Pomeroy Appoints New CEO To Succeed Froman, Who Takes Executive Chairman Role
Managed services heavyweight Pomeroy has ushered in a changing of the guard, appointing CFO Brian Robinson (pictured) to succeed IT industry veteran Chris Froman as CEO, effective Thursday.
Froman, who has been CEO of the Hebron, Ky.-based solution provider since 2009, will step into the executive chairman role on the company's board of directors.
Pomeroy hired Robinson in August 2016. Prior to his appointment, he had spent more than 17 years at Highland Heights, Ky.-based electronics manufacturer General Cable, where he held a number of high-profile roles including executive vice president, CFO and treasurer.
[Related: Sources: CompuCom, Pomeroy In Merger Talks To Create $3.1B Channel Powerhouse ]
"The time is right for a change in leadership at Pomeroy, and I am proud to announce Brian as my successor," Froman said in a statement. "He is experienced, a catalyst for change and he knows how to execute."
Froman oversaw Pomeroy as it went private through a merger agreement with Platinum Equity in 2009, which valued the company at nearly $61 million. Six years later, he guided Pomeroy through another major transition as private equity firm Clearlake Capital acquired the company and merged it with retail partner Tolt Solutions to create a 4,000-employee, $1 billion channel giant.
The leadership change comes less than three months after CRN reported that Pomeroy, No. 41 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500, was in merger talks with IT services firm CompuCom – a deal that would have created a massive $3.1 billion solution provider.
Earlier this month, however, Office Depot acquired Charlotte, N.C-based CompuCom in a $1 billion deal. The agreement also involves Office Depot taking out a $750 million loan to refinance CompuCom's debt; Moody's Investor Services has downgraded the company's credit rating twice in the past few years.
Robinson said he will work closely with Froman and the company's board of directors as Pomeroy chases new expansion opportunities.
"[Froman] met the challenges of a rapidly evolving industry, and strategically repositioned Pomeroy as a leading industry-recognized global IT managed services provider," Robinson said in a statement.
Pomeroy specializes in in managed, network, data center, staffing, procurement and logistics services, among other areas. The company was named a niche player in Gartner's 2017 Magic Quadrant for managed workplace services for its focus on specialty retail, grocery, convenience and food services industries.