Pelican Products names John Padian COO, Rick Kern EVP

Dave Parker, founder and CEO of Pelican™ Products, Inc., along with Chairman of the Board, Rob Gluskin, are proud to announce the promotion of two senior executives. John Padian, formerly Vice President of Sales, assumes the title of Chief Operating Officer while Rick Kern, who currently holds the position of CFO, adds the title of Executive Vice President.

John Padian has been with the company for 27 years and began his career as Pelican’s fourth employee at the age of 15. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business from Cal State Long Beach. “I’ve worked for just one company in my career, but in that time I’ve done it all,” said Padian. Before moving into Sales in 1989, Padian managed the Purchasing, Production and Inventory Control departments at Pelican. Since moving to sales in 1989, he has held a number of positions including Sales Manager for the Photographic and International Divisions. Since 1999 Padian has led the Pelican sales group, a period in which the company has experienced tremendous growth. In his new position, he will be responsible for the Sales, Marketing and Manufacturing divisions of the company.

Rick Kern joined Pelican Products in 1991 as CFO, and has guided the Finance Department through a ten fold increase in revenue. Kern states “Our expansion shows no sign of stopping, and watching Pelican Products grow from 20 employees to more than 550 has been both exciting and challenging in every facet of the business.” Kern holds a degree in business and an MBA in finance from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining Pelican Kern, was Senior Vice President of Republic Bank in Torrance, CA where he oversaw the merger and acquisition department and their data center development.