The Coleman Company is launching initiatives to strengthen its mass store sales organization, while refocusing the sales force mandate to better support its enhanced specialty store sales initiatives. The move is part of a global strategy to strengthen the company's sales and product development functions.
The mass customer sales effort will be headed by Randy Brillhart, currently Coleman¡¦s
Sr. Vice President ¡V Sales. He will lead a sales force of experienced professionals having
long-term relationships with mass customers, including Wal-Mart/Sams, Target, K-Mart/Sears, Hardware/Home Center channel and Clubs. Members of the force will be located strategically and supported by sales administration at Coleman headquarters in Wichita.
In addition to his dedicated mass sales responsibility, Brillhart, a 24-year Coleman veteran, will be a key member of the management team leading Coleman into the emerging Asian consumer market. He will have a leadership role in implementing SAP software application to sales. He continues to have responsibility for Canada, sales operations, category management and reports to Coleman President and CEO Gary A. Kiedaisch.
Coleman also will refocus the sales force specialty store mandate, aided by establishing a new senior sales position, that of Vice President ¡V Specialty Sales. Until the search for the new vice president is complete, Larry Myers, currently Vice President, Field Sales, and Tim Daniels, currently Vice President, Special Markets, will manage the function and report to Randy Brillhart.
The new Vice President, Specialty Sales will lead the sales effort serving sporting goods, specialty retailers, Internet, pool and patio, department stores, food and drug, regional mass retailers, specialty catalogue, marine, premium, Coleman Factory Outlet Stores and government sales with a new, customer-specific line of Colemanµ products, engineered and priced for those customers.
According to Kiedaisch, this new product development effort is key to better servicing all channels. ¡§Coleman has long recognized the importance of providing focused sales and product development support for our mass merchandisers. That remains a top priority. However, we have also known that their needs differ from other categories where our product is sold. This sales force refocusing and product development effort will provide better service to all channels and should strengthen Coleman¡¦s offering as well. We are reengineering our product line to answer the needs of each category. It is my sincere hope that the consumer will be the ultimate beneficiary,¡¨ says Kiedaisch.
To accomplish the reengineering of its product lines, Coleman is adding new staff to its product development and engineering departments, both domestically and at its facilities in China.
¡§We plan to provide the same authenticity and excitement in the specialty product category as we have with our mass customers, who have been so loyal to the Colemanµ brand name,¡¨ says Kiedaisch. ¡¨We make this investment in our sales and new product development teams with the goal of providing better service across the board and establishing clear channel product differentiation among our retail partners.¡¨
