Industry
Brightstar Names New Finance Chief
Miami – Mobile distribution giant Brightstar has hired J.P. Morgan veteran Reza Taleghani as chief financial officer. He succeeds Vincent Donargo, who will manage...
People
Industry
Chicago Retail Legend Bob Abt Dies At 77
Glenview, Ill. — Bob Abt, CEO of Chicagoland retail institution Abt Electronics, has died. He was 77. Abt and his four sons — Michael,...
Industry
Toshiba Ousts CEO, Board Members Over Accounting Scandal
Tokyo — Toshiba CEO Hisao Tanaka has resigned after the company was found to have overstated profits by more than $1.2 billion since 2008....
Industry
Climatic Adds Five
Columbia, S.C. – Climatic Home Products has added five new staffers to its ranks. The Southeast major appliance distributor, based here, said the expansion will...
Industry
Wilkerson Heading Howard’s
La Habra, Calif. – CE and majap retail veteran John Wilkerson was named president/CEO of Howard’s TV & Appliance, the L.A.-area big-box chain. Wilkerson...
Industry
Skullcandy Brings Hutchings Over From Harman
Park City, Utah — Jeff Hutchings has joined Skullcandy as engineering and category VP, leaving his position at Harman International as director. Hutchings will...
Industry
Whoosh Taps Antimicrobial Expert
Toronto – Whoosh, maker of the Screen Shine screen cleaner, has hired biochemist Dr. Curtis White as its technical advisor. White specializes in antimicrobial...
Industry
Nintendo President/CEO Iwata Dies At 55
Tokyo − Nintendo released a one-sentence statement this weekend reporting the death of its president Satoru Iwata, after a year-long fight with cancer. The...
CES-2016
Ron Boire Named Barnes & Noble CEO
New York – Long-time CE-industry and retail executive Ron Boire has been appointed CEO of Barnes & Noble’s retail and Nook businesses effective Sept....
Industry
Velodyne Names Jellen President/COO
Morgan Hill, Calif. — Michael Jellen has been named president and COO of audio manufacturer Velodyne Acoustics. Jellen replaces former president Marta Hall, who...
Industry
12-Volt Veteran Howard Miller To Retire
Tempe, Ariz. – Twelve-volt industry veteran Howard Miller, who founded Crimestopper in 1980 with wife Sharon, is retiring from the industry. Crimestopper was acquired...
Industry
Samsung Names New Creative Heads
Ridgefield Park, N.J. — Samsung Electronics America has recruited Unilever exec Marc Mathieu as chief marketing officer and appointed former CAA marketer Jesse Coulter...
Industry
Haier Hires Kevin Dexter As COO
Wayne, N.J. — Haier has named former Samsung home appliance chief Kevin Dexter as COO, effective immediately. At Samsung, Dexter had been instrumental in...
Industry
Wireless Hall Of Fame Inducts Four
Austin, Texas — The Wireless History Foundation announced four new inductees to the Wireless Hall of Fame. The four will be honored during the...
Industry
Sculler Promoted At Twin-Star
Delray Beach, Fla. — Twin-Star International, the home-furnishings supplier that acquired Bell’O International last year, has realigned its senior management after CEO Rob Cohen...
Industry
Brandon Named CEO Of Toys‘R’Us
Wayne, N.J. — David Brandon has been named CEO of Toys“R”Us, replacing the retiring Antonio Urcelay. Brandon was most recently intercollegiate athletics director for...
Industry
BrandSource Promotes Baldwin
Tustin, Calif. — Jennifer Baldwin has been promoted to marketing and member communications director of BrandSource. Baldwin, who previously served as national sales manager...
Industry
Sharp Makes Latest Personnel Move
Mahwah, N.J. — Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America (SEMCA) tapped former Panasonic executive Fred Ehmke as director of sales responsible for managing the...
Industry
Tech Journalist Stephen Booth Dies At Age 62
Stephen A. Booth, a veteran technology journalist, passed away peacefully May 27 at age 62 after a long illness. Booth was well-respected for his...
Industry
Sprint Steps Up Changes With New CMO
Overland Park, Kansas – Sprint tapped Kevin Crull, a 30-year marketing and operations veteran with years of video-content experience, as its new chief marketing...
