CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Steven Berrard stepped down as the president and CEO of Swisher Hygiene effective Aug. 20 but will remain a member of its board of directors, the company reports. The board appointed Thomas Byrne, executive vice president, as Swisher Hygiene’s interim president/CEO.
The leadership transition comes amid an internal audit investigation into Swisher Hygiene’s accounting practices.
“In order to facilitate completion of the 2011 audit process, and in order to better focus my energies on the strategic direction of Swisher Hygiene, I believe it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders for me to step down as president and chief executive officer,” says Berrard. “I will miss leading the Swisher Hygiene team on a day-to-day basis, but I will continue to be involved in the ongoing strategic direction of the company as a member of the board of directors and as one of the company’s largest shareholders.”
“The growth of Swisher Hygiene over the past few years would have been impossible without the hard work and dedication of Steve Berrard, and I know I speak for the entire Swisher Hygiene team in thanking him for leading the transformation of this company,” Byrne says.
Swisher Hygiene hopes to complete its ongoing accounting review “expeditiously” and file its 2011 financial statements as soon as possible, he says.
The company has gained attention in the last two years for its acquisition of several textile services companies.
