Legacy Publishing Group Enhances Its Team with Addition of Gift Industry Veteran Ken Carmel
Legacy Publishing Group, Inc., the family-owned stationery and gift company located in Clinton, Massachusetts, announces the hiring of Ken Carmel to the newly created position of Vice President ¬– Sales/Key Accounts. A Long Island, NY native, Carmel worked most recently for Marian Heath Greeting Cards, where he served as Executive Vice President – Sales for almost six years.
According to Legacy’s Chief Executive Officer, Carlos LLansó, the hiring of Carmel will enhance Legacy’s growing reputation as a leader in partnering with retailers to create products that appeal to their unique customer base and are compatible with their core mission statement. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Ken for many years now, and Ken is not only a dynamic, caring individual who has a passion for sales, but he is also one of the most creative and innovative thinkers I have ever met. Bringing Ken aboard will make all of us on the management team better at what we do. His energy and enthusiasm is contagious, and all of us here have caught the bug.”
Carmel brings over 30 years of sales experience, from the ground up, to his new position with Legacy. Carmel started in sales as a Territory Sales Manager & Special Events for the gift industry giant Enesco in the early 1990s, where he helped grow that company into a leader in the gift industry during his almost 9 year tenure there. Carmel also previously worked as a sales manager for Michael & Co. and led the national sales effort for the calendar & giftware manufacturer AMCAL before joining Marian Heath in 2006.
“Years ago I learned the sales-related acronym IASM – I AM SOLD MYSELF. This reminds me each and every day that I must be able to say to our customers, ‘I am sold myself’ on the value, the capacity, the benefits, and the features of the product I am asking them to buy into,” says Carmel. “This Legacy family lives that acronym in everything they do. These are great people to work with and they have a product and organization that makes me excited to come to work each day. I couldn’t be more excited to join them in this great adventure.”
Timothy Cross, who previously headed Legacy’s key account efforts and now transitions to Vice President – Operations for the company, notes the breadth of experience Carmel will bring to the job. “We are very excited to have Ken come aboard as the leader of our key account efforts. I believe we have built a great foundation, but Ken’s vast knowledge and experience will allow us to get to that next level on the journey to excellence. All of us here at Legacy believe in creating partnerships first. Ken lives and breathes that concept. He has devoted his career to building and fostering relationships. He couldn’t be a better fit for Legacy.”
About Legacy
Legacy Publishing Group is a family-run, privately-held company and a leader in the social expressions industry, offering fine paper-based gift products, like greeting cards, boxed Christmas cards, calendars, boxed note cards, journals and more. The company employs more than 20 people and shares its historic mill building location with several affiliated companies who, combined, employ approximately 100 people. Legacy is owned by three sisters and their husbands, all of whom are actively involved in the company. Legacy was founded in 1993 by the sisters’ father, David Dunn, an entrepreneur and local philanthropist who remains active in Legacy and continues to provide sage advice and leadership to the various business enterprises.
