Human Resources

Boca Raton, Fla. – As part of its “Maxing Out Diversity” program, OfficeMax is partnering with healthcare company ViaQuest to develop a work-training facility and direct employment program to prepare veterans and people with disabilities for job opportunities at Ohio-based OfficeMax locations. The program, which will launch in summer 2014, is similar to those that OfficeMax has initiated in Alabama, Illinois, and Nevada.

Lowe's is renewing its partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. A new five-year, $23.5 million donation will bring Lowe's total contributions to more than $63 million since 2003 and is the company’s largest corporate donation to date.

Along with the funding, Lowe's pledged the continued support of Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers. In the past decade, Lowe's employees have donated thousands of volunteer hours in support of Habitat's work.

Gap contends its decision to increase the hourly rate it pays workers wasn’t political, but it sure looked otherwise given the timing of the move against the backdrop of the intensifying national debate over the minimum wage.

New York – The board of directors of Foot Locker Inc. has elected Steven Oakland as a director of the company. Oakland is currently president -international, foodservice, and natural foods of The J.M. Smucker Company.

Oakland has spent the bulk of his career at The J.M. Smucker Company, serving in increasingly senior positions. He has extensive experience in domestic and international retail operations at the company, having also served as president of U.S. Retail for Smucker's, Jif, and Hungry Jack.

GENCO, a product lifecycle logistics solutions company, has promoted Mike Simpson to president of GENCO’s retail logistics business unit and Tom Perry to chief technology officer.

Clinton Township, Mich. — The Mall at Partridge Creek, in the Detroit, metropolitan region, has named Melissa Morang marketing and sponsorship director. Morang will develop public programs, events and community relations for the center.

Morang returns to metro Detroit after spending the past year in the Grand Rapids area working in Meijer’s corporate office on marketing strategies for the retailers soft lines division.

Dallas — SRS Real Estate Partners has appointed Matias Campins as director of research to the Dallas/Ft. Worth headquarters office. Campins will oversee the delivery of research services across the company and stay informed of research platform capabilities to ensure competitiveness within the retail industry.

Whirlpool has elected Geraldine "Gerri" Elliott, EVP and chief customer officer at Juniper Networks, to its board of directors.