McDonald's Appoints Newell to Global Chief Brand Officer … and More Industry News

MANAGEMENT CHANGES

Sears Holdings Corp. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has named retail veteran Chris Capuano as senior vp and president – home fashions. Capuano will be responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth of the in-store and online merchandising of home fashions in both the Sears and Kmart formats. She most recently served as executive vp, Kohl's.

WD Partners (Dublin, Ohio) has hired Tim Welsh as managing director of its Irvine, Calif., office. Welsh will serve as principal architect and subject matter expert, and will play an integral role in West Coast business development.

McDonald's Corp. (Oak Brook, Ill.) has appointed Kevin Newell to global chief brand officer. Newell had served as U.S. senior vp and restaurant support officer for McDonald's USA West division.

Callison (Seattle) announces Kathryn Mickel has joined the firm as a principal of commercial interiors. Formerly with firm BBG-BBGM, Mickel will lead Callison’s new specialty interior design service, Monogram by Callison, and will split her time between the firm’s Seattle headquarters and its new office in Scottsdale.

Griplock Systems (Carpinteria, Calif.) has hired retail display industry veteran Stan Pfeifer as head of business development and product strategy for the retail display and art/museum markets. Pfeifer's previous experience includes more than a decade in sales with Arakawa Hanging Systems.

Gemini Inc. (Atlanta) announced that Tom Smith, Gemini’s technical field specialist for the Southeastern U.S., has retired. Dave Cook will take over the territory. Cook was previously Gemini’s technical field specialist for the Pacific Northwest.

Retail branding veteran Robin Beddor has joined BLACK: A Retail Brand Agency (Minneapolis) as vp, client services. Beddor will lead client service for the company’s growing roster of Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial clients.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Englewood Construction (Chicago) announces four new projects in the Midwest and one in Washington, D.C., including Trader Joe’s, American Girl, Destination Maternity and Advance Auto Parts. In the Chicago area, the company has been tapped for three new retail projects, including the interior build-out for the Trader Joe’s in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood; a 6920-square-foot Advance Auto Parts in Glen Ellyn, Ill.; a 3760-square-foot Destination Maternity at Orland Park Place Mall; and a Motherhood Maternity in Fairview Heights, Ill. The company is also working on a 20,000-square-foot American Girl boutique store, located at the Tyson’s Corner mall in McLean, Va.

Gemini Inc. (Farmville, Va.) has added a high-speed laser to its Farmville, Va., facility to cut letters and logos, to meet the growing demand for flat-cut acrylic products along the East Coast.