PLANO, Texas, July 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Larry D. Stone, Former
Lowe's Chief Operating Officer, Named Lead Director
At Home Group Inc. (NYSE: HOME), the home décor superstore,
today announced the appointment of two new independent directors to
its board of directors. The addition of Paula Bennett, former president and CEO of
J.Jill, Inc., and Steve Barbarick,
president and chief merchandising officer of Tractor Supply
Company, reflects At Home's transition to a more fully independent
board of directors. Additionally, At Home announced the election of
Larry D. Stone, who currently serves
as an independent member of the board, to the position of lead
director, effective July 11, 2018.
Geoffrey G. Clark, senior managing
director of Starr Investment Holdings LLC and director of C.V.
Starr, has decided to step down from At Home's board.
"The move to include additional independent directors is a
natural evolution as we transition away from private equity
ownership," said Lee Bird, chairman
and CEO of At Home. "Our board has phenomenal experience with
growing big box retailers and will help guide us as we continue to
expand At Home across the country. We are pleased to welcome Paula
and Steve as directors, and we look forward to the valuable insight
and diverse perspectives they will provide as we continue to
execute on our strategic initiatives and drive value for our
shareholders."
Mr. Bird continued, "On behalf of the entire board, we also want
to thank Geoffrey for his valuable contributions during his service
as a director over the last six years."
Paula Bennett has extensive
experience and expertise in building brands and businesses across
retail and direct marketing channels, as well as bringing focus to
the customer, and providing excellent and relevant product
offerings and service. Most recently, and for ten years, Ms.
Bennett served as president and CEO at J.Jill, Inc. where she was
responsible for the strategic leadership, growth and profitability
of the company, and led its initial public offering in March 2017. Prior to joining J.Jill, Inc., Ms.
Bennett was with Orchard Brands, serving as president and CEO of a
number of their direct-to-consumer brands. Previously, Ms. Bennett
was chief operating officer at Eileen Fisher, Inc., where she led
the strategic evolution of the business. Earlier in her
career, she held various significant leadership positions at
Tiffany & Co, including vice president of jewelry sales and
vice president of customer service, and at Calvin Klein, Inc. Ms.
Bennett began her career at Bloomingdale's where she led
merchandising and buying for decorative home and tabletop.
Ms. Bennett is a graduate of The Ohio State
University and currently serves on the Dean's Advisory
Council of its Fisher College of Business.
With more than 20 years of extensive retail experience,
Steve Barbarick brings significant
leadership in marketing, strategy, e-commerce and supply chain to
At Home's board of directors. Mr. Barbarick currently serves
as president and chief merchandising officer for Tractor Supply
Company, the largest rural lifestyle retail chain with over 1,700
stores in 49 states. His current responsibilities include
oversight of merchandising, global sourcing, marketing, e-commerce
and supply chain. Mr. Barbarick joined Tractor Supply Company
as a buyer in 1998. He has held positions of increasing
responsibility including vice president and divisional merchandise
manager; vice president, merchandising; senior vice president,
merchandising; executive vice president, merchandising and
marketing; and most recently, executive vice president, chief
merchandising officer from March 2015
to May 2016. Mr. Barbarick is a
graduate from The University of
Missouri-Columbia.
Larry D. Stone has served as a
member of At Home's board since December
2014. He served as president and chief operating officer of
Lowe's Companies Inc. from December
2006 until his retirement in June
2011. Prior to his role as president and COO, he held
several senior positions at Lowe's Companies, including as senior
executive vice president, merchandising/marketing from 2005 to
2006; senior executive vice president, store operations from 2003
to 2005; and as executive vice president, store operations from
2001 to 2003. He has served on the board for Novant Health System,
Inc., a non-profit integrated system of healthcare, since 2011. Mr.
Stone has also served on the board of directors for Dick's Sporting
Goods, Inc. since 2007 and is the chairman of its compensation
committee. He is a graduate of the Harvard
Business School's Program for Management Development.
About At Home Group Inc.:
At Home (NYSE: HOME), the
home décor superstore, offers more than 50,000 on-trend home
products to fit any budget or style, from furniture, mirrors, rugs,
art and housewares to tabletop, patio and seasonal decor. At Home
is headquartered in Plano, Texas,
and currently operates 164 stores in 35 states. For more
information, please visit us online at investor.athome.com.
HOME-F
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SOURCE At Home Group Inc.