Hayneedle Announces Promotions

New Leadership Team Guiding Next Phase of Growth at Hayneedle

Newest members of Hayneedle's leadership team; from left: Tammy VanDonk, Rebecca Gray and Ryan Paulson. (Photo: Business Wire)

OMAHA, Neb.--()--Hayneedle.com, one of the nation’s largest online retailers of home furnishings, announces three leadership promotions to further advance the company’s ongoing growth. Rebecca Gray, Ryan Paulson and Tammy VanDonk assume leadership roles in Merchandising, IT and Customer Care, reporting to President and CEO Jon Barker.

“Rebecca, Ryan and Tammy bring a wealth of industry knowledge and talent to their new roles, and I am pleased they have accepted the challenge to help guide Hayneedle into our next phase of growth,” Jon said. “Together we will build on the company’s many successes and continue to champion Hayneedle’s customer-focused culture.”

Rebecca Gray is promoted to vice president of Merchandising, overseeing all product offers, category development, assortment expansion and vendor relationships. She joined Hayneedle in 2004 and has served in a variety of management roles throughout her tenure and has been instrumental in leading the merchandising strategy to expand assortment to millions of products and more than 3,000 brands. Rebecca has also championed Hayneedle’s private brand strategy developing exclusive product lines always keeping the customer in mind. Prior to joining Hayneedle, Rebecca oversaw product development, marketing and key manufacturing relationships as a director for a leading global retailer.

Ryan Paulson takes on the role of vice president of Technology, with responsibility for Hayneedle’s retail and e-commerce systems, IT infrastructure, program management, quality assurance and IT security. Since joining Hayneedle in 2004, Ryan has played an integral role in developing and implementing the company’s proprietary systems and best-in-class technology. His prior experience includes web development, software engineering and database administration for the energy and insurance industries.

Tammy VanDonk is promoted to vice president of Customer Care & Advocacy and will ensure that Hayneedle customer perspectives and voice are supported throughout the entire organization. Tammy has been instrumental in developing the company’s customer experience while directing Hayneedle’s industry-leading Customer Care Center since bringing her expertise to Hayneedle in 2008. Before joining Hayneedle, Tammy held managerial and senior customer care and engagement positions with Williams-Sonoma, Hanover Direct and Spiegel.

Rebecca, Ryan and Tammy join an experienced and established group of professionals on the Hayneedle leadership team.

“With the scale of abilities and experience now represented on our leadership team, I’m really excited about the successes we are having as we continue to build the Hayneedle brand,” Jon added. “Working together we will never stop listening to our customers as we provide the best online shopping experience in the industry. That means finding and offering the right product assortment, using best-in-class technology to ensure products are easy to find and just what a customer wants, and continuing to enhance our personalized, end-to-end customer service experience to help shoppers whenever they need it.”

About Hayneedle

Hayneedle is on a mission to help customers find everything home. One of the nation’s largest online retailers, hayneedle.com offers more than 3,000 brands and millions of products for every room, style and budget. Hayneedle is consistently ranked among the top 100 on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 retail websites. Founded in 2002 and based in Omaha, Neb., the company employs more than 500 people nationwide. Learn more at hayneedleinc.com and find everything home at hayneedle.com.

Contacts

For Hayneedle
Gene Hinkle, 402-514-9406
ghinkle@baileylauerman.com

Release Summary

Online home furnishings retailer Hayneedle.com announces three leadership promotions. Rebecca Gray, Ryan Paulson and Tammy VanDonk assume leadership roles in Merchandising, IT and Customer Care.

Contacts

For Hayneedle
Gene Hinkle, 402-514-9406
ghinkle@baileylauerman.com