Human Resources

Sandpoint, Idaho -- Coldwater Creek Inc. announced that co-founder Dennis Pence will retire as president and CEO, effective December 31, 2012. He will remain as a director and continue to serve as chairman of the board until January 1, 2014.

Pence will be succeeded as president and CEO by Coldwater president and chief merchandising officer Jill Brown Dean, effective January 1, 2013. Dean has also been appointed to serve on the board of directors, effective January 1, 2013.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that activist hedge fund Starboard Value has added former Home Depot and Chrysler executive Robert Nardelli and ex-Staples vice chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo as advisors – part of Starboard’s plan to make sweeping changes at Office Depot Inc.

According to a Monday filing, Nardelli and Vassalluzzo will provide counsel toward improving Office Depot’s operations and strategies.

Claysburg, Pa. -- C-store chain Sheetz said Tuesday that it will open its new employee health-and-wellness center on Wednesday, marking the first LEED-certified building in Blair County.

The 11,000-sq.-ft. Sheetz Center for Shwellness is located beside the Sheetz Distribution Center in Claysburg, Pa. In partnership with Marathon-Health, the company will use medical staff to provide individual health and wellness coaching to employees and their eligible dependents.

ATLANTA — Former Home Depot executive Michael Esposito has joined HoneyBaked as its new VP, human resources, a newly created position. Esposito previously served as director of associate relations for the Home Depot’s northern division.

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. reported Monday that its CFO Steven Baginski has resigned the company, effective immediately.

According to the retailer, Baginski is leaving to pursue other interests.

Former COO and CFO of The Talbots Inc., Michael Scarpa, has been named Baginski’s successor, effective Dec. 3.  

Scarpa also worked at Liz Claiborne Inc. for 25 years.
 

Change — how to make it happen and effectively manage it — topped the agenda at Chain Store Age’s 10th annual Executive SPECS conference. Executives from some of the nation’s leading retail and restaurant chains and suppliers and service providers in store planning, construction and facilities management attended the event, which was held in November at Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, Las Vegas.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Crosman Corporation, an international designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of products for the shooting sports, has named Lenn Phegley as its VP of manufacturing. Phegley replaces Dan Schultz, who retired after 39 years of service.  

In his new position, Phegley will oversee all manufacturing operations, as well as the company’s environmental, health and safety, manufacturing engineering, design engineering and quality assurance functions.

Jeff Gordman is following in the family tradition. As president, chairman and CEO of Gordmans, he leads a company whose roots go back nearly 100 years, to when his grandfather opened a store in downtown Omaha in 1915.

From that one store, the company evolved over the years, eventually expanding beyond Nebraska. It also added a discount division, Half Price Stores. By 1990 the company had 32 stores, equally divided between the two divisions.