Serta has promoted Leo Echeverria and George Topping to vice president.
Echeverria, formerly director of manufacturing development, has been named vice president of manufacturing services. He manages a variety of manufacturing, engineering and R&D projects. He also will continue to oversee Serta’s R&D Center, and to help Serta plants adopt the most effective manufacturing methods and equipment possible.
He reports to Bob Sabalaskey, vice president of manufacturing, who said, “Leo has the initiative, commitment, experience and skill to excel in his new position. He does whatever it takes to get the job done, and is widely respected on both the plant and corporate level.” Echeverria joined Serta as a project manager in 1996.
Topping has been promoted to the newly created post of vice president of sales education. He continues to report to Bob Malin, vice president of marketing. Topping supervises Serta’s sales training, including sales training programs and product meetings for retail sales associates, retail management and plant sales personnel. He also will promote the Serta brand by supervising customized presentations at sales meetings, workshops and industry–related meetings.
“George has given sales education presentations to more than 15,000 retail sales associates over the last four years, earning a reputation as an outstanding sales educator,” said Malin. “In his new position, George will expand the scope and content of Serta’s sales education programs to better Serve Serta and its retail partners.”
Topping previously was director of sales education. He joined Serta in 1999.
Serta presents Marketing Excellence Awards
Serta Honolulu in Waipahu, Hawaii, has been presented with Serta’s 2002 Marketing Excellence Award, honoring Serta’s top–performing U.S. sales plant for the year. Top finishers included Serta plants in Middleborough, Mass.; Batesville, Miss.; Landover, Md.; and Beloit, Wis.
And for the second consecutive year, Serta Vancouver has won Serta’s Canadian Marketing Excellence Award as the top–performing Canadian plant in sales and marketing for the year.
