Jim Thomas
SVP Supply Management & Purchasing
Darden Restaurants
Jim Thomas is Darden’s Senior Vice President of Supply
Management and Purchasing. Jim is part of a team of
professionals that manage Darden’s global supply
chain. Together with strong supplier partnerships, the team
provides differentiated food ingredients and non-food supplies, equipment and
services to more than 2,100 restaurants operating as eight distinct brands across
North America. Jim also serves on the executive team for our Specialty Restaurant
Group, and as a member of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida Board
of Directors.
Darden is the world's largest full-service restaurant operating company with annual
sales of $8.0 billion. The company owns and operates more than 2,100 Red Lobster,
Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille,
Eddie V’s, and Yard House restaurants in North America, employs more than
200,000 people and serves more than 425 million meals annually. In 2013, Darden
was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the third
year in a row.
Jim joined Darden in 2001 as Director of Restaurant Distribution. His excellent
organizational leadership at Darden was recognized in 2003, when he received the
company’s top honor, a Brilliance Award.
Before joining Darden, Jim held a variety of leadership positions in manufacturing
and supply chain management for Oberweis Dairy, McCain Foods and Frito Lay.
Jim received a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from The Pennsylvania
State University. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.