CES-2016
Riley Succeeds Cain, Gupta Promoted At Haier
Wayne, N.J. — Haier America has promoted Paul Riley to sales and marketing senior VP. He succeeds Rian Cain, who has left the company....
Industry
Sharp Taps Weedfald As Senior Sales VP
Mahwah, N.J. – In another in a series of executive shifts at Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America (SEMCA), Sharp has appointed long-time CE...
Industry
Brian Dunn To Chair Warranty Biz
Minneapolis — Former Best Buy chief exec Brian Dunn will join extended-warranty start-up Upsie as chairman on June 1. The company launched last November...
Industry
Stampede Brings On Jameson As Drone Product Manager
Amherst, N.Y. — Professional A/V distributor Stampede has named Eric M. Jameson as new product manager for the drone and professional services categories, a...
Industry
Mega Group Grows Marketing Team
Germantown, Tenn. – Mega Group USA, the buying organization for independent furniture, appliance and electronics dealers, has expanded its marketing staff. Joining the department...
Industry
FCC’s Wheeler Evokes ‘Vast Wasteland’ Analogy On Broadband Competition
Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler essentially branded the broadband competition landscape a vast wasteland, evoking an earlier FCC chairman’s iconic dressing down of...
Industry
ProSource Appoints Marketing Director
Fort Worth, Texas — ProSource, the integration and A/V specialty wing of the BrandSource buying group, has appointed Kathleen Marini marketing communications director, a...
Industry
CEDIA Picks COO, Creates CEO Slot
Indianapolis — CEDIA has promoted Tabatha O’Connor to the position of COO and hired executive search company Korn/Ferry International to search for someone to...
Industry
Shapiro Honored As Tech Titan
Arlington, Va. – Consumer Electronics Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro has been named a 2015 Tech Titan by Washingtonian magazine. The list recognizes...
Industry
Leigh Adams, 61
Alta Loma, Calif. — Leigh Adams, a former independent A/V specialty dealer and a founding member of the Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA)...
Industry
LG’s Calacci Tapped For Top CE Sales Post
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. – LG Electronics USA has promoted regional sales VP Rick Calacci to senior VP of home entertainment sales. Calacci, a 35-year industry...
Industry
Joe Cory Sr., 76
Secaucus, N.J. — Joseph Cory, chairman and former CEO of the national delivery service that carries his name, died on April 28. He was...
Industry
D&H Appoints Two
Harrisburg, Pa. — D&H distributing, the national IT and CE distributor, has created and filled two new posts. Company veteran Fred Eddy was appointed...
Industry
Sprint Creates Hispanic Business Unit
Overland Park, Kan. –Sprint created a new Hispanic business unit and named an executive with a Brazilian carrier as SVP for the Hispanic market....
Industry
Zonoff Expands HQ, Executive Staff
Malvern, Pa. – Zonoff, whose home automation platform is used for the Staples Connect and Somfy home-automation systems, has expanded its headquarters and built...
Industry
Funai Corp. President Padalino Resigns
Rutherford, N.J. — Ernie Padalino, Funai Corp. president/COO, resigned from the company after almost five years in the position to pursue new career interests,...
Industry
Staples Changes Chief Merchants, Updates Martha Stewart Line
Framingham, Mass. — Staples has promoted Peter Scala to merchandising executive VP, succeeding Mike Edwards. Scala had previously honchoed the chain’s online assortment and...
Industry
Sears Hometown CEO Stepping Down
Hoffman Estates, Ill. — W. Bruce Johnson will relinquish his post as president/CEO of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores on Aug. 1. The decision...
Industry
hhgregg Chairman Michael Smith To Step Down
Indianapolis – Michael Smith will leave hhgregg’s board this summer after three years as chairman and 10 years as a director. No successor was...
Industry
Escort Gets New Sales SVP
West Chester, Ohio — Radar and laser detector manufacturer Escort named John A. Malone as sales senior VP in charge of all sales-related activities,...
Industry
BrandSource Details Exec Promotions
Tustin, Calif. — BrandSource, the 4,500-member buying group for independent CE, majap and home-furnishings dealers, has shed more light on the recent promotions of...
Industry
2015 CE Hall Of Fame Class Revealed
Washington — The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced the 2015 Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame induction class. CEA CEO Gary Shapiro revealed the...