Plummer & Associates recruited Mr. Mark Poston as Chief Executive Officer for Resource Real Estate, one of the largest owner/operator of residential apartment complexes in the U.S. Mr. Poston brings extensive hospitality experience to Resource Real Estate from Bennigan’s, Yum Brands, and ARAMARK. He will lead a team responsible for the management of 65 major properties and future growth. He will be based out of the company’s Philadelphia headquarters. Mark Poston is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Archive for the ‘Candidate Information’ Category
PLUMMER & ASSOCIATES RECRUITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR RESOURCE REAL ESTATE, INC.
Monday, December 5th, 2011PLUMMER & ASSOCIATES RECRUITS SVP-MERCHANDISING FOR HIGHMARK VISION GROUP
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011Plummer & Associates recruited David Moore to become SVP – Merchandising for HVHC based in San Antonio. Mr. Moore brings extensive accessories and eyewear experience from Fossil, Inc.
HVHC, formerly known as Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA), was acquired by Highmark, Inc., a major health care company and the name was changed to Highmark Vision Group (HVHC). This division operates over 540 retail vision centers across the U.S. with the majority carrying the EyeMasters banner. Other brands include: Vision Works, Vision World, Empire Vision, Cambridge Eye Doctors,Value Vision, Eye DRx, Binyons, Total Vision Care, Hour Eyes, DavisVision,and SteinOptical. HVHC is one of the fastest growing optical retailers in the U.S.
Plummer & Associates, based in New Canaan, Connecticut, is a boutique executive recruitment firm which specializes in serving the direct-to-consumer business sectors (retail, retail services, food service, direct selling/marketing, catalog, e-commerce, m-commerce, and apparel). The firm was founded in 1989 and is well-known for the quality of its work and its unparralled track record for recruiting candidates who are successful both in the short- and the longer-term.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN TURNING DOWN AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011Every industry segment gets smaller as you climb the ladder. For that very reason it is important that when you turn down an offer of employment, you do it in a fashion showing respect and a desire to keep in touch. You never know who might be your next boss and/or employer. So, no matter how upset you were with the offer or the scope of responsibilities, it is in your best interest to be respectful.
- Give the prospective employer a sincere reason why you are turning down the job offer. This must be done by phone not by voice message or e-mail. If you cannot afford to make the move, be upfront about it. If your spouse and family are against the move, you need to be specific as the prospective employer will want to know why this came up so late in the process. If you feel the role is too limited in scope, you need to let them know it. If you feel the financial condition of the employer is too shaky, you need to tell them that you cannot take the risk.
- Thank them for giving you consideration and making an offer. Show gratitude.
- Follow up by keeping in touch. Build a bridge; don’t let the bridge built at the offer fall apart.
In my years of human resources and executive recruiting, I have seen long-standing feuds between individuals which started over how an offer was declined. These feuds could have been avoided.
PLUMMER & ASSOCIATES RECRUITS DIRECTOR – STORE PLANNING FOR FIVE BELOW
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
Plummer & Associates recruits Ms. Kim Mason as the Director – Store Planning for Five Below. Ms. Mason had been the Senior Manager - Supply Chain for Office Depot.
Five Below in Durham, North Carolina.
Five Below is a privately held chain of discount stores found in a number of states. The store (as indicated by the name) sells products that cost no more than $5.00. The chain is aimed at teenagers and pre-teens, but have many products for mom and dad. The store was founded in October 2002.
Plummer & Associates, is based in New Canaaan, Connecticut and is known in the direct-to-consumer industry (retail, retail services, food service, restaurant, catalog, e-Commerce, m-Commerce, direct marketing/selling, and apparel wholesale) segment for the quality of its executive search services. For more information, we refer you to www.plummersearch.com.
PLUMMER & ASSOCIATES RECRUITS CFO FOR CHARMING CHARLIE
Thursday, May 12th, 2011CHARMING CHARLIE APPOINTS KEITH CLINE AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
HOUSTON –(BUSINESS WIRE)– Charming Charlie announced today that it has appointed Keith Cline as Chief Financial Officer effective February 28, 2011.
