Arlon’s Coastal Companies adds new board member

Arlon’s portfolio company, produce and dairy supplier The Coastal Companies, has appointed Brian Sturgeon to its board of directors, according to a company press release.

Coastal Companies runs Coastal Sunbelt and East Coast Fresh, which operate a 185-truck fleet, providing produce to customers across six US mid-Atlantic region and Washington DC.

Sturgeon was an president and chief executive of FreshPoint, a speciality produce distribution arm of Sysco. FreshPoint acquired 20 privately held companies during Sturgeon’s tenure.

“Brian is a highly accomplished executive, a trusted advisor and a valuable addition to our team.  I look forward to working with him,” said Coastal chief executive, John Corso, in a statement.

The addition of Sturgeon comes six months after mid-market food and agri firm Arlon bought Coastal from MSouth Equity Partners. Sturgeon is the first addition to the board since three Arlon executives and an outside industry executive were added to the The Coastal Companies board following the acquisition.

Arlon Group began as the investment arm of Continental Grain, and spun out in 2008. The purchase of Coastal Companies came from the group’s $335 million US-focused food and agri fund, a 2011-vintage. The group continues to raise a $400 million Latin America fund and is expected to launch a $400 million second North America fund this year. Arlon Group is based in New York with an additional office in São Paulo and controls roughly $980 million in assets, according to the company website.