LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Focus Products Group, LLC – a growth-oriented company whose operations serve consumer, hospitality and foodservice markets – announces several significant investments designed to build and sustain a differentiated market position for the company and its brands.
Emphasizing exceptional talent, efficient processes and product innovation as a foundation for advancing the company’s business model, Jeff Ackerberg, Chief Executive Officer for Focus Products Group, has appointed four indispensable new players.
Karen Swinford, has joined Focus Products Group as President of Retail. She will report to and work closely with Jeff Ackerberg to amplify the company’s intensely consumer-driven business model. “Having spent the majority of her career in the housewares industry, Karen is distinctly qualified to help us empower and grow our retail businesses and to establish a sustainable competitive advantage to move all brand categories forward. Her breadth of experience will be a great asset as she establishes the Retail Team as a market-driven growth engine for Focus,” states Ackerberg.
Prior to joining Focus Products Group, Karen worked with Wilton for over ten years, most recently as General Manager for Wilton Housewares and Copco. While there, Karen held various roles of increasing responsibility, while driving significant, consistent organic growth. Her extensive experience in the consumer durables sector also includes the Vice President of Marketing position with Ekco Housewares and multiple roles within Rival Co., Thermos Co. and Rawlings Sporting Goods.
Also reporting directly to the CEO, is Bill Bucklew who joined the company in December 2011 in the newly created position of Vice President of Innovation. In this capacity, Bill leads the product development functions – including engineering and industrial design – across all Focus Products divisions. Bill is responsible for developing and delivering organic growth strategies and leveraging meaningful innovation to expand the core categories as well as create significant expansion platforms and adjacencies. “It is a great pleasure to join the talented and dedicated team members at Focus. Together, we will build upon our excellent base of products and categories to deliver innovative, market driven solutions rooted in consumer insight, which will be the primary growth engine of the company,” explains Bill.
Before joining Focus Products, Bill was the Vice President of Engineering for Tegrant Corporation, a leading provider of innovative component and protective packaging solutions for high-technology, consumer electronics, automotive, appliance and medical device industries.
His extensive product development and engineering experience began in 1994 with GE Industrial Controls. In 2002, he joined Acco Brands as Engineer Manager and over his seven years with the company, rose to the position of Director-Global New Product Development, Quality, Industrial Design and Packaging, managing a global team of 56 engineering professionals along with a team of industrial designers.
Reporting directly to Karen Swinford are Scott Spielmann as Vice President of National Accounts and Joe Hodorowicz as Vice President of Sales, Housewares.
With more than 25 years of consumer product sales and sales management experience, Scott brings a solution-oriented approach, utilizing a collaborative customer attitude to form strong partnerships. “I’m excited to join an organization with great people and great brands, and I’m looking forward to helping Focus Products Group bring world class service and innovative products to all of our retail customers,” says Scott who has joined Focus Products Group to service key accounts. Previously, he was director of Sales at Jarden Consumer Solutions and Vice President, National Accounts at Spectrum Brands.
Joe Hodorowicz is joining Focus Products Group as Vice President of sales for the Housewares Division. Previously, Joe briefly served as Vice President of Sales for Columbian Home Products and for six years at the Trudeau Corporation in a similar capacity. His extensive marketing, sales and management experience also includes executive positions at World Kitchen. Joe will lead a team poised to take the company’s highly recognizable retail brands to the next level. “The Focus Products team includes many multi-talented and experienced housewares professionals. It is my pleasure to join them in leading Focus Products to a position of sustained brand growth,” Joe explains.
“Due to our investments in outstanding team players, efficient processes and innovation, we are poised for increased revenue growth and profitability in 2012 while delivering meaningful innovation that will create brand loyalty for our consumers,” closes Jeff Ackerberg.
About Focus Products Group, LLC
Focus Products Group, LLC is a growth-oriented company whose operations serve hospitality, foodservice and consumer markets. The company specializes in the design and marketing of functionally superior housewares, bakeware, bathroom accessories, storage systems and counter top kitchen appliances. Brands represented within the Focus Products Group family include: Chicago Metallic™, the Baking Experts™, Amco Houseworks®, Swing-a-Way®, West Bend®, Back to Basics®, X-traordinary Home Products™, steeltek® and Hookless®.