The National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) elected Ron Krueger II of Southern Theatres, New Orleans, as association president at the 2009 NAC Annual Convention in Boston in July. Krueger was elected into a two-year term of office by a vote of the membership present at the Annual Membership Luncheon. He takes over the presidency from Maria Angles, ECM, of Hollywood Entertainment, who will now serve a two-year term as chairman of the board. John Evans Jr. of Gold Medal Products, Cincinnati, was sworn in as president elect.

“I am very honored to serve and grow this great association,” stated Krueger. “We have a full plate of opportunities ahead of us in the new technological and economically challenged environment in which we live and work. With the great team we have in our Board of Directors and Chicago office, I look forward to growing the association and increasing its relevance and value to the industries we serve.”

Ron Krueger has been a member of NAC since 1995. He has served as a regional vice president, vice president and president elect before being elected to the presidency. He has served on the regional vice presidents committee, the finance committee, the executive committee, and was chair of the convention programming committee and the NAC convention chair for 2008 and 2009.

A 25-year veteran of the theatre industry, Krueger began his career as an usher at Wehrenberg Theatres in St. Louis in 1982. He advanced in the company, holding positions as projectionist, theatre manager and accounting analyst. After a three-year stint in the corporate treasury area of Ralston Purina Company, Krueger returned to Wehrenberg with advancing positions within the corporate office including internal audit and director of operations. He became president of the company in 1999 and continued through 2008, leading the multiplex expansion in the Midwest and helping to launch a loyalty program, digital presentation and digital advertising initiatives.

Krueger joined Southern Theatres in 2008 after Wehrenberg was put up for sale. He was named chief operating officer in January 2009, and is responsible for daily theatre operations, training, marketing and concession initiatives. Southern Theatres, based in New Orleans and lead by George Solomon, has nineteen locations and 273 screens across nine states in the Gulf Coast and South, and plans two new projects in 2010.

Krueger is a graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and has a master’s of business administration from Washington University in St. Louis.

He is a member of the advisory board and is a past committee chair of the National Association of Theatre Owners. He also serves as board secretary and a member of the Board of Governors of Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis and as a member of the Movie Industry Advisory Council for Variety, The Children’s Charity. He is a past president of the St. Louis chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization, a past board member for Variety, the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, and a past committee member for Moolah Shrine. Krueger and his wife Cindy reside in New Orleans with their son Nicholas.

The National Association of Concessionaires was founded in 1944 to serve the recreational and leisure-time food and beverage concessions industry as a network and resource for operators, suppliers, manufacturers and distributors. Association services include publications, educational seminars and training programs, convention and trade shows and other programs for the concessions industry