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Nationwide Taps Toshiba’s Hickman As CE Chief

Winston-Salem
N.C.  – Nationwide Marketing Group has hired
Toshiba retail sales director Tom Hickman to head its CE business.

Hickman, who
variously served as Toshiba’s director of key, national and strategic accounts,
joins the $14 billion buying group as CE senior VP.

He succeeds Mike
Decker, who left the organization in January, and reports to executive VP Dave
Bilas, the former GE Appliances sales exec who leads Nationwide’s merchandising
and marketing functions for CE and appliances.

Hickman joins a CE
team that also includes merchandising VP Doug Schatz and Jeannette Howe,
executive director of SEN, Nationwide’s specialty electronics division.

“Nationwide’s continued
focus and growth in consumer electronics has required us to look for additional
talent to help us take our members to the next level,” said Nationwide
president/CEO Robert Weisner. “We have worked with Tom over the years as a
vendor-partner and were always impressed with his creativity, drive and
results.  He’s a perfect fit for our
team.”

Added executive
VP/COO Les Kirk, “He knows the nationals, he knows independents and he clearly
understands the dynamics of the industry’s buying and marketing groups.”

Bilas noted that
Hickman was a member of the team that consolidated Toshiba’s TV and PC
divisions.  “As our industry continues to
move toward the integration of HDTV, tablet devices and computers, his
experience will help our members move beyond the industry’s current baby boomer
vision of the TV business toward an evolving gen-X and gen-Y mix of HDTV,
tablet and computer marketing,” he said. “These strategies will prepare them to
compete more effectively with the likes of Apple in the changing marketplace.”

Hickman said he
has worked closely with Nationwide’s members and leadership for years and
“feels at home” with the group.

The appointment
follows last month’s acquisition of $2 billion Canadian buying group Cantrex
from Sears Canada.

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