executive officer, Marc Hermelin, effective
immediately. In addition, the Board has removed Mr. Hermelin as the
chairman of the Board and as the chief executive officer of the Company.
Mr. Hermelin has informed the Company, however, that he believes he
effectively retired from his employment with the Company prior to the
Board’s action today. Mr. Hermelin is expected to remain a member of the
Board of Directors.
David Van Vliet, the president of the Company’s ETHEX subsidiary, has
been appointed interim chief executive officer. Terry B. Hatfield was
named chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Hatfield said:
"We have full confidence in David Van Vliet and firmly believe that he
will make this a successful company again. We look forward to his
leadership at this critical time.”
Mr. Van Vliet becomes the interim chief executive officer of KV
Pharmaceutical after serving as the president and chief executive
officer of ETHEX Corporation, the Company’s largest subsidiary. Prior to
taking over ETHEX, Van Vliet served as chief administration officer of
the Company and was on the Board of Directors from August 2004 to 2006.
Before joining the Company, he was president and chief operating officer
of Angelica Corporation from June 2005 to September 2006, and president
and chief executive officer of Growing Family, Inc. for eight years.
Mr. Hatfield, the new chairman of KV Pharmaceutical, brings decades of
management experience in major firms in the U.S. and Europe.
Serving on the KV Pharmaceutical Board since 2004, Mr. Hatfield is
President of ZeaVision LLC in Chesterfield, MO. He has a B.A. in
Chemistry from the University of Louisville and has held numerous
executive level positions in the food and biotech arena. From 1982 to
2001, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Ralston Purina,
culminating with him serving as co-president for Protein Technologies
International. Since 2001, Mr. Hatfield has been an independent
consultant involved with mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Hatfield is also involved with the World Affairs Council, where he
currently serves as the president. He is the vice chairman of the Boeing
Institute Board at St. Louis University and a Board member of the
Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis.
About KV Pharmaceutical Company
KV Pharmaceutical Company is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical
company that develops, manufactures, markets, and acquires
technology-distinguished branded and generic/non-branded prescription
pharmaceutical products. The Company markets its technology
distinguished products through ETHEX Corporation, a national leader in
pharmaceuticals that compete with branded products, and Ther-Rx
Corporation, its branded drug subsidiary.
For further information about KV Pharmaceutical Company, please visit
the Company’s corporate Web site at www.kvpharmaceutical.com.