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By CARLY HARRINGTON, harringtonc@knews.com
On course to double its size and work force in five years, Jewelry Television has expanded its executive team and created new positions to move closer toward its goal of becoming a $1 billion company by 2010.
The 24-hour, Knoxville-based shopping network has created 40 new positions, including several management jobs, since March. Among the positions filled is a chief operating officer.
"Because of our rapid growth, if there is talent that we identify that could help us take the company to a new level, we will create positions for them," said Kelly Fletcher Kress, director of public relations.
Joe Fields, a former senior executive from adidas North America, was named COO last month. He takes over the position held previously by Bill Kouns, who is now the company's president.
The move is part of a series of top-level changes that officials say was needed to help handle the company's growth. Bob Hall, formerly the CEO and president, is now CEO and chairman. Charles Wagner is vice chairman in addition to being legal counsel.
"It's just gotten big. They need some help," Fields said. "We just divided up the responsibilities."
Jewelry Television, which projects sales of $400 million this year, employs more than 1,700 people. It is building a $20 million headquarters that will add about 750 jobs and will open in West Knoxville in 2007. Expected future growth could increase employment to about 3,500 by 2013.
"The growth is there. We're going to have to continue to add solid people to get there," Fields said.
The network has hired seven former Proffitt's department store workers to fill merchandise and marketing functions.
Kress said Profitt's sale to Belk Inc. this summer provided the network with "a huge talent pool."
"A lot of their skill sets mirrored what we need," she said.
Lynell Tucker, former Proffitt's vice president of sales and promotions, started her first day at Jewelry Television last week. She plans to hire three more ex-Proffitt's employees to Jewelry Television's marketing team.
Tucker said the company's phenomenal growth attracted her to the position.
"That was one of the things that impressed me," Tucker said. "That kind of growth is unheard of in traditional retail."
Tucker said she would ultimately like to see more direct mailings and catalogs to support the broadcast.
Fields sees several opportunities to expand.
"There's an incredible opportunity for growth just by increasing household penetration," he said. "We don't have 100 percent penetration."
And the company will be working toward a more international presence, he said. It opened a buying office in Bangkok, Thailand, last week.
It also plans to expand its Web site, which currently accounts for 15 percent of total revenues, Fields said. The company will be working on its online infrastructure and has already hired 25 new software engineers.
Brick and mortar stores also may be in the company's future, as well as providing more branded items either through licensing, purchasing or creating its own brand names.
"This business can do a lot of interesting things in the next few years," Fields said.
Business writer Carly Harrington may be reached at 865-342-6317.
JEWELRY TELEVISION EXECUTIVE TEAM
* Bob Hall: CEO and chairman
* Bill Kouns: president
* Charles Wagner: vice chairman and legal counsel
* Joe Fields: COO (September hire from adidas)
* Gerald Sisk: executive vice president
NEW MANAGEMENT HIRES
* Rick White: vice president of customer care (August hire from Nova)
* Kelly Fletcher Kress: director of public relations (July hire from Kress & Associates)
* Randy Puryear: director of merchandise research analysis (September hire from Proffitt's)
* Karen Mann: director of merchandise procurement (September hire from Proffitt's)
* Lynell Tucker: director of marketing (October hire from Proffitt's)
* Renee East: director of business development (September hire from Proffitt's)
OTHER HIRES
* 7 former Proffitt's buyers since April
* 25 software engineers since March
