Dan River Recruits Flatow, Briggs

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/17/2007 12:00:00 AM

Danville, Va. —

Home fashions supplier Dan River has recruited apparel industry executive Michael Flatow as president and coo of the company, and home textiles veteran Herb Briggs as president, retail sales and marketing for the Dan River unit.

Briggs is one of three division presidents who will report to Flatow, who in turn reports to Dan River ceo Sanjay Purohit.

These moves free Dan Hammer to move into a newly created role as evp-strategy; Hammer had the position of evp, Dan River Inc. and president, retail. Rodney Reynolds, svp, cfo is also reporting to Purohit.

Flatow has more than 20 years experience and was most recently evp and general manager of the $4 billion wholesale apparel business of Hanesbrands Inc., a 2006 spinoff of Sara Lee Corp. At Sara Lee, Flatow served in posts including ceo of Sara Lee Personal Products Australia, president of Champion Products, and president and ceo of Sara Lee Hosiery.

Briggs was most recently svp marketing and sales at basic bedding resource Perfect Fit Industries, which he joined in 2003. He previously was president of Guilford Home Fashions.

New Delhi-based Dan River parent firm GHCL now has a president for each of its three U.S. divisions, noted Purohit. Besides the Dan River retail division under Flatow and Briggs, the hospitality division, Baker Hospitality, is headed up by Don Anderson; and the institutional unit, formerly Best Textiles Intl., is helmed by Ben Schoaf.

The following "shared services" execs are reporting to Flatow: Michael Haselden, vp of operations; Mike Porter, svp of global order fulfillment; Calvin Barnhardt, vp of human resources; and Scott Snead, vp of information systems.

The executives reporting to Briggs will include: Kevin Jareck, svp-mass and national chains sales and marketing; Lou Casali, svp-department stores sales and marketing; Dan Greco, svp-kids sales and marketing; Neil Mandell, svp-licensing and marketing; Paul Schmitt, vp-department and specialty accounts sales and marketing; Bruce Nichol, vp-product development and design; Brian McAlear, vp-Canada operations; and Frank Carbone, sales manager-off goods.