Indianapolis, April 25, 2011: Genesis Casket recently announced several appointments to its Executive Management Team. Announcing the news, Genesis Casket President and Chief Executive Officer Wm. Anthony (Tony) Colson commented, “We’re privileged to have these five talented individuals join the Genesis team. Each of these people brings tremendous depth and experience in their respective disciplines that will benefit our company as we near the launch of the Genesis Casket product line.
Denny Knigga has been appointed Vice President of Operations. He will be responsible for overall operations including manufacturing, distribution and engineering. Knigga’s career features successful experience in manufacturing, lean systems, value engineering and supply-chain management. Before joining Genesis, he had been involved with multi-site operations for more than 20 years with both Wilbert Funeral Services and Batesville Casket Company. Early in his career, was employed by General Motors at their operations in Indianapolis. He will report to Colson.
Judy Rossom has been appointed Vice President of Administration and Chief Accounting Officer for Genesis Casket. She will handle the company’s accounting, human resources and administrative functions. Rossom is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and possesses a comprehensive background in all aspects of corporate accounting. Before joining Genesis, she was with Wilbert Funeral Services and Wilbert Plastic Services, where she managed the company’s accounting and treasury functions along with Wilbert’s relationships with the employee benefit providers and financial institutions. She will also report to Colson.
Joe Weigel has been named Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He is responsible for Genesis Casket’s brand strategy, communications, research, training and sales. Most recently, Weigel held a similar position for Wilbert Funeral Services. He had previously served Batesville Casket Company in various progressive roles. Weigel began his career working for a number of advertising agencies, handling both retail and consumer package goods clients. He will report to Colson.
Adrian Lee has accepted the position of Executive Director of Logistics and Procurement with responsibility for the company’s distribution and purchasing operations. He had spent the previous two years in a comparable role at Wilbert Funeral Services. Prior to that time, Lee held the director of operations position at Pella Window and Door Corporation, where he managed warehousing, transportation, inventory control and project management. He has also worked for Target and Dayton Hudson corporations as a buyer and operations manager. He will report to Knigga.
Scott Billingsley has accepted the position of Executive Director of Product Development and Sales Management for Genesis Casket. In this role, he has responsibility for managing the Genesis product line, including new product development and product design as well as leading the execution of the Genesis go-to-market sales strategy. Before Genesis, Billingsley was director of market development for Wilbert Funeral Services. In addition, he spent more than 25 years in sales and marketing with Batesville Casket Company. He will report to Weigel “The appointment of this very experienced executive team is a clear demonstration of Genesis Casket’s focus on executing our vision to build a world-class company that is dedicated to helping funeral director serve families who have lost a loved one,” added Colson. “We are creating a solid foundation in facilities, business processes and talent. With our executive team in place, we are now effectively positioned for our market introduction later this summer.”
Genesis Casket is a new entity in funeral service founded in 2010. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN and created in partnership with Gestamp North America, a global supplier of structural steel components for the automotive industry. Genesis plans to manufacture and distribute a line of metal caskets later this year that will be produced in its Indianapolis plant to funeral homes throughout the US.
