Gene and Roz Chaiken have officially retired after 61 and 51 years of executive management at Almo Corporation, respectively, the company announced. Current President and CEO Warren Chaiken will be replacing his father as Chairman beginning in April, while an expanded leadership team will take shape over the next few months.
Chaiken’s role as Chairman will focus on vendor relations and mergers/acquisitions in existing, adjacent and new markets. He will also continue to offer counsel across all Almo business units.
Chaiken said, “I would like to express my gratitude for the incredible journey of the past 30 years, working alongside my parents and many, many talented employees. Their leadership and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on this company.” He continued, “The expanded leadership team ushers in a new era at Almo Corporation and Exertis North America. As we evolve, our greatest constant is and always will be our exceptional employees – the secret sauce that allows us to add value to our customers and vendors.”
The expanded Almo Corporation leadership team includes:
Martin Szpiro, President and Chief Executive Officer: In addition to President and CEO of Exertis North America, and formerly President and CEO of Jam Industries Ltd. (now Exertis Jam), Szpiro brings more than three decades of experience in distribution to Almo. His role will expand to encompass Almo Corporation to further strengthen the entities and investments across North America. He will lead Sales, Finance and Operations for all major divisions, including Pro AV, Premium Appliances, and Retail Dealer Channel Mainstream Appliances.
Timothy Kolbus, Chief Operational Officer: COO of Almo Corporation and Exertis North America, Kolbus holds more than 30 years of distribution and manufacturing leadership management experience, He will oversee operations for the IT, Product Management and Fulfillment/eCommerce divisions of Almo Corporation as part of his newly expanded role.
John Dunne: Chief Financial Officer: Dunne will continue to serve as CFO where he oversees all the financial operations of the organization while expanding responsibilities to include Human Resources and Legal. Dunne has more than 30 years of experience in distribution, with prior positions as Managing Director and Chief Commercial officer for Exertis North America. He also worked as Managing Director and Director of Finance for Exertis Ireland.
In December 2021, DCC Technology/Exertis acquired Almo Corporation. The biggest acquisition in DCC history, as a result, Exertis’ expanded North American operation immediately became a $2.7B business. As such, Almo evolved from a privately-held, three-generation family-owned business to become a part of DCC’s vast resources and reach. The acquisition has given Almo manufacturer and channel partners a global distribution stage to operate businesses at a greater capacity, leverage more buying power and compete for a more comprehensive position in the global supply chain. Additionally, Almo has been able to provide access to more products, services and financial support.
The following Almo Corporation divisional leaders will remain steadfast in their current roles:
Dan Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer, Exertis Almo Pro AV: Smith’s background encompasses manufacturing, distribution and systems integration experience. As EVP/COO of Exertis Almo, Smith leads a business with annual revenues of approximately $1B. Prior to Exertis Almo, Smith was Vice President of Sales at LG. He’s also held positions across the channel in sales, product management, product marketing, supply chain procurement and business process improvement.
Jack Halperin, Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, Retail Dealer Channel and Mainstream Appliances: Halperin has overall responsibility for Almo’s $400M-plus dealer channel sales organization. He sets the overall direction, coordination and execution of the Appliance and Consumer Electronics Dealer Channel divisions, plus Almo’s National Inside Sales Support, Telesales and Customer Service teams.
Steve Terry, Senior Vice President and Chief Operational Officer, Premium Appliances: Terry leads product growth, territory expansion and the overall operations of the Premium Appliances division to support dealers and consumers. He has increased revenue for Almo Corporation in excess of $70M and grown the team to cover nearly all 50 states in the US.
