Philadelphia, PA — January 15, 2024 — Almo Corporation today announced the official retirement of leaders Gene and Roz Chaiken, effective January 1, 2024 after 61 and 51 years of dedicated executive management and philanthropic service, respectively. With this change, current Almo Corporation President and CEO Warren Chaiken is ascending into the newly vacated role his father once held as Chairman, starting in April 2024. Additionally, over the next several months, an expanded leadership team will emerge.
As Chairman of Almo Corporation and Exertis Almo, Chaiken’s role will focus on vendor relations and mergers/acquisitions in existing, adjacent and new markets. He will also continue to offer counsel across all Almo business units. Chaiken is an experienced executive dedicated to driving business growth and managing diverse teams while staying committed to corporate culture, philanthropy, and community involvement.
Chaiken said, “I would like to express my gratitude for the incredible journey of the past 30 years, working alongside my parents and many, many talented employees. Their leadership and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on this company.” He continued, “The expanded leadership team ushers in a new era at Almo Corporation and Exertis North America. As we evolve, our greatest constant is and always will be our exceptional employees – the secret sauce that allows us to add value to our customers and vendors.”
The expanded Almo Corporation leadership team includes:
Martin Szpiro, President and Chief Executive Officer: In addition to President and CEO of Exertis North America, and formerly President and CEO of Jam Industries Ltd. (now Exertis Jam), Szpiro brings more than three decades of experience in distribution to Almo. His role will expand to encompass Almo Corporation to further strengthen the entities and investments across North America. He will lead Sales, Finance and Operations for all major divisions, including Pro AV, Premium Appliances, and Retail Dealer Channel and Mainstream Appliances.
Timothy Kolbus, Chief Operational Officer: COO of Almo Corporation and Exertis North America, Kolbus holds more than 30 years of distribution and manufacturing leadership management experience, He will oversee operations for the Distribution, Transportation, IT, Product Management and Fulfillment/eCommerce divisions of Almo Corporation as part of his newly expanded role.
John Dunne, Chief Financial Officer: Dunne will continue to serve as CFO where he oversees all the financial operations of the organization while expanding responsibilities to include Human Resources and Legal. Dunne has more than 30 years of experience in distribution, with prior positions as Managing Director and Chief Commercial officer for Exertis North America. He also worked as Managing Director and Director of Finance for Exertis Ireland.
In December 2021, DCC Technology/Exertis acquired Almo Corporation. The biggest acquisition in DCC history, as a result, Exertis’ expanded North American operation immediately became a $2.7B business. As such, Almo evolved from a privately-held, three-generation family-owned business to become a part of DCC’s vast resources and reach. The acquisition has given Almo manufacturer and channel partners a global distribution stage to operate businesses at a greater capacity, leverage more buying power and compete for a more comprehensive position in the global supply chain. Additionally, Almo has been able to provide access to more products, services and financial support.
The following Almo Corporation divisional leaders will remain steadfast in their current roles:
Dan Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer, Exertis Almo Pro AV: Smith’s background encompasses manufacturing, distribution and systems integration experience. As EVP/COO of Exertis Almo, Smith leads a business with annual revenues of approximately $1B. Prior to Exertis Almo, Smith was Vice President of Sales at LG. He’s also held position across the channel in sales, product management, product marketing, supply chain procurement and business process improvement.
Jack Halperin, Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, Retail Dealer Channel and Mainstream Appliances: Halperin has overall responsibility for Almo’s $400M-plus dealer channel sales organization. He sets the overall direction, coordination and execution of the Appliance and Consumer Electronics Dealer Channel divisions, plus Almo’s National Inside Sales Support, Telesales and Customer Service teams.
Steve Terry, Senior Vice President and Chief Operational Officer, Premium Appliances: Terry leads product growth, territory expansion and the overall operations of the Premium Appliances division to support dealers and consumers. He has increased revenue for Almo Corporation in excess of $70M and grown the team to cover nearly all 50 states in the US.
About Almo Corporation
Since 1946, Almo Corporation has served as the largest independent distributor of appliances, consumer electronics, professional Audio/Video equipment, furniture and housewares in the United States. Meeting the needs of retailers across the country, Almo operates nine regional distribution facilities with over 2.5 million square feet of warehousing. Almo focuses on four major business segments: Major Appliance and Electronics, Premium Appliances, Professional A/V and e-Commerce Fulfillment. For more information, go to www.exertisalmo.com and www.almo.com.
About DCC Technology and Exertis
DCC Technology, trading as Exertis, is one of three wholly-owned divisions of the UK listed DCC plc, investing in what the world needs and distributing progressive technologies. DCC Technology partners with 700+ global technology brands and more than 13,000 resellers, e-commerce operators and retailers across three distinct market pillars of Pro Tech, Info Tech and Life Tech. DCC Technology trades predominately as Exertis together with other specialist brands and creates value through strategic positions in high growth niche markets, empowering its businesses and investing in their local commercial and market expertise. At over £5bn in annual revenue, DCC Technology is a global leader in specialisms such as AV, appliances, musical instruments, and enterprise component distribution. For more information, go to www.exertis.com or www.dcc.ie.
