People
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 12/1/2000
Ann Sonet, president of the Sonet Agency Ltd., was retained to handle communications for Forty One Madison, succeeding Deborah Brown effective December 31. Brown is departing to pursue personal interests. The Sonet Agency is a Manhattan-based public relations and marketing firm with clients specializing in luxury products and services. Sonet's roster of clients is centered mostly in the designer and textile arena. She has represented Homeportfolio.com, Royal Copenhagen, and the Decoration and Design Building.
Bernardaud, a fine French porcelain manufacturer, appointed Susan Sussman president of Bernardaud North America, based in New York. Previously, Sussman was president and CEO of Bally North America.
Aromatique, Heber Springs, AR, promoted two members of its executive staff. Carlton Collier is now vice president of U.S. and Canadian sales and marketing, and Steve Lawrence is vice president of operations. Collier joined Aromatique in 1989, as a regional marketing director, and was promoted to marketing and gift shop sales in 1998. Lawrence began his career with the company in 1993, as a purchasing agent. In 1996, he was named human resources director.
David Winslow was appointed vice president of marketing and design for New Creative Enterprises (NCE), a Cincinnati-based division of Decorative Concepts Inc. Prior to his appointment, Winslow served as director of design at NCE. Before joining the company, Winslow ran his own consulting firm, which focused on the fashion and home decor industries. NCE is a designer, importer, and distributor of home accessories and giftware.
Candle Corp. of America, a Chicago-based manufacturer and distributor of candles, candle accessories, and natural home fragrance products, appointed James Kopp president. He will be responsible for growing the premium home fragrance brands in the gift, specialty, department, and independent gift channels of distribution for Blyth Inc., the parent company of Candle Corp. Kopp became vice president for global sourcing at Blyth in 1998. Prior to that, he worked for seven years with Enesco Corp. Pam Terry joined Candle Corp. as vice president of marketing and product development. Most recently, she worked with Bath & Body Works as group product director for the home fragrance division.
Paul Hillson, vice president of Dover House Inc., was promoted to executive vice president and partner. Hillson will be primarily responsible for sales, covering everything except the New York metro area and the JC Penney account for Dover, an Anaheim, CA-based designer of handcrafted gifts, tabletop, and accent pieces. Hillson also manages the company's Homelites division of promotional mirrors and candleholders. He has worked for Dover House since it was founded in 1994.
GoCollect.com, online distributor and affiliate network of offline collectible retailers, named Paul M. Verrochi vice chairman of the company. He will oversee the development and implementation of GoCollect.com's b-to-b strategy. Prior to joining the company, Verocchi was chairman and CEO of Provant Inc., a training and consulting company. GoCollect .com also appointed Pattie VanLandingham director of product development. She will be responsible for developing new gift products and product lines for the company by expanding beyond its catalog of collectibles. VanLandingham has extensive experience as a buyer and merchandiser, most recently as a buyer for LTD Commodities. Debbie Carr was made merchandising director for the company. Her responsibilities will include managing the collectibles product lines and the overall merchandising of the site on a daily basis. Most recently, Carr was Fontanini brand director at Roman Inc.
Nairi Gardiner was promoted to senior vice president of finance and operations for Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP). Her role has been expanded to include handling rollout of licensee and agent audits worldwide. She will also be responsible for WBCP's business systems initiatives, and will oversee strategic planning for the division. Gardiner joined WBCP in 1990 as controller. In 1994, she became vice president and group controller, and in 1997 she was named vice president of finance. WBCP also promoted Melissa Wong to vice president of retail business development. Her responsibilities will include strategizing long-term goals and determining growth opportunities for key retail accounts, and managing a staff of retail account executives. She will also continue to execute promotions, events, and merchandise programs for major retailers on behalf of the company. Wong joined WBCP in 1993.
Faber-Castell of Cleveland recently appointed Don Fischer chief financial officer of the company. He will direct all corporate financial and information technology. Prior to joining Faber-Castell, Fischer spent 14 years at Gibson-Homans Co., most recently as CFO. Michael Baker joined Faber-Castell's marketing department as the market product manager for the company's line of coloring and drawing products for children. He will be responsible for developing this line for the U.S. market, as well as selecting new products from within Faber-Castell's global family of companies to introduce to the U.S. market. Greg Wallace was hired as sales manager for the Premium Writing East division. He will manage all sales and marketing for the Premium division in the eastern region of the U.S. Most recently, Wallace was a regional sales manager for Montblanc.
P.J. Kids, Princeton, NJ, manufacturer of private-label children's furniture, appointed Vasso Unks director of marketing. Unks is responsible for marketing, media relations, merchandising, and product development. She will also be a member of the strategic planning board. Previously, Unks worked with P.J. Kids as an independent marketing and merchandising consultant with Foreside Consulting.
Giftware manufacturer and distributor Crazy Mountain, Imlay City, MI, named Terry Worden to the newly created position of national sales manager. Worden will manage the company's sales reps in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Imlay City, and Bel Air, MD.
Clegg Industries Inc., Torrance, CA, manufacturer of lighted and talking products for consumer and business-to-business product lines, named Frank Bruno to head up the licensing division. Bruno will be based at Clegg's offices in New York.
The Zrike Company, Pompton Plains, NJ, appointed three new employees. Loren Barrows was named brand manager, handling marketing, public relations, and trade shows. She was previously a marketing manager for a licensing agency. Megan Ritter was appointed assistant manager of product development. Her responsibilities will include managing all phases of product development. Prior to joining Zrike, she was employed by Denby USA in marketing and consumer relations. Suzanne Ferguson joins the company as sales coordinator. She was a sales representative for Craftex and an exhibit sales coordinator for George Little Management Inc.
OBITUARIES
Meinhard (Mike) Licht passed away on October 15 in Dallas. He recently retired from Rosenthal USA, where he worked for 20 years. He is survived by his sister, Ulla, and her husband, Wolfgang Sauer. Memorial services were held in Dallas.
Former Greeting Card Association (GCA) president Charlie Davison died at his home in Vero Beach, FL, on November 2, after a prolonged illness. He was 73 years old. In 1983, Mr. Davison purchased Paramount Cards Inc., of Pawtucket, RI, and served as the company's chairman and CEO until 1995, when he retired to Florida. He is survived by Lessie, his wife of 42 years; three sons, Hamilton, Lang, and Andrew; and three grandchildren.
