Kress Commercial has announced that Nick Jiannas has been hired as VP of Kress Dealer Sales and Operations. Jiannas joins Kress after a 26-year career with Stihl where he served as VP of Sales and Marketing. Most recently, Jiannas led the end-user engagement arm of Stanley Black & Decker‘s outdoor-independent retail channel.
“Nick is a proven leader who has worked in nearly every role on the OEM side of our industry during his three-decade career,” said Michael Jones, president and CEO of Positec North America, parent company to Kress. “Jiannas has a demonstrated track record of building partnerships with dealers. He operates with honesty and transparency and has earned the trust of independent business owners throughout the US. He’s a great fit for our culture and I’m thrilled to see his impact on Kress’ continued growth.”
Jiannas’ experience includes dealer onboarding, warehousing and logistics, field testing, and product and channel management. He has also led regional and national sales teams. At Kress, Jiannas will oversee the US sales team with a focus on expanding its dealer base. He will also work to deepen relationships with new and existing partners.
“Kress is balancing its pursuit of innovation – through products, technology and business modeling – with a clear commitment to independent dealers, who I believe are the bedrock of our industry. It is the best of both worlds and is one of the many reasons I am so excited to join the team – to help this brand continue its strong growth,” Jiannas said. “Our industry is experiencing a considerable transition, and right now there is a golden opportunity for Kress to reshape the future. Yesterday’s brands will not be tomorrow’s leaders, and I’m excited to join Kress as it establishes itself as an industry innovator.”
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