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.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com