ALEX BRANDS® Names Industry Veteran Neil Friedman President and CEO

On Oct 29, 2014

Fairfield-based The ALEX BRANDS® family of brands, which includes ALEX TOYS®, POOF®, SLINKY®, SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER®, IDEAL®, ZOOB®, BACKYARD SAFARI®, ZILLIONZ® and CITIBLOCS®, today announced that industry veteran Neil Friedman has been named President and CEO.

Friedman, who joined the ALEX BRANDS® board of directors earlier this year, was most recently President of the U.S. division at Toys “R” Us.  He was also previously President at Mattel Brands, Fisher-Price Brands, Tyco Preschool and MCA/Universal Merchandising. Friedman is a member of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame and the International Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association’s Hall of Fame.

“Neil Friedman is unparalleled in this industry for his vision, experience and track record of success,” said Michael Cornell, Chairman of ALEX BRANDS®. “With our newly opened worldwide headquarters, expansion into Europe and rapid growth to date, there truly is no one better suited to lead this company into the next phase of its evolution.”

“This is a unique opportunity to work with some of the most iconic and highly recognizable brands in the industry,” says Neil Friedman, President and CEO. “In the time that I have been associated with ALEX BRANDS®, I have been extremely impressed by the company’s accomplishments, vision and growth plans. I am most looking forward to using my experience and expertise to help this company realize the incredible opportunities that lie before it.”

ALEX BRANDS® recently announced the expansion of its operational footprint with the opening of a new worldwide headquarters and customer showroom in Fairfield; a state-of-the-art distribution center in Woodbridge, and expanded warehouse capacity in its Canton, MI, distribution center.

 

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