Labor & Employment

Last week it was veteran retail analyst Walter Loeb bemoaning what he viewed as Walmart’s deteriorating store standards. This week Ad Age took aim at the company’s brand image.
 
In a piece by Simon Dumenco, he recounts how early shopping experiences at Walmart stores were an eagerly anticipated experienced. However, like Loeb Dumenco took a shot at the store experience and then when a step further.

No one would dispute that Lakeland, Fla.-based supermarket is a wonderful operator, but a piece in the August 12 issue of Forbes takes things a little too far and characterizes the regional operator of 1,073 stores as, “the Wal-Mart Slayer.”
 

CIT Group Inc., a leading provider of financing and advisory services to small businesses and middle market companies, has appointed Randall Chesler as president of CIT Bank, its U.S. commercial bank subsidiary.

He will be based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and report to CIT Bank’s board of directors. Chesler is currently vice chairman of CIT Bank and previously served as president of consumer finance and small business lending at CIT. He succeeds John Taylor who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities and will assist in the transition.

The state of gender equality among senior executive and in boardrooms is abysmal and “leaning in” isn’t enough to fix it, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman told a group of 300 retail and CPG executives recently.

Grossman was a featured speaker at the annual Network of Executive Women (NEW) Executive Leaders Forum in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., last week. According to Grossman, woman “can lean in for the next 30 years and it will not be enough unless we hold boards and CEOs accountable."

Alameda, Calif. -- MBH Architects has appointed Klas Eklof and Oliver Mellows as principals for the 170-person firm.

Eklof and Mellows, each both employees of MBH for more than a decade, are looking forward to expanding their leadership roles during a time of exciting growth with increasing portfolios and branded projects, expanding opportunities for the firm.

MBH specializes in retail, residential, hospitality, mixed-use, workspace, and healthcare architecture and design. Their portfolio includes many well-known global clients and projects. 

Pittsburgh – American Eagle is opening what it calls a “progressive technology” office in San Francisco. The almost 10,000-squ.-ft. office, located at 49 Stevenson Street, will offer a space for engineers, designers and digital marketing teams to work on American Eagle’s omni-channel initiatives.

Eden Prairie, Minn. -- Supervalu has named Bruce Besanko as the company’s executive VP and CFO, effective Aug. 7. Besanko joins Supervalu after serving as executive VP of finance, CFO and CAO for OfficeMax since 2009.

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax Inc. is promoting Deb O’Connor, senior VP of finance and chief administrative officer, to interim CFO. She will replace Bruce Besanko, executive VP and CFO, who will leave the company to become the executive VP and CFO of Supervalu Inc. His last day at OfficeMax will be Aug. 6. A five-year veteran of OfficeMax, O'Connor previously served as senior VP and controller of the ServiceMaster Company.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Supervalu has appointed former OfficeMax executive Bruce Besanko as its EVP and CFO, effective August 7.

Besanko served as EVP of finance, CFO and chief administrative officer for OfficeMax, and is credited with strengthening the company’s balance sheet and transforming business-to-business and retail segments for one of the leading global office supply companies following his appointment in 2009.

AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods Corporation has announced the advancement of Thomas R. Day, group VP, foodservice, to group VP, refrigerated foods.

As a result of the move, Deanna T. Brady, VP of sales, foodservice, will advance to group VP, foodservice, and Mark J. Ourada, foodservice regional sales manager, will advance to VP of sales, foodservice. These advancements will become effective Oct. 28.