ROGERS, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, LAUNCH®, the Arkansas-based retail firm dedicated to helping national, emerging and private label brands achieve national scale, announced the start of a new division dedicated to addressing the evolving global sourcing and supply chain industry. LAUNCH’s new Global Diversified Sourcing department is designed to optimize procurement processes, foster supplier diversity, and ensure sustainability in sourcing practices. To lead the department, LAUNCH has appointed Walmart and retail industry veteran Arthur Emmanuel who will focus on quickly establishing department advancements and best practices designed to drive value for clients and stakeholders alike.
“Global events like the COVID19 pandemic taught us that brands have to be nimble in order to remain competitive as it relates to sourcing practices and supply chains,” said Jeff Engleman, president and founder of LAUNCH. “This new department is a key strategic initiative for us, and we believe Arthur’s leadership at LAUNCH will move our company, our clients and the global community into the future of diversified sourcing."
Operating under the title of LAUNCH president of global operations and strategic sourcing, Mr. Emmanuel brings four decades of experience in retail operations, retail merchandising, and global sourcing from his tenure at the retail giant Walmart. His achievements include managing a $12 billion sourcing organization and spearheading Walmart's market entries into Argentina and Brazil.
"With increased competition and digital innovation, import-export buying and selling is ripe for reinvention,” Arthur Emmanuel said. “I’m honored to join LAUNCH during this exciting time.”
The new LAUNCH Global Sourcing Department will also be supported by executives Steve Ronchetto and David Scogin. Mr. Ronchetto recently joined as the senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships, bringing 30 years of retail expertise, including 28 years at Walmart where he retired as a vice president of merchandising. Mr. Scogin is a strategic advisor for LAUNCH with over 33 years of executive retail leadership experience. He retired as a Walmart vice president leaving with invaluable experience across food and consumable leadership roles at Walmart US, Walmart China, and Sam’s Club. Under Mr. Engleman’s leadership, the agency oversees 70 domestic and global clients combined, exceeding $1 billion in sales across the portfolio.
About LAUNCH®
LAUNCH is a privately held boutique retail firm in Rogers, Arkansas. Founded in Bentonville, Arkansas in 2003, LAUNCH began as a sales and business analytics organization. Since its establishment LAUNCH has expanded offerings to holistic retail support through marketing, digital commerce, and financial administrative services. LAUNCH supports emerging brands, private brand manufactures, and global companies commercializing in the United States. LAUNCH was one of the first firms to work directly with Chinese manufacturers opening an office in Hong Kong over 20 years ago. LAUNCH has since closed the Hong Kong office but continues to work with Chinese companies. In addition to Indian, Italian, Korean, and other global exports to the U.S. since the mid 2000’s. LAUNCH can be found by visiting https://launch-cc.com/, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/launch-sales-marketing, or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/letslaunch/.
