Pet products supplier Central Garden & Pet Co. (CENT,CENTA) Friday said Jeffrey Blade, who joined the company as Chief Financial Officer in September 2009, resigned by mutual agreement with Central's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Brown.
While the company is searching for a permanent successor to Blade, Stuart Booth, Central's former CFO who retired in 2009, has agreed to return on an interim basis as finance chief.
Separately, Central said Eileen VanEss joined as Vice President of Investor Relations. Eileen was previously Vice President of Investor Relations, Treasury and Tax at LeapFrog Enterprises, a developer and marketer of technology-based educational products. Her responsibilities included investor communications and reporting, in addition to leadership in the areas of risk management, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, tax and accounting.
Prior to that, she worked for over 20 years in domestic and international finance, investor relations and audit with some international companies.
Commenting on the departure, Brown said, "Jeff's departure is by mutual agreement. He is a true professional and we wish him well. We are grateful to Stu for stepping back into the full-time role pending our new search. We remain committed to our program to drive improved capital efficiency and margins and believe we are well positioned to pursue new growth strategies."
CENT ended the regular trade Thursday at $10.23, flat with the previous close, on 66,300 shares.
CENTA closed at $9.53, up from the previous close of $9.51, on 159,800 shares.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.