Labor & Employment

HAMILTON, N.J. — Bai Brands, makers of a line of all-natural, 5-calorie, antioxidant-infused beverages, has promoted Ken Kurtz to the role of president. Kurtz will be charged with leading the company's sales efforts globally.

Kurtz sits alongside COO Barak Bar-Cohen and CFO Ari Soroken, who make up the company's executive leadership team.

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax Incorporated and Office Depot Inc. have hired global talent management consulting firm Korn/Ferry International to assist the search for a new CEO for the combined company that will result from the proposed OfficeMax-Office Depot merger.

The search will include both incumbent CEOs Neil Austrian of Office Depot and Ravi Saligram of OfficeMax, as well as external candidates.

PHOENIX -- PetSmart's board of directors has named Gregory P. Josefowicz its non-executive chairman. Josefowicz has served as a director since 2004 and as lead director since 2006.  

Chairman and CEO Bob Moran will not stand for election as a director at the company’s 2013 annual stockholder meeting. As previously announced, David Lenhardt, current president and COO, will become the CEO of PetSmart at that time.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com has promoted Brian Popelka to the position of senior VP, customer and partner care. Popelka, who previously served as VP of customer care, will take on management of Overtock’s drop ship fulfillment partnerships along with his existing responsibilities for strategic direction and operational effectiveness of customer care.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid projected that it would turn a profit in the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, results of which it will announce next week. The company has also moved to refinance its debt, announcing that it would buy half a billion dollars in notes using proceeds from a new loan, while also

The retail pharmacy chain said it would buy $500 million worth of 7.5% Senior Secured Notes, due 2017, using the proceeds from a $500 million second lien term loan.

The offer will expire on July 5 unless it's extended, the company said.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal announced today that retail veteran Lesli Gilbert has been appointed executive VP, stores and operations, effective immediately. Gilbert replaces Barbara Cook, former senior VP store operations, who resigned in February.

Most recently, Gilbert was senior VP of stores at The Talbots, where she was responsible for developing the stores strategy and framework to reposition the business

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — The Wet Seal has appointed retail veteran Lesli Gilbert to the position of EVP, stores and operations. She replaces Barbara Cook, who resigned as the company's SVP of store operations in February.

ORRVILLE, Ohio — The J. M. Smucker Company's board has announced that a new director nominee will be included in the company's proxy statement for election at the next annual shareholders meeting to be held Wednesday, Aug. 14.

The nominee is Robert B. Heisler Jr., the now-retired dean of the college of business administration and graduate school of management at Kent State University, former CEO of McDonald Financial Group and retired chairman and CEO of KeyBank, N.A.