L&R Distributors, Inc. , a leading wholesale distributor of beauty, wellness and general merchandise products servicing more than 18,000 retail locations throughout the United States, has announced the appointment of Jim Athey as its Chief Executive Officer effective as of April 3, 2023. Commensurate with the appointment of Mr. Athey, Marc Bodner, L&R’s current CEO, will transition to Executive Chair of the company.
“I am grateful to have served as both the President and CEO of L&R for the past 16 years,” said Mr. Bodner. “Jim’s combination of industry experience, drive for results, and commitment to collective success make him an ideal leader for this next chapter of L&R. The L&R Executive Leadership team we have built over the last several years has established a solid platform with exceptionally strong customer and supplier partnerships. I look forward to continue to support Jim and the executive leadership team as Executive Chair, building on the strong L&R foundation.”
Most recently, Mr. Athey served as the Chief Customer Officer for L&R, where he developed and led the company’s growth strategy, increasing company sales and profits as well as bolting on new capabilities. Jim and his team accomplished these milestones by developing strategic partnerships, growing L&R’s customer base, expanding category offerings & services while building a high-performance team.
Mr. Athey said he’s excited about the growth opportunities for L&R stating, “I am very excited to be leading such an amazing L&R team,” said Jim. “L&R has a great business model with a talented team that uniquely positions us in the market. Our vision is to provide the ultimate shopping experience for our customers’ customers, by reducing complexity & becoming an indispensable partner to both our retailer and vendor partners alike. I am confident the best is yet to come for L&R and that together we can achieve our vision and create a wonderful future for our company and employees”.
In addition, L&R announces other key leadership changes that will also occur as of April 3, 2023. L&R’s current Executive Vice President of Category Development, Tom Tomescko, will be promoted to Chief Customer Officer. Mr. Tomescko will oversee all of L&R’s Sales, Sales Execution and Retail Solutions functions. He joined L&R in December of 2021 with over 15 years of experience as a successful executive leader, generating top-and bottom-line impact through targeted operational processes/procedures aligned with emergent business strategies.
In conjunction with Mr. Tomescko’s promotion, recently hired executive Steve Light will now oversee the Category Development and Replenishment Buying functions along with the eCommerce department. Mr. Light’s new title is Executive Vice President of Category Development & eCommerce. He joined L&R in October of 2022, with over 20 years of executive leadership experience in eCommerce retail, distribution, marketing, and brand management.
Additionally, executive leadership member David Faust is promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations, in which he will continue to oversee all of L&R’s Warehouse Operations, along with the company’s Sales and Operations Planning (“S&OP”) department. Mr. Faust joined L&R in March of 2022. He has over 14 years of management and leadership experience in business/consumer product distribution and logistics.
The remainder of the executive management team will also report to Mr. Athey. This includes Chief Financial Officer Richard Grant and Vice President of Human Resources Jonathan J. Banegas. Mr. Grant joined L&R in June of 2022 with over 30 years of executive experience in Finance and Accounting, with expertise in business structuring, mergers & acquisitions, international tax compliance and performance optimization. And Mr. Banegas joined L&R in July of 2019 with over 14 years of Human Resources management experience in multiple industries that include e-commerce retail, distribution, non-profit, financial services and higher education, with expertise in strategic planning, organizational design, talent management & acquisition, total rewards and labor relations.
About L&R, Inc.
Founded in 1956, L&R Distributors is a national distributor of over 40,000 health & beauty care, general merchandise and cosmetics products, presently serving over 18,000 points of distribution within the supermarket, drug, wellness, independent and mass classes trade across the U.S. L&R has developed a robust ecommerce platform that includes direct to consumer blind drop ship fulfillment. L&R is passionate about designing the ultimate shopping experience for its customers, combining that passion with innovative thinking, best practices and the greatest technology to deliver higher sales for each one of its clients. To learn more about L&R or LR Fulfillment Solutions please visit www.lrdist.com.
