Hibbett Sports Announces New Field Leadership Team Further Prioritizing Customer Centric Strategic Growth

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hibbett Sports HIBB, a Birmingham based premium footwear and athleisure retailer with nearly 1,100 Hibbett Sports and City Gear stores nationwide, today announced a newly formed field leadership team, resulting from promotions, reassigned geographic territories and new hires, along with new strategic initiatives for better alignment and growth. The new leadership team led by industry veterans Mike Longo, President and CEO, Hibbett and Ben Knighten, SVP Operations, Hibbett, is comprised of seven team members made up of six Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs) and one Vice President of Operations for City Gear stores.

"2020 has been an unpredictable year but our priority is serving our customers in stores and online with a sustainable, omnichannel approach," said Mike Longo, President and CEO, Hibbett. "I could not be more excited about the future with our new Field Leadership team who will help us further develop our store teams, engage with our customers and grow and adapt in the next chapter of Hibbett and City Gear." 

The newly appointed team consists of seven experienced leaders including; Hibbett: Schanen Anderson, RVP Southeast Region, Robby Bullington, RVP Central Region, Joe Fullerton, RVP East Region, Russell Hallman, RVP Midwest Region, Spencer Holt, RVP Western Region, Kandace Turner, RVP Southern Region and City Gear: Derrick Hines, VP Operations. In their new or modified roles, the team will focus on prioritizing customer satisfaction and relationship building, both in person and online, implementing and reinforcing new training curriculum, and mentoring employees.

"Philosophically and operationally we took a hard look in the mirror and realized that we needed to remove some operational barriers and better support our store teams. We are empowering Store Managers with new technologies to connect and respond immediately to local customer needs and issues," said Ben Knighten, Hibbett, SVP Operations. "We also made a large operational investment to launch our internal Leadership Academy to provide training for 1,000+ field employees and ensure everyone is equipped with the skills to re-energize the organization and take us to the next level."

Newly Appointed Field Managers

• Schanen Anderson, RVP, Southeast Region - joined Hibbett as an Assistant Coach in 1997 and later, became the first female African American District Sales Manager in company history. Anderson is native of Ware Shoals, South Carolina.
• Robby Bullington – RVP, Central Region – originally started with Hibbett in 1992 and has vast experience as a District Sales Manager and a sales associate. Bullington grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
• Joe Fullerton – RVP, East Region – joined Hibbett in 1999 and has had a successful career as a District Sales Manager and a Head Coach. Bullington is a native of Cordele, Georgia.
• Russell Hallman, RVP Midwest Region – joined Hibbett in 2001 as a Head Coach in Mississippi and was promoted to District Sales Manager working in Louisiana, Texas and California. Hallman is a native of Greenville, Mississippi.
• Derrick Hines – VP Operations, City Gear – worked in the industry as a District Sales Manager and Store Manager for several years before joining City Gear in 2015 as a Regional Sales Manager. Hines is a native of Shreveport Louisiana.
• Spencer Holt, RVP Western Region – recently joined Hibbett in 2020 after previously working as a District Sales Manager for over a decade in the retail industry. Holt grew up in Enid, Oklahoma.
• Kandace Turner – RVP Southern Region – started with City Gear as a Store Manager in 2009 and also held the positions of Store Recruiter, District Sales Manager and Regional Sale Manager. Turner is originally from Vernon, Alabama.

Hibbett provides customers with a seamless way to shop a vast selection of premium apparel and footwear items and accessories both in store and online. Customers can either shop a store in person or use Buy Online and Pick Up in Store, Curbside Pick Up or Buy Online Ship to Store. In select markets customers can also take advantage of Same Day Delivery. No matter what lies ahead, Hibbett has a way to get customers the items they want in the most convenient and quickest way possible.

About Hibbett Sports
Hibbett, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a leading athletic-inspired fashion retailer with nearly 1,100 Hibbett Sports and City Gear specialty stores located in 35 states nationwide. Celebrating its 75^th year, Hibbett has a rich history of convenient locations, personalized customer service and access to coveted footwear, apparel and equipment from top brands like Nike, Jordan, and adidas.  Consumers can browse styles, find new releases, shop looks and make purchases online or in their nearest store by visiting www.hibbett.com.   Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @hibbettsports and @citygear.

Media Contact: Wendy Yellin, 925.519.3363, email: pr@hibbett.com

SOURCE Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc.