HAVERHILL, MA (BRAIN)—Pedro’s, Inc. has promoted Matthew Simpson to the role of president/general manager. Simpson previously held the chief of operations role until March of this year when he was asked to step in as the interim CEO/president.
“Matt has done an outstanding job over the past six months realigning this 21-year-old brand and moving us in a direction that will bring long term stability and consistency our customers expect,” said Matthew Bracken, Pedro’s vice president and 20-year industry veteran.
Simpson joined Pedro’s a year ago, bringing expertise in sustainable sourcing and building grassroots supply chains.
"Matt impressed us since he joined Pedro's as operations manager and continued to do so as he took on the position of general manager on an interim basis,” said Lars Hellsen, the chair of Pedro’s board of directors. “Given the continued operational progress and strong team support, it was an easy decision for the Board to offer Matt the position on a permanent basis. He and his team have our full support and confidence."
While turning his focus to operational improvements, Simpson has also reorganized and bolstered the staff for continued success. Earlier this year, industry good-guy and long-time Pedro's ambassador, Matt "Matty B" Bracken, was promoted to vice president of development and Pedro's announced the return of Jason Elhardt as marketing manager. Also added to the mix were Jeff Bramhall, who took over as operations manager, and Keith Cardoza who was brought on as buyer/planner.
“It is humbling to have such strong team support; but frankly I have the strongest team around me,” said Simpson. “The vision ahead for Pedro’s will continue to focus on our core values: innovation, passion, quality, and our culture. It is a real honor to have the opportunity to lead such a strong brand and rally the supporters of our 21-year history.”
“Our focused commitment on our operations and customers is paying off,” added Simpson. “The orders are strong. We have exceeded our budget each of the last five months and we have seen plus-15 percent growth year over year. We have strong commitments from our top customers to support our new product pipeline for 2011 and 2012 and we have not even shifted into our big ring yet!”
