ROSEMONT, ILL. (Sept. 19, 2022)—Three new directors have been elected to the board of directors of the International Housewares Association (IHA), the full-service trade association for the housewares industry. They are: Scott Felsenthal, CEO, Whitmor, Inc.; Sal Gabbay, CEO, Gibson Homewares; and Michael Hayes, chief customer officer, Newell Brands. Their three-year terms begin Oct. 1, 2022 and end Sept. 30, 2025.
Also elected were new board officers:
- Chairman – Steve Greenspon, CEO, Honey-Can-Do International LLC
- Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect – Neal Asbury, president & CEO, The Legacy Companies
- Treasurer – Paul Cosaro, CEO, Picnic Time Family of Brands
All officers serve one-year terms from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023.
Retiring from the board are William Endres, president, Select Brands; Melissa Kieling, CEO, PackIt, LLC; and Kristine Malkoski, business unit CEO, Food, Newell Brands. Re-appointed for a second three-year term were Paul Cosaro and Kavita Shukla, CEO, The FRESHGLOW Co.
Felsenthal joined Whitmor in August 2009 as the first member of the fourth generation of his family to enter the business. The company designs, manufactures and distributes home organization, storage and laundry accessory products to retailers around the world. Additionally, Whitmor is the parent company of NEAT Method, which it acquired in 2017.
Gabbay is the third-generation owner of Gibson Homewares and has spent his 43-year career growing the company into one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of cookware, cutlery, dinnerware, glassware and other products for the table and the kitchen. Gibson’s growing portfolio of brands currently includes Martha Stewart, Sur La Table, Spice by Tia Mowry, Babish, Kenmore, Crockpot, Mr. Coffee and Oster, as well as long popular house brands like Gibson Home, Gibson Elite, Laurie Gates and Soho Lounge.
Hayes joined Newell Brands in April 2020 as chief customer officer, responsible for global customer relationships and customer liaison with the executive leadership team. The $11 billion global company manufactures consumer brands including Baby Jogger, Ball, Bernardin, Calphalon, Coleman, Contigo, Crock-Pot, Food Saver, Graco, Kerr, Marmot, Nuk, Oster, Rubbermaid, Sistema and Yankee Candle. Before joining Newell, Hayes served as senior vice president, sales & sales strategy, at Georgia Pacific from 2008-2020, and as vice president, sales, at Reily Foods from 2007-2008.
Greenspon founded Honey-Can-Do, a leading brand of home storage, organization, laundry care and general housewares products in 2008. Honey-Can-Do has acquired multiple housewares brands including Joyce Chen, International Origins, Kitchen Supply Company, Zevro and Urbio. Active on IHA committees since 2010, Greenspon is currently a member of the Executive Committee and is the board liaison to the Global Retail Advisory Council.
Asbury is president & CEO of The Legacy Companies, founded in 1999. The company manufactures and markets a portfolio of iconic brands that have morphed over time to strengthen their energy and relevance. Products range from kitchen appliances and cold refrigeration to wine essentials, kitchen tools and utensils. Housewares brands include Avanti, Brama, Chef’sChoice, Excalibur, MaxxIce, Omega, Sapphire, VinoTemp, Vinturi, West Bend, Yonanas and Zeroll. Asbury is a strong advocate of entrepreneurship and free enterprise, having written over 400 articles on global trade issues. In 2008, he received the coveted United States National Champion Exporter of the Year Award. He is the host of the Radio America talk show “Neal Asbury’s Made in America,” which is nationally syndicated and broadcast by more than 300 affiliates from coast to coast. His latest book, “Mapping America,” recently released was reviewed and recognized by The New York Times as one of the best visual books of 2021.
Cosaro joined Picnic Time in 2011. As CEO/Captain Picnic, Cosaro says his number one responsibility is to “relentlessly strive to achieve our mission of giving people the opportunity to make lasting memories by spending time with loved ones.” The company, which started in 1982 offering European-styled picnic baskets, has evolved to design and develop an array of picnic, outdoor leisure, indoor entertaining and barware concepts under the brands ONIVA, LEGACY, TOSCANA and PICNIC TIME. Prior to joining Picnic Time, Cosaro worked at Lionsgate Entertainment where he managed partnerships with retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and Target, and at Capgemini Consulting, where he was a strategic and transformation consultant for major media and entertainment corporations.
Also serving on the IHA Board are Kim Cole, CEO, Gleener, Inc.; Glenn DeStefano, president, StoreBound; Lisa Knierim, chief development officer, Creative Tops Inc.; Yvette Laugier, managing director, Peugeot Saveurs North America, LLC and immediate past IHA chairman; Jacob Maurer, CEO, Americas, The Cookware Company; Tom McMahon, president, Jura Inc.; Robert Michelson, president & CCO, Bradshaw Home; Keith Mirchandani, principal & CEO, Tristar Products, Inc.; Thomas Nichols, president, Pretika Corporation; Michael Otterman, president & CEO, Lodge Cast Iron; Luke Peters, president & CEO, NewAir LLC;.and Dan Siegel, president, Lifetime Brands.
Serving on the executive committee of the board are Neal Asbury, Paul Cosaro, Steve Greenspon, Yvette Laugier, Mike Otterman and Tom McMahon.
