Toshiba Restructures Sales Division
By TWICE Staff -- TWICE, 4/4/2002
Wayne, N.J.- Toshiba America Consumer Products has restructured its national and regional sales departments into a newly unified operation headed by Gerald Satoren as sales VP.
Satoren, who was promoted to sales VP in December following the departure of Rick Calacci to Sharp, will direct the company's overall sales effort, including national accounts and regional field sales, Toshiba said. Satoren has appointed a new national accounts sales team that includes Don Magrini and Tim Tobin, both of whom have been promoted to director positions. Sal Morabito will report to Satoren.
At the same time, Jim Donahue was promoted from Northeast regional sales director to field sales assistant VP of field sales. He will coordinate sales activities in that area and will also report directly to Satoren.
According to a company statement, the reorganization, 'is part of Toshiba's ongoing effort to refocus its sales and marketing strategies in order to enhance customer service.'
In addition to unifying national and regional sales, Satoren's department has created three primary geographic sales subdivisions including, the Northeast, the Southeast, and the West.
Kenneth Welty was promoted to Northeast regional sales director. Michael Allen was named West region sales director, and Tom Jordan was named Southeast region sales director.
'Over the last year, several factors, including the economy, changes in the retail landscape and the evolution of product technologies, have required consumer electronics manufacturers to re-examine virtually every aspect of how we do business,' said Satoren. 'Toshiba has concluded that the best way for us to continue growing our business is to form closer, more meaningful partnerships with our valued retail customers, helping manage every aspect of their business, from inventory to merchandising to product selection.'
With the new organizational structure, Satoren said Toshiba will be have a sales team 'that stays in constant communication with both our retail customers and upper-level Toshiba management.' This will help the company better anticipate and respond to customer needs in a quick and efficient manner.
'With our new organizational structure, and our experienced sales team, I'm confident that Toshiba has all the mechanisms in place to succeed in our effort going forward,' he said.
Satoren is a 17-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry. He started his career in 1984 as a key account manager for General Electric's Consumer Electronics Business Operation, covering the New York City metropolitan area.
In 1991, following both GE's purchase of the RCA brand and the eventual sale of both the RCA and GE brands to form what is now Thomson Multimedia, Satoren was promoted to the position of Regional Manager of Thomson's Middle Atlantic Sales Operation, based in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1993 he was promoted to National Buying Groups sales manager, where he directed Thomson's sales to NATM, MARTA and PRO Group, as well as to such department stores such as Federated and the May Company.
He joined Toshiba America in 1997 as Central Sales Region director, based in Chicago. He handled sales to the 15 Midwest states for the company.
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