The Yankee Candle Company Names Mike Thorne SVP, Wholesale Division
Thursday, 22 June 2006
The Yankee Candle Company, Inc., designer, manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of premium scented candles, announced today that Mike Thorne has joined the company as senior vice president, wholesale division. He assumed his responsibilities full time on June 19, 2006.
Thorne joins Yankee Candle from Russell Corporation, a leading branded athletic and sporting goods company, where he was the president of the Bike and Athletic Team Division. Prior to joining Russell in 2005, he served as vice president of sales for the Spalding Division of Russell Corporation. Thorne also held numerous senior sales positions with Pentland LLC, Franklin Sporting Goods Company, and Wilson Sporting Goods.
"Mike is a seasoned leader, who brings a strong track record of building independent and national account businesses" said Harlan Kent, President and Chief Operating Officer. "He has successfully built business teams that are customer centric and focused on account planning and customer marketing. He also has demonstrated his ability to build sales and profits in each of his assignments."
"I am very excited to be joining Yankee Candle," said Mike Thorne. "We have a powerful brand and a talented team. I am confident we can continue to build our Wholesale Business in North America and abroad."