Robert Smittcamp will step down as chief of Fresno's Lyons Magnus food-service company

Robert Smittcamp, the longtime CEO of Fresno-based Lyons Magnus Inc., is stepping down after more than 40 years. Ed Carolan, who has worked for the Campbell Soup Company for 17 years, will take Smittcamp's place on May 15 as head of the food-service company.

Carolan's appointment as CEO was announced by Lyons Magnus and private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners LLC , a major investor in the company, in a statement issued on April 5. Smittcamp will remain as chairman of the board of Lyons Magnus. Carolan most recently was the president of Cambell's C-Fresh division.

When Paine Schartz Partners announced its investment in Lyons Magnus in November 2017, Smittcamp said he planned to remain as CEO and chairman of the company his family has owned for nearly 50 years.

This month, however, Smittcamp said it is "the right time to transition the company to its next generation of leadership."

"We conducted an extensive search for my successor and we could not have found a better choice" than Carolan, Smittcamp added.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Robert Smittcamp will step down as chief of Fresno's Lyons Magnus food-service company."