Board of Directors

Alissa Ahlman was elected to the Board on May 4, 2020. Ms. Ahlman was most recently the Chief Merchandizing Officer and Chief Design Officer for At Home Group, Inc. (‘‘At Home’’) a high growth, national big-box retailer specializing in home décor, furniture and seasonal products. Ms. Ahlman joined Garden Ridge in March 2008, prior to its rebranding to At Home in 2014. Ms. Ahlman was responsible for the merchandise transformation at At Home and was part of the executive leadership team that rebranded Garden Ridge to At Home, including its initial public offering in 2016. Ms. Ahlman held various roles in merchandising and merchandise planning until her retirement from At Home in December 2018. Before joining At Home, Ms. Ahlman served in merchandising roles at 99 Cents Only Stores LLC and Factory 2-U Stores, Inc.

Robert Fisch has served as a Director since September 2015. He currently is President of RNF Group, a consulting company focused on the assessment and evaluation of retail and other business enterprises, as well as providing mentoring services to existing management of these companies, a position he has held since January 2017. He served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of rue21, inc., a large specialty apparel retailer, from June 2001 until October 2016. Mr. Fisch served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. from June 2004 until March 2013. From February 1987 to December 1999 he served as the President of Casual Corner Group, Inc. Mr. Fisch was selected to serve on our Board due to his strategic business acumen and experience as a corporate director of publicly-traded retail companies.

Stanley Fleishman has served as a director since March 2013. Mr. Fleishman has been the Chief Executive Officer of Jetro/Restaurant Depot Group, a nationwide wholesale cash and carry food distributor, since October 1992, prior to which he held the position of Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Jetro/Restaurant Depot group, Mr. Fleishman was the Chief Executive Officer of Dion Stores, a South African retail chain, from 1982-1985. He holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. We believe that Mr. Fleishman’s broad management expertise and his knowledge of the wholesale retail industry qualify him to serve as one of our directors.

Thomas Hendrickson has served as a director since March 2015. Mr. Hendrickson was most recently the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer for Sports Authority Inc., a sporting goods retailer, from August 2003 until his retirement in February 2014. Prior to joining Sports Authority Inc., Mr. Hendrickson was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer for Gart Sports Company from January 1998 until the time of its merger with Sports Authority Inc. in August 2003. Mr. Hendrickson is currently a director and a member of the audit committee of the Board of Directors of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY). We believe that Mr. Hendrickson’s financial, accounting, acquisition and business experience qualify him to serve as one of our directors.

Abid Rizvi was appointed to the Board on November 29, 2022. Mr. Rizvi currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of AriZona Beverages, the company behind the iconic 99c Big Can. He joined the company in 2016 and held various leadership positions before being appointed CEO in 2020. Mr. Rizvi also brings over 20 years of experience in consumer investment banking, serving as Managing Director and Head of Consumer and Retail Mergers & Acquisitions at RBC Capital Markets from 2014 to 2016, and the Americas Head of Consumer and Head of Consumer and Retail M&A at Jefferies from 2010 to 2014. Mr. Rizvi started his investment banking career at Merrill Lynch & Co. where he rose to the position of Managing Director. He has extensive experience in business operations, mergers and acquisitions, and financings.

John Swygert has been our Chief Executive Officer and President since December 2019. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Swygert was our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since January 2018. Mr. Swygert joined Ollie’s in March 2004 as our Chief Financial Officer and was later promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2011. Mr. Swygert has worked in discount retail as a finance professional for over 27 years. Prior to joining Ollie’s, Mr. Swygert was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Factory 2-U Stores, Inc. He held several positions while at Factory 2-U Stores, Inc. from 1992, ranging from Staff Accountant, Assistant Controller, Controller, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Vice President of Finance and Planning, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Swygert also previously worked for PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. in Business Development and Financial Analysis. He serves on the Board of Directors of Truck Hero Holdings, Inc., a privately held company, since 2018.

Stephen White has served as a director since July 2016. Mr. White was most recently the Chief Logistics Officer at Dollar Tree, Inc. from April 2003 until his retirement in May 2016. Mr. White first joined Dollar Tree in 1994, and was responsible for building the logistics division during his tenure at the company. Prior to joining Dollar Tree, Mr. White served as Director of Transportation and Administration and held various other distribution and transportation positions at Ames Department Stores from 1986 to 1994. Prior to Ames, Mr. White held several transportation and supply chain positions with a number of companies, including LyphoMed Pharmaceuticals, Eastern Airlines, Incom International, and Shell Oil Company. Mr. White holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with dual majors in Transportation and Distribution Management, and Finance and Insurance from Northeastern University. Mr. White’s extensive experience in logistics and financial matters qualify him to serve as one of our directors. Mr. White also consults in the field of global logistics on a part-time basis.

Richard Zannino has served as a director since September 2012. Mr. Zannino is a Managing Director of CCMP and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining CCMP in 2009, Mr. Zannino was Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Dow Jones & Company. Mr. Zannino joined Dow Jones as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in February 2001 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in July 2002 and to Chief Executive Officer and Director in February 2006. Prior to joining Dow Jones, Mr. Zannino was Executive Vice President in charge of strategy, finance, M&A, technology, and a number of operating units at Liz Claiborne. He originally joined Liz Claiborne in 1998 as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Zannino currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Pure Gym Ltd., Jamieson Laboratories, The Hillman Group, Inc., Badger Sportswear and Shoes for Crews, LLC, which are all privately held companies, and is a trustee of Pace University. Mr. Zannino also serves on the Boards of Directors of Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) and IAC/InterActiveCorp. (Nasdaq: IAC). Mr. Zannino was selected to serve on our Board due to his past leadership experience, strong finance and management background in the retail industry and his wide-ranging experience investing in and serving as a director for a diverse group of private and public companies.