Riverside Names New President; Appoints Senior Management Team

May 29, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on May 2007 J. Scott Ostrander has been named president of Riverside Furniture as part of a new structure for the company’s senior management team.

Ostrander succeeds longtime president Howard “Buddy” Spradlin, who remains the company’s chief executive officer.

“Scott has provided great leadership at Riverside, in both operations and product development capacities,” Spradlin said. “His appointment to president acknowledges those contributions, as well as his leadership abilities.”

Ostrander joined the company in 1987 and has been promoted to roles of increasing responsibility since then. In March 2006, he was promoted to chief operating officer. For the past seven years Ostrander has been a member of the American Home Furnishings Alliance as a director on the board of operations and is currently serving as chairman of the division board.

Fred Henjes has been named senior vice president of sales and marketing. In his new role, he will lead the company’s strategic sales and marketing initiatives. Henjes, a second-generation Riverside representative, joined the sales force in 1989. Since that time he has been a two-time President Award recipient, and 12-time recipient of Riverside’s All-Star Team award. For more than 10 years, he has participated in the design and development of new product, both domestic and import.

“Fred has played a key role in Riverside’s overall transformation to a more dynamic, lifestyle brand marketing company,” Spradlin said. “His unmatchable skill set will provide valuable insight and contributions to Riverside’s continued growth during these challenging times.”

Michael L. Charlton has been named senior vice president of product development. Charlton is responsible for coordinating the company’s team-driven product development process, working directly with Riverside sales representatives, dealers, designers and consultants for input. Charlton joined Riverside in 1990 as advertising/marketing director and was most recently vice president of product development and merchandising.

“I could not be more pleased with our appointment of Michael Charlton to the position of senior vice president of product development,” Spradlin said. “His tenure and continued success within our corporation is a tribute to his unique talents and abilities.”