GoodMark Foods was an American food manufacturing company, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1][2] It produced "meat snacks, packaged meats, and extruded grain snacks,"[2] especially Slim Jim jerky meat snacks.[3] It is owned by ConAgra.[2]
Slim Jim snacks originated in Philadelphia.[4]
Ron Doggett, a General Mills finance executive involved in the purchase of Cherry-Levis, moved to North Carolina to participate in managing the operations. "In June 1982, he directed a unique leveraged buyout with three other executives of GoodMark from General Mills, who had put the subsidiary up for sale."[3] They made the company public in 1985.[6] The company's stock was traded on NASDAQ as GDMK.[1]
It was acquired by ConAgra, Inc. in 1998[2] for $225 million.[6] GoodMark's annual sales were about $170 million at that time.[1] A year later, in 1999, Doggett retired as chairman, president and CEO.[3][5]
