MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dipak Golechha has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of Excelligence Learning Corporation, a leading provider of educational products and teaching solutions for the early childhood, elementary school and consumer markets. Organized around three core operating divisions – Supplies, Equipment and Services – and commanding over 30 years of experience serving children, educators and parents, Excelligence delivers a comprehensive selection of quality and innovative products and services on a global scale.
In his new role, Golechha will be responsible for all aspects of operations, including brand strategy, product development and sourcing, merchandising, marketing, sales, and distribution, and will lead the implementation of Excelligence’s strategic and operational plans. The company’s three divisions will report to Golechha and he will report to the Board of Directors.
Golechha joins Excelligence after spending the past two years as Chief Financial Officer at NBTY Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of vitamins, minerals and health supplements. Prior to his NBTY experience, he spent 18 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of global leadership and executive roles, including the last five years as Divisional Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer. He has both a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the St. John’s College at Cambridge University.
Commenting on his new role, Golechha said, "The spirit with which this enterprise was founded and the expertise developed over the last 30 years in serving educators and parents are both incredibly relevant today. I see significant opportunities to build upon our diverse product assortment to extend our reach with early childhood and elementary teachers and parents. I am thrilled to be joining the Excelligence team and plan to help accelerate the growth of our proprietary brands by both increasing the current distribution footprint and investing in the company's go-to-market efforts."
Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Monterey, Calif., Excelligence is a developer, manufacturer, distributor and multi-channel retailer of leading brands of educational products and teaching solutions to early childhood and elementary school teachers, PTAs and parents. The company’s portfolio of branded products, over 50% of which within the Supplies and Equipment divisions are proprietary (such as Colorations, BioColor and Excellerations), provide customers with a one-stop solution for all of their classroom needs. Excelligence operates across all 50 states in the U.S. and has several international distributors across six continents. In addition to its core domestic growth, the company has been highly acquisitive, adding Really Good Stuff and Children’s Factory to its portfolio of brands over the last 12 months. In December of 2014, Brentwood Associates, a leading consumer-focused private equity investment firm, and its affiliates acquired a majority stake in Excelligence.
Eric Reiter, a partner at Brentwood Associates, said of the appointment, "Dipak has extensive executive level experience across diverse operating functions which makes him an ideal leader for the enterprise. He has a successful track record building great teams and his expertise will play a critical role in developing and executing key growth strategies."
Keith Gordon, Executive Chairman, added, “Dipak is a natural fit. In many ways, he personifies the Excelligence brands and embodies our core values. This, coupled with his considerable knowledge of growing and professionalizing world-class organizations, makes him a perfect choice to lead Excelligence in its next stage of exciting growth."
About Excelligence Learning Corporation
Excelligence Learning Corporation is a leading developer, manufacturer, distributor and multi-channel retailer of over 20,000 innovative, high-quality and grade-appropriate educational products and teaching solutions, which are sold primarily to early childhood learning centers, elementary schools, PTAs and consumers. The company has three core divisions: Supplies (Discount School Supply, Really Good Stuff, SmarterKids and Environments), Equipment (Children’s Factory, Angeles and Steffy Wood Products) and Services (Educational Products, Inc.). With over 30 years of experience serving children, educators and parents, Excelligence’s diversified portfolio of leading brands delivers quality, innovation, service and value on a global scale. Leading proprietary brands include: Colorations, BioColor and Excellerations. For more information about Excelligence, please visit www.excelligence.com.
See more at: www.discountschoolsupply.com, www.reallygoodstuff.com, www.environments.com, www.childrensfactory.com, www.angelesstore.com, www.educationalproducts.com.
About Brentwood Associates
Brentwood Associates is a leading consumer-focused private equity investment firm with a 30-year history of investing in leading middle-market growth companies. Brentwood focuses on investments in growing businesses where it is able to leverage its extensive experience in areas such as: branded consumer products; multi-location strategies; direct-to-customer marketing, including direct mail and e-commerce; niche brands with specialty distribution; education; and business services. Since 1984, Brentwood's dedicated private equity team has invested in 50 portfolio companies with an aggregate transaction value of over $6 billion. With significant experience in both investing and brand building, Brentwood is a value-added partner with entrepreneurs and senior management teams building world-class companies. For more information about Brentwood, please visit www.brentwood.com.