Oak Park Resident Joins American Red Cross Board of Directors

Submitted by American Red Cross | Chicago & Northern Illinois.

Chicago, IL - The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois today announced the appointment of Fred Costello, VP & President, Global Product Management for Grainger, to the organization’s Board of Directors for the greater Chicago and Northern Illinois region. Costello is a resident of Oak Park, Illinois.

“Fred is a great addition to our leadership team, who helps guide the strategic direction of our humanitarian services and programs,” said Harley Jones, Interim Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.

The volunteer Board includes more than 30 civic and corporate leaders from a range of professional backgrounds for the region that serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties in Northern Illinois. The board is led by Chairman Grant Hellwarth, a Partner at PwC in Chicago. A full list of members is located at http://www.redcross.org/il/chicago/about/leadership.

Fred Costello was named VP & President, Global Product Management on September 1, 2015. In this role, he is responsible for managing the overall product offering, developing key global product categories, developing the company’s global private label offer, and driving leverage across the North American product teams. He is also responsible for Grainger’s operations in China, including Grainger China Limited and Fabory China.

Costello previously held the position of Vice President, Global Product Management since September 2014. Prior to this role, he was Vice President of Product Management & Sourcing in the U.S.

Costello joined Grainger in 2002 and has held roles of increasing responsibility across Product Management and Grainger Global Sourcing. He has helped Grainger shape and execute many product management initiatives that have been foundational to the overall growth and profitability of the company.

Prior to Grainger, Costello spent many years in the foodservice distribution industry with Kraft and Alliant Foodservice, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in Purchasing, Marketing and Sales.