Aug 17, 2007 - U-Line Corporation Announces New Eastern Sales Manager, New Industrial Design/Product Manager
U-Line Corporation, the leading innovator of premium, built-in undercounter ice makers, refrigerators and wine preservation appliances, announces it has hired a new sales manager and added a new industrial design/product manager.
Eric Agren, Eastern Sales Manager Eric Agren joins U-Line as Eastern sales manager and assumes all sales responsibilities in the Eastern United States territory. In addition to managing field sales representatives, Agren assists in managing sales, marketing and merchandising activities with distributors and dealers in the region.
Agren has extensive experience in the appliance industry, including owning and operating his own retail appliance business for several years. Most recently, Agren was national sales manager for Jade Products Company, a division of Whirlpool Corporation. He managed all direct accounts and drove sales for Whirlpool’s specialty group of high-end appliances. As vice president and sales specialist of Dealer E-Channel for JGSullivan Interactive Inc., Agren developed industry specific software solutions for appliance retailers, suppliers and buying groups. Agren operated Agren Appliance Inc. from 1993 to 1999. Agren sold the business in 1999, but it remains in operation today. During his time as an appliance retailer, he was elected president of the Northeast chapter of Associated Volume Buyers Inc. and served as a national board member of the 1,500-member group. He has also served the North American Retail Dealer’s Association (NARDA) as an educational speaker and instructor.
Agren graduated with distinction from the University of Maine in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He is based in Lewiston, Maine, where he also resides.
Kevin Kinch, Industrial Design/Product Manager Kevin Kinch joins U-Line as industrial design/product manager. Kinch will lead all new product development, from strategic planning and concept to design and implementation.
Kinch’s 20 years of experience in product design and brand management includes domestic and international work in several related industries including appliances. Most recently the conceptual design manager for Alpha Security Products in Charlotte, N.C., Kinch managed product design and brand identity for the high-end retail security device manufacturer. His appliance industry experience began with Maytag Corporation in Newton, Iowa, in 2000 as industrial design manager for the Amana brand. He was promoted to brand design manager for both Maytag and Amana brands, and eventually served as industrial design and product manager for Jade Product Company, Maytag’s luxury brand. Kinch holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in furniture design from the Kendall College of Art & Design, and a master’s degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute with Honors. He has partially completed a master’s of business administration in marketing and brands from the University of Iowa. Kinch, his wife Sofia and daughter Rita are relocating to Milwaukee, Wis., from Charlotte, N.C. Since 1962, U-Line Corporation has been the leading innovator of premium built-in, undercounter ice makers, Combo® ice maker/refrigerators, Wine Captain® wine storage units, refrigerators, refrigerated drawers and refrigerator/freezers. U-Line is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., and has a West Coast office in Laguna Beach, Calif. For more information on U-Line and its products, visit www.u-line.com.