People – April 2008

• Braxton-Bragg Corp. announced on March 12 that Rich Hassert has been appointed CEO. The new CEO is excited about the “opportunity to build on a solid foundation” for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company.
• Braxton-Bragg Corp. promotes Bill Hickey to director of sales; he’ll have responsibility for all sales for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company. He joined the company’s sales team in 2004, and worked most recently as regional sales manager for Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
• Q.E.P. Company Inc. promotes Brian Johnson to vice president, retail marketing. He’s been with the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company for more than four years, and previously had more than 10 years experience in home-improvement marketing.
• Biesse America appoints Fabrizio La Volpicella to key account manager for leading sales efforts in the western United States. He most recently served as a regional sales manager for Biesse Canada; his sales team includes two new territory sales representatives, Lonnie Campbell and Todd Gomez.