Human Resources

Charlotte, N.C. – More than nine-in-10 (93%) retailers who have conducted background screening of job applicants have discovered lies on resumes. According to the 2014 HireRight Employee Screening Benchmark Report, 71% of retailers said background screening uncovers issues that would not have been otherwise found.

Fort Myers, Fla. -- Chico's FAS announced that it has appointed Todd E. Vogensen as senior VP, CFO, replacing Pamela Knous, who has left the organization to pursue other interests.

Prior to his appointment as CFO, Vogensen had been the Chico’s senior VP finance. He has served Chico's in numerous roles over the past five years. Previously, Vogensen held multiple positions of increasing scope and responsibility with Michaels Stores.

MWV’s board of directors chose James Nevels as a new member, the packaging company announced Thursday.
 
Nevels, the 62-year-old chairman of the Philadelphia-based investment advisory firm The Swarthmore Group and president of the Hershey Company’s board of directors, will work on MWV’s development and auditing committees. He joins the board as the company works to increase its margin goals and expand its packaging endeavors.
 

Mission Viejo, Calif. — The Shops at Mission Viejo, a Simon Property Group property in Mission Viejo, California, has welcomed Kurt Webb as the new general manager. Webb began working with the center in mid-April and recently relocated to the region. He came on full time as of June 1.

Webb will be responsible for local leasing, tenant relations, building operations, security and marketing efforts. Additionally, he will act as a key liaison for various community and strategic organizations.

Chicago -- Stego Industries, a provider of in below-slab moisture vapor protection, has launched an ambitious new company-level initiative to eliminate the carbon emissions of its business operations.

The initiative, Stego’s Carbon Footprint Project, took another step toward this goal at the American Association of Architects (AIA) National Convention in Chicago last week by purchasing carbon offsets for all of the company’s air travel in 2013 — some 115 metric tons — through the TerraPass Carbon Balanced Business Program.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Price Chopper Supermarkets announced that it has cut about 80 positions, citing a need to improve efficiency within the company amid rising costs, including “skyrocketing” healthcare costs.

Women’s sportswear and apparel retailer Fresh Produce has appointed Dorothy Sadd as its COO, the company announced Thursday. The 25-year industry veteran will oversee growing the 30-year-old brand’s footprint, using her expertise in several different facets of clothing production and inventory management.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea is planning to raise the hourly minimum wage for employees in its U.S. stores by an average 17%, beginning January 1, 2015. In a move unprecedented among U.S. retailers, Ikea’s wage hike will vary in that it will be based on the cost of living in each store’s location. According to Ikea, the change will take the average minimum hourly wage in its existing U.S. stores (as of June 2014) to $10.76, a $1.59 or 17% increase, and $3.51 above the current federal minimum wage.