Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2014 60 BRANDSOURCE PROMOTIONS ANDREW FELDMAN NAMED DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Outdoor Products Division Andrew Feldman has now been promoted to director of operations for OutdoorSource, the merchandising group's growing outdoor products division. Feldman, who previously served as national sales manager of the organization's Expert Warehouse division, will relocate from New Jersey to Southern California and will report to John White, executive vice president of BrandSource appliances. The OutdoorSource division was established last year to help members drive foot traffic and increase sales by offering an appealing assortment of seasonal and outdoor products including grills, smokers, pizza ovens, outdoor furniture, audio and video, and more. According to Bob Lawrence, CEO of BrandSource, member acceptance of OutdoorSource has been positive, due in large part to Feldman's leadership in his prior role. "Andrew has done a terrific job getting OutdoorSource off the ground and he's the perfect person to drive it to the next level," said Lawrence. "This is a hot category for shoppers, especially as we lead up to big holiday shopping weekends like Memorial Day and Fourth of July." In addition to acting as a liaison between OutdoorSource vendors and BrandSource members, Feldman will focus on improving extended warranties, consumer financing and credit card programs to help make OutdoorSource a key division within the organization. "I'm honored and eager to take on this very exciting role," said Feldman. "Outdoor products are booming in popularity with consumers. More than 90 percent of outdoor category purchases are made inside retail stores, so this gives us a terrific opportunity to drive store traffic." New OutdoorSource products and initiatives will be show- cased at Caesar's Palace during the 2014 Convention & Expo in August. For more information, including ongoing updates, visit www.brandsourceconvention.com. JESSICA PASKON NAMED DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS ProSource Division ProSource, a division of BrandSource and the biggest integration, audio and video merchandising group in the country, has promoted Jessica Paskon to Director of Operations for ProSource. For the past 10 years, Paskon has had the title of operations manager with PRO Group, which recently merged with Home Entertainment Source (HES) and is now known as ProSource. Jessica will take on a larger role as director of operations to address the increased operational needs of the larger ProSource team. "Jessica brings her wealth of knowledge from her many years at PRO Group to the table, and will help our group boost operational efficiencies," says Dave Workman, co-president of ProSource. "We're confident that her invaluable experience and expertise will strengthen our team." Pakson said that she looks forward to her expanded role with ProSource. "I'm very proud to be a part of the operational infrastructure that supports our wonderful group of dealers and I look forward to utilizing my years of experience in this expanded role," she said. In addition to Paskon's background at PRO Group and more than 10 years of experience in technology marketing, she holds a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University. She is based in Fort Worth, TX. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO

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