Smith & Hawken Taps Former Sharper Image COO As CEO

Novato, CA--Home and garden products cataloger Smith & Hawken on June 18 named former Sharper Image chief operating officer Barry Gilbert as its CEO. He replaces Karen Barsa, who was forced out in April.

Gilbert was most recently acting CEO of Relax the Back, a retailer of back products. Before that, he was chairman/CEO of Miadora.com, a defunct jewelry online retailer. "Barry has just the background we were looking for," said board member and search committee chair David Eisenberg in a statement. "He has the vision and breadth to continue growing our business through all four channels: stores, catalog, Internet, and furniture-to-the-trade."