Former Best Buy exec joins Eddie Bauer

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Outdoor lifestyle brand Eddie Bauer has named former Best Buy executive Steve Venegas as its new VP of distribution North America.



Venegas is a seasoned outdoor industry executive, most recently holding the position of VP of distribution for VF Outdoor, Inc., which includes brands such as the North Face, Reef, Lucy, Eagle Creek and JanSport.



Venegas holds a master's degree in organizational management and has 19 years of distribution and operations experience. Recruited from Best Buy Corp., Venegas joined VF Outdoor, Inc. in 2007 as the director of distribution outdoor coalition to help improve operating results for the VF outdoor distribution network in the United States and Canada. By 2010, he was promoted to VP of distribution.



"We are excited to welcome someone of Steve's caliber to the team," said Dan Templin , COO and CFO of Eddie Bauer. "Steve is an enthusiastic leader, has a proven track record of impressive cost-per-unit reduction, and understands the intricacies of complex vendor negotiation and cross-brand partnership. We look forward to his leadership and contribution as we take this iconic brand to its next phase of growth."



"I'm thrilled to join Eddie Bauer and look forward to leading my team toward making distribution a competitive advantage," said Venegas.