Michael Brown

MOORESVILLE, N.C — Former Whirlpool executive, Kevin Summers, has been appointed chief information officer of Lowe's, effective July 9. Summers will report to chairman, president and CEO Robert Niblock. He replaces Michael Brown, who retired earlier this month. Summers brings to Lowe’s more than 20 years of experience in technology-related fields, having served most recently as SVP and global chief information officer for Whirlpool. During his career, Summers has worked with some of the country’s leading brands, including The Coca Cola Company, Bell South Technology Services and General Electric. “Lowe’s has made significant investments in technology to provide employees

By Mark Amtower While attending a recent business marketing conference, two things really struck me. First, direct mail not only lives, but thrives. Indeed, how do you drive Web traffic? Snail mail! Who wants a print catalog? Web browsers! Second, what do customers do when they want to order? They pick up the phone and call. My point isn't that they use the phone, but rather what occurs—or at least, should occur—during the call. And it isn't some idealized version of customer relationship management. Rather, they want simple, old fashioned customer service. Let me illustrate with an example from my own