Jon Barker Named CEO of Hayneedle

Furniture World News Desk on 4/19/2014

Hayneedle, one of the nation’s largest online retailers of home furnishings, has announced the promotion of Jon Barker from his current role as president to the position of CEO. Jon brings more than 25 years of multi-channel retail experience to his new position, including five years as Hayneedle’s COO. He assumes leadership of the business from Doug Nielsen, whose entrepreneurship has been the catalyst behind Hayneedle’s industry leading position.

"We have incredible talent in our organization and Jon is an exceptional leader,” Doug said. “I am truly excited to have him lead our company during our next phase of growth.” Doug will continue to support Hayneedle as chairman of the board.

“As we have since our founding, we remain committed to delivering the best online shopping experience in the industry,” Jon said. “And to do that, we will continue to listen to our customers and respond with products and services that fulfill their vision of home.”

As COO, Jon championed Hayneedle’s customer-focused culture and led the development of key company initiatives including a scalable platform capable of supporting billions of dollars in sales across hundreds of product categories. He was also instrumental in helping to build Hayneedle’s top-rated Customer Care Center and an industry-leading supply chain operation with the capability to deliver products in two days or less to 90 percent of the country.

“We are determined to provide our customers an online destination where they can interact with thousands of brands and millions of products,” Jon added. “And for those who prefer the human touch, real people at our U.S.-based Customer Care Center are standing by to pick up the phone to support the customer during their entire shopping experience. We want to be there every step of the way, whenever our customers need us.”

Prior to joining Hayneedle, Jon served in a number of professional and senior management positions for Cornerstone Brands and United Parcel Service.

About Hayneedle: Hayneedle is on a mission to help customers find everything home. One of the nation’s largest online retailers, the company’s flagship store, hayneedle.com, offers more than 3,000 brands and nearly 2 million products for every room, style and budget. Hayneedle is one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing companies in America, and Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Retailers. Founded in 2002 and based in Omaha, Neb., the company employs more than 500 people nationwide. Learn more at hayneedleinc.com and find everything home at hayneedle.com.