GS1 US Mourns Former CEO Rittenhouse

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — GS1 US, the information standards organization, today mourned the death of Thomas S. Rittenhouse, who served as president and chief executive officer of the organization from 1997 to 2004, when it was known as the Uniform Code Council.

Rittenhouse also served on the organization’s board of governors for four years prior to joining the organization, while completing a 31-year career at Strawbridge & Clothier.

 “We’re deeply saddened to hear of Tom’s passing,” said Bernie Hogan, senior vice president, emerging capabilities & industries for GS1 US, in a statement. “Tom was the person most responsible for turning the UCC from a narrowly focused standards organization to one dedicated to supporting industry needs in multiple ways. He always stressed the link of standards to business benefits, and today we continue to build on his vision.

“He also was first to recognize the potential of radio frequency identification and the electronic product code, and he forged our partnership with the MIT Auto-ID Center,” Hogan added. Rittenhouse also helped create UCCnet, the predecessor to the 1SYNC Data Pool, which ultimately led to the formation of the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).

In 2003, Rittenhouse was selected to be on SN’s Power 50 list of the most influential people in the food retailing industry. "The UCC does not arbitrarily select initiatives,” Rittenhouse told SN at the time. “We are guided by the business needs of our industry users."