Mr. Cline comes to Charming Charlie from Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), where he most recently served as Senior Vice President, Finance. During his five year tenure, Mr. Cline played a key role in both the 2007 privatization of Express and the subsequent initial public offering in 2010. Prior to that, Mr. Cline served as Director, Corporate Finance at Limited Brands, Inc. [NYSE: LTD] from 2003 to 2006. Mr. Cline’s career also includes financial leadership roles with FedEx Custom Critical, The J. M. Smucker Company, and Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Mr. Cline began his career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen & Company and is a graduate of The University of Akron with a B.S. in Accounting as well as a M.B.A. in Finance.
“We are very pleased to welcome Keith to our team,” said Charlie Chanaratsopon, Chief Executive Officer of Charming Charlie. “Keith’s extensive background in finance combined with his retail experience and leadership capabilities will be invaluable as we continue to aggressively expand our national footprint. He is exceptionally well qualified to serve as our new Chief Financial Officer and I look forward to working closely with him to take this Company to the next level.”
PLUMMER & ASSOCIATES RECRUITS VP BRAND STRATEGY FOR TRUE RELIGION APPAREL
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
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| True Religion Apparel, Inc. Names Jordan Daly as Vice President of Brand Strategy, Public Relations and Marketing |
| VERNON, Calif., May 12, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –True Religion Apparel, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRLG) today announced that the Company has named Jordan Daly as Vice President of Brand Strategy, Marketing and Public Relations effective May 1, 2011. Ms. Daly will be responsible for developing the direction for, and managing all aspects of brand management, marketing, public relations and special projects on a global basis. She will drive a strategic multi-platform communication plan, oversee brand identity and positioning, campaigns, public relations, special events, product launches and internal communications to further build the Company’s market leadership position and maximize profitability. Mr. Jeffrey Lubell, the Company’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Merchant will be directly involved in overseeing Ms. Daly’s initiatives.Ms. Daly was most recently Vice President Public Relations Americas for Burberry Group, PLC. Prior to that, she served as Managing Director with HL Group, LLC specifically overseeing strategic marketing and communication platforms for consumer, fashion and lifestyle clients. Ms. Daly’s additional professional experience includes serving as Public Relations Director with kate spade and she worked in account management and advertisement roles with Factory Communications. Ms. Daly began her career at Harrison & Shriftman and has a B.S., Fashion Merchandising and Marketing from the University of Alabama.Jeffrey Lubell, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Merchant of True Religion Apparel, Inc. stated, “Jordan brings a wealth of knowledge in all facets of brand development that will help further increase our overall brand awareness and affinity. As we continue to expand and further evolve our global presence, Jordan will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to reach our target customer while enhancing our reputation as one of the world’s premier denim and lifestyle brands.” |
Plummer & Associates Recruites SrVP Sales for Viva International Group
Thursday, April 28th, 2011Viva International Group Appoints Jan Cory as Senior Vice President of U.S. and Canada Sales
Press Release Source: Viva International Group On Thursday April 28, 2011, 9:00 am
SOMERVILLE, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Viva International Group, a worldwide leader in ophthalmic frames and sunglass distribution and manufacturing, has appointed Jan Cory as senior vice president of domestic sales. In her new role, Cory will oversee both the U.S. and Canadian sales forces, and will report to Viva President Frank Rescigna. Reporting to Cory will be Robert Dunn, Viva’s director of east coast sales; Kelly O’Grady, director of west coast sales; William Munch, general manager, Viva Retail Sun Division; and Don Fatula, manager of corporate accounts.
“Critical to our success in sales is excellence in strategic planning and the development of a solid collaboration of partnerships across our organization,” said Rescigna. “Jan has a proven track record in these areas in her more than 30 years of achievement and leadership in premium brand retail consumer products. Her experience will help us to continue to flawlessly execute our goals and ‘super serve’ our customers.”
