Labor & Employment

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that Michael J. Massey, previously CEO and president of Collective Brands, has been nominated to join the board. He fills the vacancy created by current director Brenda Gaines, has decided not to stand for reelection at this year’s annual meeting of stockholders.

NEW YORK — Barnes & Noble CEO and director William Lynch has resigned, effective immediately, and the company has restructured its leadership team as a result. 

New York -- Jones Group Inc. has tapped Citigroup Inc. to explore a possible sale, according to Reuters.
 
In April, Jones Group said that it would close 170 stores and cut 8% of its workforce after first-quarter profit was less than analysts’ estimates. The news comes just months after activist hedge fund

The company, whose brands include Stuart Weitzman, Jones New York, Easy Spirit, and Nine West, had a market value of about $1.2 billion as of July 5.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation's president and CEO Matthew Shay and chief economist Jack Kleinhenz have issued a statement concerning June's employment numbers, released by the Department of Labor.

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Honeywell chairman and CEO Dave Cote has been named CEO of the Year by Chief Executive Magazine. Cote will be featured on the cover of the magazine’s July issue as well as on ChiefExecutive.net.

The award recognizes the transformation of Honeywell under Cote’s leadership throughout the past decade. During that time, Honeywell has increased sales by 71% to $37.7 billion and has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 during that timeframe.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kid Brands' EVP and COO Kerry Carr is about to take on a third title at the company as its new CFO. The news comes amid the company's announcement that it has sold the Russ and Applause brands to Larsen and Bowman Holdings for $1.25 million.

Carr replaces James Christl, whose resignation for personal reasons from his position as SVP and CFO has been accepted by the company.

Rockville, Md. -- Federal Realty Investment Trust has announced that Russ Joyner has joined the company has VP-general manager of Assembly Row. Joyner’s responsibilities will include management and operations at the mixed-use development project in Somerville, Mass. Currently under construction, Assembly Row will open in mid-2014.

Orlando, Fla. – A new e-commerce site dedicated to products manufactured in America, MadeInTheUSA.com, launches July 4. The site will feature nearly 1 million products made in the U.S. across all major categories.