Stephen Avera, general counsel, Flowers Foods Inc., Thomasville, Georgia. (Courtesy photo)
In his last of 33 years with Flowers Foods Inc., chief legal counsel Stephen Avera took home $709,221–including $494,093 in salary and $215,128 in nonequity incentives. The year before Avera earned $571,004 in total cash from the Thomasville-based packaged baked goods company.
Avera retired in December after having been with Flowers, whose top brands include Nature’s Own and Wonder, since 1986. Up until 1998, he was associate GC and assistant GC at Flowers Industries. He then served as VP and GC at Flowers Bakeries from 1998 to 2002. Following that, he held in-house roles of increasing responsibility at Flowers Foods, culminating with his appointment as chief legal counsel in May 2017.
