Qualitor Names Gary Cohen Chief Executive Officer

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualitor, Inc. today announced that Gary Cohen has been named the Company's Chief Executive Officer, effective April 27.  Mr. Cohen most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Timex Group and previously spent over 20 years in senior executive positions with several global companies.  Mr. Cohen succeeds Richard Snell, who is retiring after serving as Qualitor's Chief Executive Officer since 2004.

John E. Morningstar, a Managing Partner of Wellspring Capital Management, Qualitor's majority owner, and Board Member of Qualitor, said, "We are extremely pleased to have attracted such a high caliber executive as Mr. Cohen to lead Qualitor. Given his extensive marketing experience and his track record of operational excellence, we are confident that Qualitor will have a great future under Mr.Cohen's leadership.

"Dick Snell has built a legacy of success at Qualitor.  He should be very proud of his many accomplishments in building a leading aftermarket supplier to the automotive industry.  We wish him a long and productive retirement," Mr. Morningstar added.

Mr. Cohen said, "It's an honor to have been selected as the next CEO of Qualitor.  The Company is well positioned as a leader in product quality and customer service, with a track record of strong financial performance.  I look forward to joining Qualitor's talented team and working together to build on Qualitor's past achievements under Dick's leadership."

Mr. Snell said, "I am grateful to everyone who helped make my time at Qualitor among the most rewarding of my professional career.  Six months ago, Qualitor began a new chapter when it was acquired by Wellspring and I am proud of our seamless transition to Wellspring's ownership.  Qualitor has a very exciting future ahead and is in very capable hands with Gary Cohen at the helm." 

Mr. Cohen joins Qualitor after serving for three years as the President and CEO of Timex Group, which includes such watch brands as Timex, Guess, Ferragamo, Versace and Nautica.  In that capacity he helped drive financial growth, develop new corporate leadership, and significantly expanded market share and revenue.  Prior to his tenure at Timex, Mr. Cohen was Global General Manager/Vice President of Playtex Products Inc., a business unit of Energizer Holdings, Inc., where he drew upon his advanced knowledge of marketing and operations in the integration of Playtex into Energizer's Personal Care Division.

Over the course of his 32-year career, Mr. Cohen has held a series of senior management and marketing positions with other top consumer products companies such as Procter & Gamble and The Gillette Company where he helped double the size of the Oral-B business over a six-year span.  He holds a B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University and a M.B.A. with a specialty in marketing from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

About Qualitor, Inc.
Qualitor, Inc. is a leading diversified supplier of aftermarket safety and wear parts for the automotive industry.  Through six North American locations and two business units, Qualitor provides wiper blades and auto care accessories (Pylon) and brake hardware and related components (International Brake Industries) to the automotive aftermarket.  The Company is the market leader in hybrid blades that it sells under a variety of iconic brand names, including Michelin, and is the top North American supplier of brake hardware to the automotive aftermarket.

Contact:
Mark Semer
Kekst and Company
(212) 521-4800

SOURCE Qualitor, Inc.