FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, January 22,
2003
Contact: Jana Muntsinger, 615.376.9442
jana@mmpublicrelations.com
2003 BRINGS PARABLE RESTRUCTURING
Parable
Creates New Coaching Business, Two VP Positions
SAN
LUIS OBISPO, CA–-
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE, January 24, 2003
Contact: Jana Muntsinger,
804.754.2118
jana@mmpublicrelations.com
2003 BRINGS PARABLE RESTRUCTURING
Parable Creates New Coaching Business, Two VP
Positions
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA–-The Parable Group is
starting the New Year with significant staff and service changes. Wayne Hastings, formerly Parable’s Vice
President of Merchandising/Retail Development, will oversee a new division
within The Parable Group—Parable Source,
a comprehensive in-store consulting, training and coaching service. In related changes, Kay Cementina has been
named Vice President, Retail Sales and Marketing, and Marilyn Largent has been
promoted to Vice President, Wholesale Sales and Marketing. These staff changes should aid Parable in
reaching its goal of “helping stores grow” in 2003.
Parable Source, a freestanding division of Parable to be managed by Wayne Hastings, is designed to offer Parable
member stores individual coaching and consulting in
order to achieve their goals more effectively and efficiently. A team of experienced professionals,
including Hastings, Jim Reimann (former CBA bookstore owner and VP of Family
Christian Stores) Steve Adams (former owner of Evangel Family Bookstore
in Medford, OR, Inc., headquartered in Bellevue, WA) and
Parable’s Pete Robinson, will evaluate each store in four major areas:
·
Store
Assessment—analyze the major
areas of the store, including facility, merchandising, design, marketing,
finances, security, human resources, customer service and leadership
development
·
Goal
SettingCoaching—help set, obtain
and update goals for the individual storeOnce the plan is
determined, the Parable Source
professionals are available to come alongside the owner and managers to provide
regular support, help, encouragement and accountability.
·
Leadership
Development—evaluate
the owners’ and key staff members’ leadership styles, team strengths and
weaknesses
with the goal of building better teams, stores and ministry.
·
Store Assessment—analyze the major
areas of the store, including facility, merchandising, design, marketing,
finances, security, human resources, customer service and leadership
development
·
Staff
Training—use
Parable’s FOURSALE training to motivate, challenge and inspire frontline staff
members as
well as other training designed specifically by Parable.
Hastings believes Parable Source is the natural extension
of Parable’s mission to help stores grow:
“We are passionately committed to CBA retailers. The health of their stores directly affects
the ministry they can provide the local community. Our team at Parable Source will come along side to encourage, train and
coach the retailer. It is our hope to
give them better focus, better use of their gifts, and better knowledge of
their calling in the current economy, --but
most importantly in God’s economy,” says Hastings.
Parablesm
member stores can pick from the various services offered by Parable Source, so the cost will vary
according to individual goalsneeds.
Hastings’s goal is to make this service as individual as each
store: “We can help the seasoned store
owner as well as the retailer just starting out. This is customized coaching on the highest, most professional
level,” adds Hastings.
With Hastings turning
his focus solely to Parable Source,
two Parablesm
Parable professionals have been
promoted to assume his former responsibilities. Kay Cementina is now Vice President, Retail Sales and Marketing,
and Marilyn Largent will serve as Vice President, Wholesale Sales and
Marketing. Cementina will oversee all
the sales and marketing relationships with the Parable member
stores. Largent will direct the sales
and marketing efforts to vendors.
Cementina,
formerly the Manager of Project Administration and Corporate Events, will
continue with her current responsibilities of managing and planning special
events outside of the retail environment, such as the Pastors Professional
Development Seminars with Pastor Dale Burke and CBA Expo and International
conventions. In addition, she will
direct the Parablesm
Parable team in developing all sales
and marketing materials for both prospective and current Parable member
retailers. Their marketing efforts
will help retailers effectively use the wide array of services available from
Parable. Says Cementina: “This is a chance for us to have a laser-focus
on meeting the needs of Parable stores in The Parable
Group. Instead of a scattered
marketing effort, we will be able to let stores know clearly and effectively
the resources only available at Parable to help them grow.”
“Kay brings years of marketing
and management experience to this new position,” says Steve Potratz, President,
The Parable Group. “We know that God have
has
given her unique talents and skills to serve our stores.”
As the Vice
President of Wholesale Sales and Marketing, Marilyn Largent will direct two
two of the most
visible departments in The Parable Group—the Merchandising and Creative
departments. She will oversee all
direct mail pieces (catalog, flyers, inserts), direct e-commerce pieces
(e-newsletters and e-advertisements), point-of-purchase merchandising, mass
media efforts (newspaper inserts, radio and TV ads) and exclusive
products. She will serve as a
conduit for all vendors and ministries wishing to reach the powerful Parablesm
member
stores. Largent will also be overseeing
the Web
and Ministry Relations department, responsible for promoting Parable’s
unique e-commerce
services
to various ministry and non-profit organizations. She will serve as a conduit for all vendors and
ministries wishing to reach the powerful Parable member stores. “I am excited about Christian
retailing,” says Largent. “Christian
products can radically change lives.
But to do that, it has to get in the hands of people. I believe God has called me to Parable to
help fulfill that mission.”
Adds
Parablesm
Parable President Potratz: “Marilyn is known industry-wide for her
creativity and talent. Any vendor knows
that Marilyn has the ability to make an idea into reality. We are blessed to have her on our the
Parable team.”
Based in
the hills of San Luis Obispo, CA, The Parable Group provides comprehensive
marketing services to hundreds of Christian retail outlets in the United
States. Each member store is
independently owned and operated, representing more than $325 million in annual
sales of Christian products to consumers.
Some of Parable’s specialized services include full color catalogs, data
base marketing, in-store displays, e-commerce websites and exclusive products.
# # #
January 22,
2003