Ken Weller stepped down as chairman/CEO of Good Guys at the eve of CES as part of a reorganization following the company’s purchase last month by CompUSA.
Also leaving the West Coast specialty CE chain was president/COO Tom Herman and chief financial officer David Carter.
Good Guys’ new management team is comprised of executive VP Cathy Stauffer, who has been promoted to the new position of president of Good Guys Retail, and CompUSA veteran Rick Fountain, who was named COO.
In her new role, Stauffer is responsible for merchandising, marketing, sales and store operations, and is charged with “positioning Good Guys for growth, profitability and leadership in the digital era,” the company said. Fountain will lead the integration of operating efficiencies and best practices between Good Guys and CompUSA, which will also share the CFO function.
“We’re creating synergy within the infrastructure of the two companies where it makes sense,” Stauffer told TWICE. However, she stressed that both retail chains would continue as “separate and distinct brands,” with all day-to-day operations including merchandising, marketing, sales and accounts payable functions remaining at Good Guy headquarters in Alameda, Calif.
Weller, a longtime veteran of Good Guys, succeeded chairman, CEO and founder Ron Unkefer two years ago. Herman, a former board director, was named president in July.
Good Guys became a wholly owned subsidiary of CompUSA last month following a cash-for-stock deal valued at $55 million. The move is seen as advancing CompUSA’s strategic expansion into CE and home networking, while providing Good Guys with a needed capital infusion.