Cory joins Viva from Luxottica where she recently lead the optical sales team as vice president of independents and sun specialty, including creating new customer-centric strategies, which lead to the 2010 sales force transformation. Previously, she was vice president of department stores and special markets, where she helped to establish her division as the premier resource in the department store channel of trade. Prior to her 12 years at Luxottica, she was vice president of sales for the U.S and Canada for Grosse Jewels, which had the licenses for Christian Dior and Burberry fashion jewelry.
Cory is a graduate of Miami University where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in public administration and political science. She is on the board of the Accessories Council, and a member of the Fashion Group.
Restaurant Careers: The Path From Dishwasher To Chief Executive Officer May Now Include A Stop At Harvard
Sunday, November 28th, 2010For years the food services industry has been labeled an industry for low pay and low skills. Research recently completed by Plummer & Associates, an executive search firm, shows quite the opposite. The food service industry now has highly educated leaders.
This new study on the education of Chief Executive Officers at the top 100 food service chains in the United States shows that today over 68% have college degrees. This study also shows a growing trend of CEO’s with advanced degrees as 18% hold MBA degrees, 2% hold MA/MS degrees, and 4% hold JD degrees.
For years the food service industry was known for its career path from ‘dishwasher to CEO’. Our research indicates that while this may have been a viable path in the past, the current trend is for a minimum of a college degree and there is an increasing importance placed on advanced degrees. This demonstrates the importance of the sophisticated intellectual tools and the strategic vision gained through higher education.
Like with other segments of the retail industry, the food service sector has consolidated from regional companies led by founding families into massive, complex businesses requiring sophisticated tools to manage them effectively. This new breed of food service businesses are intensely competitive and are constantly looking for cost and marketing advantages to enhance their market position.
According to Plummer & Associates, some of the complexities facing the food service industry demand a command of the following disciplines:
Marketing – Sophisticated tools have elevated the ability to forecast demand and to measure customer buying pattern changes. These tools also help measure brand awareness, customer loyalty, and the return on investment for all marketing programs. With the advent of social network marketing, the methodology of communicating with the customer is changing.
Merchandising – Food trends and tastes are constantly evolving. To create a competitive edge it is important that food service organizations be active in planning product life cycles, assortment strategies, and new product introductions backed by a superior product development process. All these strategies must mesh well with operations to prevent overwhelming production and unnecessarily impacting quality and costs.
Supply Chain Management/Logistics – Today there are tools available to help food service companies secure significant cost advantages throughout the supply chain while simultaneously improving the quality of customer service. This can provide organizations with a significant advantage over competitors.
Finance – This function has quickly progressed from recording history to active involvement in ‘creating value’ through analytics. This is important as the company competes in the market for capital.
Legal – Our society has become more litigious making larger businesses more of an attractive target. The complexity of new regulations has resulted in an increase of the legal staff. A food service leader is now required to be more involved and responsible for setting the tone of legal strategies.
Human Resources – Once considered just an expense, Human Resources managed effectively must now create differentiation versus the competitors. A company’s talent and culture, including a devotion to the customer, are now more important than ever.
Information Technology – In the past, technology seemed to be the sole domain of the IT department. With advanced POS systems, the food service organizations learned the power of information and the ability to forecast demand by day part. Now, leading IT departments interrelate with the entire organization by providing useful information to aid in decision making, control costs, forecast and analyze. Companies are now operating enterprise wide systems and it is becoming mandatory that the CEO know the capabilities of these systems to ensure the company gains a competitive edge.
Global Reach – The days when food service companies only operated stores in the U.S. with product secured from U.S. sources are long gone. The implications of global activities are enormous.
Forward thinking food service companies such as Pepsico (Yum!) and Pillsbury/Grand Met (Burger King) who saw the need for talented executives started recruiting programs to attract students from colleges and also actively recruited MBA’s. These recruiting programs are responsible for the majority of CEO’s now leading the food service industry.
