West Marine, Inc.s Board of Directors has named Geoff Eisenberg to the position of president and chief executive officer, succeeding Peter Harris who resigned from the Company. Mr. Harris has agreed to assist during the transition through the end of the year.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Geoff aboard in his new role as CEO,” said Board Chairman and Company Founder Randy Repass. “Geoff has been closely involved with West Marine for almost 32 years. He knows the Company, played a key role in developing our mission and values, and shares our passion for the business and customers of West Marine. Geoff is a highly disciplined operational strategist and a gifted leader. He has had a hand in shaping our service-driven culture and in formulating our current growth strategy, as both an executive of the Company and a member of our Board. We are highly confident in his ability to lead the Company and drive the next phase of our growth.”
Mr. Repass added, “Speaking for the Board, I also wish to thank Peter Harris for his leadership these past three years. It has been a tough period for our entire industry. The difficult management decisions Peter had to make along the way have produced encouraging progress on a number of important fronts and set the stage for further operational improvements in the period ahead. We wish Peter well in his future endeavors.”
“It is an honor to lead West Marine,” Mr. Eisenberg said. “I have a long and cherished history with this great company. West Marine remains the most respected brand name in the boating supplies industry. We intend to leverage the power of our brand and further strengthen our connection with boaters in ways that can fuel our growth and profitability.”
In addition to his 30 years on the Board of West Marine, Mr. Eisenberg served the Company in various senior executive positions from 1976 until 1994. He has been active with the Company in one senior capacity or another right through his current appointment as President and CEO. Most recently, he ran a highly successful management and strategic consulting business specializing in CEO training and professional management development. Mr. Eisenberg is also a past CEO of Salz Leathers Inc., a manufacturer of high quality leather based in Santa Cruz, CA, and is a past CEO of Greenhorn Creek Associates, a Real Estate and Golf Development company based in Angels Camp, CA.
Mr. Eisenberg serves on the Boards of Directors of LiveOps Inc, a leading distributed call center technology and services provider, and Logispring LTD., an international venture capital firm specializing in supply chain focused companies. He has participated, both as skipper and crew, in many offshore sailing races.
West Marine Appoints New CEO
West Marine, Inc. reported that Peter Harris is joining West Marine as CEO and member of the Board of Directors on January 3, 2005, continuing the company’s tradition of strong, veteran talent at the helm. With 24 years of experience as a CEO, coupled with a firm belief that West Marine’s dedicated associates and proven management team are its most valuable assets, Peter is well qualified to succeed retiring CEO John Edmondson.
From the outset, Peter has established a reputation for building long-term value for shareholders while benefiting customers, associates and good causes. Coming up through the ranks at Gemco, where he began his career in retail by servicing customers and stocking shelves, Peter served as CEO of the department store subsidiary of Lucky stores from 1980 to 1985. Under his leadership, Gemco grew to $2.2 billion in revenue and 18,000 associates.
But perhaps Peter’s best-known retail industry leadership role was as CEO of FAO Schwarz, a pioneer in the concept now called “entertainment retailing.” In 1985, Peter and an investor partner purchased FAO Schwarz, a troubled company at the time. Peter and his management team led FAO Schwarz through a very successful repositioning and turnaround, often called its greatest years, before selling the company in 1990.
Peter remained the CEO of FAO Schwarz until 1992, after which he served as CEO of Accolade, an entertainment software developer selling sports, action and children’s game software through the mass and specialty retail channels.
For the next five years, from 1995 until 2000, Peter served as CEO of mall-based retailer The Picture People, which, following a successful turnaround, was sold to Hallmark and now operates as an independent, fiscally strong, 316-store chain.
In 2000, Peter was named President and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers. Installing a new strategic vision, Peter led changes to the management organization, re-engineered information and communications systems, strengthened brand identity and made extensive changes to business planning and budgeting structures. Peter’s contract with the 49ers ended in July 2004.
In addition to his management roles, Peter has served on the boards of directors of numerous well-known companies, including Six Flags Theme Parks, Pacific Sunwear, Stride Rite and Mrs. Fields.
Peter takes over the West Marine helm from retiring CEO John Edmondson following a very successful 6-year tenure that saw the company expand from $454 million in sales and 212 stores in 1998 to over $680 million in projected sales and 376 stores planned for 2004.
Randy Repass, founder and Chairman of West Marine, said, “We feel very fortunate to have such a talented executive and proven leader as Peter join us at West Marine. During his six years as CEO, John Edmondson assembled a very strong and accomplished team that dramatically improved all of West Marine’s operations so that we can serve customers much better and more efficiently. I am confident that Peter will continue this legacy and lead our great team of associates in taking West Marine to the next level of success!”
