Pier 1 Imports Inc. has named Alasdair James, 46, as president and CEO, starting May 1.
James comes to Pier 1 from Sears Holdings, where he has been president of Kmart since 2014. He has 15 years of retail experience in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. He began his career in international marketing and account managing with PepsiCo, then did similar work at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC. He then joined British retailer Tesco PLC, where he was executive vice president and commercial director of Tesco China.
“I look forward to working with such an accomplished executive team who have, over the past five years, successfully transformed the company to a fully functional omni-channel business,” he said. “The company’s exceptional brand recognition, loyal customer base and special and deeply rooted company culture provide a strong platform for future success. I believe there is a significant opportunity in front of us to continue to transform the business and drive growth and shareholder value in today’s quickly evolving retail landscape.”
James will succeed Terry E. London, who has been interim president and CEO since the end of the year. London will continue as Pier 1’s board chairman. London took over for CEO Alex Smith, who left at the end of 2016 after nearly a decade in that position.
“In our search for a new leader to navigate Pier 1 Imports through this challenging and exciting retail environment, our board sought an innovative, customer-centric and proven leader with a visionary perspective,” said London. “Alasdair comes to us with the strong, consumer-focused background, track record of success and strategic capability we were seeking. We are thrilled to have him join Pier 1 Imports to lead our future success.
Specialty retailer Pier 1, like many retailers, has gone through some rough patches lately, but a recent report on preliminary fiscal fourth-quarter results beat expectations, indicating that the company’s discounts and cost cutting have paid off.
FWISD coaching legend Hughes
now in Basketball Hall of Fame
Fort Worth high school coach Robert Hughes Sr., the high school boys basketball coach with the most winning record in the nation’s history, has been named to the 2017 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame honors international and American professionals and amateurs and is described as the most comprehensive Hall of Fame among major sports.
Hughes coached in the Fort Worth Independent School District for 47 years and ranks first on the all-time winning list for boys’ high school coaches. He led Dunbar High School and, before that, I.M. Terrell High School teams to 35 district championships and five state championships. His overall high school coaching record is 1,333-247 (.844)
“Congratulations to Coach Hughes Sr. on this well-deserved honor,” said FWISD Superintendent Kent P. Scribner. “In an era where the term ‘legendary’ is overused, Coach Hughes Sr. truly meets and exceeds the definition of the word. He has led and inspired generations of Fort Worth students, their families and the entire community, and continues to do so with his record of excellence.”
Hughes also was head coach of the McDonald’s All-America Game West team in 2001. He was named the NHSCA National High School Coach of the Year in 2003 and received the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Hughes was inducted into the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Banking and Finance
Northwestern Mutual–Dallas has merged with the Northwestern Mutual office in Fort Worth, which also serves Wichita Falls, Abilene, Amarillo and Lubbock. Jason Luce – photo – will head the Fort Worth office. Luce started as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual in 2005 and became recruiting field director in 2008 and a district director in 2012. He was named managing director in 2017. The Fort Worth office is located at 1300 Summit Ave., Suite 200.
HVAC
Enercare Inc., parent company of Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, has appointed Scott Boose as president and CEO, effective May 1. Current CEO Scott Boxer has announced his retirement. Boose was most recently president of Direct Energy Services, which operated in 48 states and two Canadian provinces and served over 1 million customers annually.
Manufacturing
Burleson-based roofing product manufacturer FWave LLC has added Tasha Gore as human resources administrator.
Nonprofits
The North Texas Community Foundation approved the 2017-18 board slate at its March meeting, including new officers, committee chairmen and board members.
Incoming board members are: Victoria “Tori” Adams, community volunteer; Erika Beltran, program director of Leadership ISD; Daniel H. McCarthy, partner at Wick Phillips Gould & Martin LLP; Buddy Puente, president of Southwest Office Systems Inc.; and Dr. Elizabeth Trevino, community volunteer and former CEO of the North Texas Area Community Health Centers.
Officers are: Chairman James B. DeMoss, retired president of The DeMoss Co.; Vice Chairman Ralph D. Heath, retired president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; Secretary Al Saenz, president of Multatech; Treasurer Stewart Alcorn, market president of Frost Bank; at-large member Anne Holland, CFP; and past Chairman Phillip W. McCrury, Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP.
Returning board members are: Cynthia Adams, president of Concorde Asset Group; Elizabeth Fleischer, community volunteer; Michael Appleman, Cantey Hanger LLP; Joseph DeLeon, president of Texas Health Harris Methodist; William Slater, retired dean and professor emeritus at Texas Christian University; and Mark Walton, controlling manager of The Walton Group.
Chairmen emeriti include: Chris Huckabee, Huckabee & Associates; Jeff Alexander, HCM Investments; Tom Cravens, retired, Southwest Bank; Allen Hodges, The Hodges Companies; Leland Hodges, The Hodges Companies; William Landreth, The Landreth Co.; Garland Lasater; Ann Louden; and Nick Martin.
Send newsmakers to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net.