For those who are looking to progress up the ladder in food service, the data demonstrates that it takes more than experience in the industry to become a CEO. The food service business now requires the sophistication that comes with a college education and the trend shows an increasing demand for the additional tools gained in an MBA program.
The research shows that a college education is far more important than the particular school attended. While Ohio State University produced three CEO’s, the University of Kentucky produced two, and the University of Central Florida produced two, no other school produced more than one. On the other hand, in regards to CEO’s with MBA degrees, the Graduate School of Business at Harvard University produced four which is statistically important. Close behind is the University of Chicago producing two. It is clear that the industry prefers graduates from the top tier graduate business schools.
Should an unemployed retail executive suspend his/her job search during the holidays?
Monday, November 22nd, 2010Should an unemployed retail executive suspend his/her job search during the holidays?
Every retailer knows the holiday season is a busy time. Store executives are working iron days, merchants are following sales trends closely to ensure inventories are balanced, human resources are keeping the stores staffed with temporary employees, and senior management is in constant angst about the season’s prospects. Your natural fear is that retail executives will not have the time to consider you for employment or that you will be seen as a pest if you bother them.
Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, if you suspend your job search during the holidays you might be losing out on some significant opportunities. Keep in mind…
1. Retailers traditionally make executive changes after the fiscal year ends on January 31. January, February, and March become the busiest seasons in the recruitment of retail executives. As a result, the holiday season is a good time for you to make an impression with retail executives; and,
2. Retailers with positions open want to fill them before the fiscal year ends.
Your approach during the holiday season is important. Following are some things to think about for your holiday season job seeking activities:
• Retailer executives, like everyone else, think about family and friends during the holiday season. This is a good time to keep in contact with your network by sending a holiday email with your resume attached and letting them know that you appreciate any referrals as they hear about opportunities. You might also consider making a short call to wish them the best. Your object is just to stay in front of them.
• If you know a specific company has a current opportunity, be aggressive. No matter how busy they are, they need to fill that position before the end of the fiscal year.
• This is also a good time to build your relationships with recruiters, and industry consultants. They are not as harried as those in the retail industry.
HOW TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION WITH AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER
Thursday, November 11th, 2010How to make an impression with an executive recruiter?
Quality recruiters are retained by a client to work for them on specific assignments. Their objective is to find the best talent for their clients. How you work with quality recruiters can lead to a positive or a negative impression of you when you need them when making our next career change. Following are suggestions I recommend for you when dealing with retained recruiters.
Positive Impressions
• Be available and help the recruiter. A recruiter can be a good friend and values your input.
• When your schedule is tight, suggest a time to talk.
• Listen carefully to the position being discussed. If you are not interested, immediately let the consultant know and offer to come up with suggestions of possible candidates or where the consultant might find strong candidates.
• Always have a resume handy. Make sure your resume is accurate and that spelling is correct.
• Look your best when you show up for an interview. Be yourself and show you care.
• When you show up for your interview, make sure you have done research on the client. If it is a retailer, make sure you have visited a store first.
Negative Impressions
• Avoiding contact with the recruiter sends a negative message.
• Avoid being derogative about the client or the position. What is unacceptable to you is always an opportunity for someone else.
• If you are interested, avoid exaggerating your credentials and experience. This information always gets checked in the recruitment process.
• Don’t go around a consultant and directly to the employer
• Avoid missing or being late for your appointments.
Remember…..
Recruiters retained by a client and represent that client. They are bound to a code of ethics which best represents the client. They will keep your information confidential and will work with you to get accurate information on your background to demonstrate to the client why you are an appropriate candidate. The relationship the recruiter and the candidate build is important so the recruiter can best present you.
Some recruiters work on a contingency basis. That means they are not necessarily working with the client on an exclusive basis. They are also not bound to the same code of ethics retained firms follow. As a result, you should be cautious when working with recruiters who are not retained.
You have the right and should ask each recruiter who calls if they are working on a retainer basis.