Info Retail announces strategic realignment

Plans to leverage home expertise to support new markets

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, June 28, 2011

Cindy Williams

ATLANTA — Info Retail, a strategy and design agency, has announced a strategic realignment of its business.

The initiative is designed to leverage Info Retail's expertise in bedding and furniture markets and to expand its offerings into new business markets.

"We continue to redefine our core business to better serve our expanding client base," said Ron Bushman, president, Info Retail. "The strategic shift in our client services better aligns with our focus on high-growth manufacturing and retail clients. We are positioning the company to grow and scale our offerings to meet the needs of current clients and those we seek to attract."

Info Retail recently adjusted positions and added a number of professionals across several key areas including business development and account management.

As part of the strategic realignment, the company is repositioning its client services and accounts management units into one group-the client services team. In connection with that change, Info Retail made these appointments:

• Cindy Williams, previous vice president of retail strategy/furnishings, has been named vice president of client services and will lead the customer services team. The newly formed group will focus on idea generation for existing clients as well as attracting new clients in target industries. Williams will also maintain her primary responsibility in the bedding and furniture markets.

She joined Info Retail in 2003 following a 10-year career in the bedding market, where she was Southeast regional sales manager for International Bedding Corp. and manager of specialty sleep at Simmons. At Info Retail, she has led the company's business development strategies, and in her new role she will continue to oversee this strategy.

"Our focus will be to discover opportunities where our strategy, design and solution management services can be applied to help clients to innovate and to increase return on investment in customer environments," Williams said.

• Jacqueline LaScala has joined the company as director of business development. She will lead the company's expansion into new markets. LaScala comes to Info Retail with a 22-year career in media sales. Prior to joining Info Retail, she was an account executive at Microsoft where she managed accounts including Home Depot, Verizon, DHLWorldwide, Glaxo-Smithkline, Porsche and Aflac.

• Suzanne Donohoe has joined the company as account manager in the home improvement market. She will assist clients with implementing their service objectives and customer environment strategies. Prior to joining Info Retail, Donohoe worked more than eight years at Home Depot where she was merchandise marketing manager and media manager, developing integrated marketing plans and strategies supporting merchandising objectives for the company.

• Nathan Shannon has been named account and new business development manager in the furnishings and bedding markets. He will expand Info Retail's offerings to clients in home furnishings and sleep products manufacturing and retailing. Previously, Shannon owned a wholesale furniture business and was an independent sales representative for Klaussner Home Furnishings and memory foam importer Spirit Sleep.

• Betsy Gardner, previously project manager, has been named account manager and a member of the company's strategic overview team. Gardner joined Info Retail in 2009. Before joining the company, she was a store planning associate at ACS Architectural Construction where she executed site surveys, merchandise plans and three-dimension interior renderings for clients such as Macy's, JCPenney, Belk and Trader Joe's.

• Brooks Ballard, previously director of marketing, has been named director of business intelligence. Prior to joining Info Retail in 2007, Brooks was senior manager of e-business and manager of corporate marketing/merchandising at HomeBanc Mortgage and account manager at Georgia-Pacific Corp.