Smith & Hawken President Apparently Forced Out

Novato, CA—Karyn Barsa, who led upscale gardening tools marketer Smith & Hawken as president/CEO for the past 18 months, left the company on April 11, CATALOG AGE has learned, because the company "needed to move to the next level," says spokesperson Heather Itzla. "The board will bring in someone to take us to another level."

The cataloger/retailer, which doesn’t reveal sales results, nevertheless had a poor year, according to one company observer. Board member David Eisenberg, president/CEO of Carrollton, TX-based Eisenberg & Associates, has been named interim CEO until the company finds a replacement. That will occur by August, Itzla says, noting that in early May the company was close to finding a replacement.