Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2015 68 BRANDSOURCE NAMES JIM RISTOW CEO Ristow succeeds Bob Lawrence as CEO, effective January 1, 2015 The BrandSource Board of Directors announced the appointment of Jim Ristow as CEO. Ristow replaces Bob Lawrence, who has served as CEO since 1994. "The Board conducted an extensive search, both internally and outside of the company, for the right person to lead BrandSource into its next phase of growth, and we're delighted to have found that person in Jim Ristow," said Jeff Zeglin, board chairman. "Jim has a tremendous aptitude for leadership and is highly respected by his colleagues for his ability to offer strategic thinking and keen insights on the latest retail and industry trends. These attributes, along with a genuine passion for this industry, make him an ideal choice." Ristow has been with BrandSource since 1999, most recently serving as Executive Vice President of consumer electronics for BrandSource and Co-President and Chief Business Officer of ProSource. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from St. Norbert College. "It's an honor to be chosen to lead BrandSource and to carry on the 'members first' philosophy set in motion by Bob Lawrence nearly 20 years ago," said Ristow. "Our mission is to continue being the strongest ally in the industry for the independent retailer. We will strive to bring 'best of class' services and solutions to our members in every category that we offer to help them successfully compete against big box retailers and online." BRANDSOURCE PROSOURCE DIVISION PRODUCT COMMITTEES MEET WITH KEY SUPPLIERS IN ASIA ProSource, the largest specialty and consumer-electronics merchandising group in the United States and a division of BrandSource, announced that members of their product committees and executive management team recently completed a successful trip to Asia to visit key suppliers to discuss plans and strategies for 2015. Manufacturer stops during the Asia tour included Harman International, D& M, Pioneer, Samsung and LG. During strategic planning sessions, ProSource representatives were given the opportunity to act as a voice for the larger ProSource constituency by providing critical feedback on product features, benefits and functionality. Discussions included the evolution of a fast-growing category, multi-room wireless audio, and its impact on the legacy categories of speakers and receivers. Additional discussions were centered around OLED and UHD technologies and the expectations for pricing and unit growth into next year. "We are the only merchandising group that currently prioritizes a trip to Asia with members of its product committees to visit our suppliers," said David Workman, co-president and COO of ProSource. "We feel it is extremely important to have the specialists' voices in the room as it relates to product design and technology to balance out the feedback which will always be taken from the national accounts." In attendance were the ProSource executive management team and members from the group's Audio and Video Committees including Scott Anderson, Tim Freeman and Tommy Kinstle from Crutchfield, Bob Cole from World Wide Stereo, Kevin Luskin from The Big Screen Store, David Glassman from IQ Home Entertainment, Jim Ristow and Dave Workman from ProSource, and Scott Zitter from Expert Warehouse. RO B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S Executives from ProSource gather with key vendors during a recent visit to Asia. Pictured from left to right: Kazuma Okada and Jorge Garcia of D&M, Jim Ristow of ProSource, Kevin Zarow of D&M, Bob Cole of World Wide Stereo, Tommy Kinstle of Crutchfield, Dave Glassman of IQ Home Entertainment, Tim Freeman of Crutchfield, Tim Bailey of D&M, Dave Workman of ProSource and Scott Zitter of Expert Warehouse Photo: Tommy Kinstle 2014

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