BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Kaplan promoted at Tervis Tumbler
Tervis, the insulated drink ware manufacturer in Venice, has announced the promotion of Richard Kaplan, of Siesta Key, to president and chief brand officer. 

Over the past four years, Kaplan has played a significant role in helping the company grow, according to a news release. As chief sales and marketing officer, he led the sales force, the direct-to-consumer channel (Tervis-owned stores and tervis.com), the licensing and the marketing and product development teams. In his new position, he’ll continue to lead those areas while also playing a more substantial role in driving Tervis’ strategic direction, the news release says. 

With his extensive sales background, Kaplan expanded Tervis’ reach from a regional to a national level, the press release adds. His efforts took distribution to an all-time company high — more than 5,000 retailers nationwide carry Tervis drink ware. The company’s products also are sold at Tervis retail stores (11 locations and growing) and the newly redesigned tervis.com website, which experienced a 30% jump in sales over the past year.

“The Tervis ownership team has been extremely supportive in priming Tervis for this tremendous growth spurt,” says Kaplan. “They encourage employees to be creative and think outside the box at every level of the company.”

Prior to joining Tervis, Kaplan worked with a variety of high-profile consumer companies, including Levi Strauss & Co., where he was employed for 20 years, JNCO Jeans Company, J&J Apparel, and Siesta Sol LLC.