Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2015 58 J im Ristow made his first official appearance as BrandSource CEO to a sold-out crowd at the group's bi-annual Spring Summit March 1-4 in Orlando. Ristow outlined new strategies for the organization's growth, which include leveraging the highly successful ProSource business model and making BrandSource the "gold standard" for all categories, including major appliances, furniture and TVs. In addition, Ristow announced the promotions of Tom Bennett to BrandSource president and VP of sales and John White to CMO and executive VP of appliances. With help from his management team, Ristow said that the organization will transition away from old-school buying group practices and keep pace with the industry by "leveraging big but acting small." "The ProSource model has been extremely successful for high- end consumer electronics and we believe that it will work well for all categories," he said. "The plan is to unify our strategy for all BrandSource members, regardless of size, and help them thrive in the industries they serve." BrandSource will continue hosting its two national shows in Orlando and Las Vegas every year but will boost networking and deal-making opportunities with more regionally-focused activities including inside sales visits, networking events and dinners. Orlando Summit highlights included the Young Professionals Group 5K Fun Run/Walk. Attendance more than tripled from the last event, with 135 participants raising more than $3,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities. The first-place winner was Marc Fisher of Klipsch, who had a finish time of 21:20. The first woman to cross the finish line at 21:59 was BrandSource member Jennifer Vande Vegte from Hills Electronics in Sioux Center, IA. A record number of Summit attendees also participated in the third annual BrandSource Butch DuBose Golf Tournament at Hawk's Landing Golf Club. The event offered members an opportunity to mix and socialize with colleagues and the vendor community, with proceeds funding five $2,500 educational scholarships for BrandSource members, their children or employees. The following foursome came in at first place with a score of 59: Jim and Paul Buchanan of A&B Family Appliances and Al and Chris Geis of Geis TV, Electronics, Appliances, Bedding & Furniture. At the Marriott World Center, BrandSource members also packed the ballroom for the Stampede bidding session, where dozens of suppliers provided aggressively-priced offers during a 90-minute session. Several seminars were focused on social media, including Facebook workshops offering case studies, best practices and how to successfully leverage Facebook to boost business through free and paid platforms. Another workshop addressed general social media marketing, both free and paid, and offered tips and strategies to help raise awareness and attract customers. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S BRANDSOURCE DEBUTS NEW CEO, OUTLINES NEW STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS AT BI-ANNUAL SUMMIT Jim Ristow takes the reins as BrandSource CEO Top: The BrandSource executive team (l to r): John White, Mike Allen, Jim Ristow, Dave Meekings and Dave Workman. Bottom: This first-place foursome scored 59 at the third annual Butch DuBose Golf Tournament: Jim and Paul Buchanan of A&B Family Appliances and Al and Chris Geis of Geis TV, Electronics, Appliances, Bedding & Furniture. RO

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