Studio M sales manager, Debbie Glud, retires

St. Louis - Studio M has announced that sales manager Debbie Glud has retired. The company has hired Gretchen Bingle to take over the role.

"After many years in the business, I'm finally hanging up my sales shoes. I am so grateful to have spent the past six years with such a wonderful company. I can't wait to do some traveling and spend more time with my grandchildren," says Glud.

Debbie Glud was brought on to help Studio M grow from selling its original four lines to a collection of more than 15 categories and hundreds of new products. She also helped the company transition from more than 10 sales agencies to one national agency, OneCoast.

"Debbie has been an amazing ambassador for Studio M. She will be sorely missed by her customers, territory managers, and coworkers, but we couldn't be happier for her as she moves onto retirement," says Curt Todd, CEO of Studio M. "Having known Gretchen for almost 15 years, we consider ourselves lucky to have her join us at Studio M. She is highly regarded in the industry and a delight to work with. She'll fit right in."

Gretchen Bingle spent almost 13 years as national sales manager for North America at Kay Dee Designs. Having received her MBA from the University of Rhode Island, she has a very strong sales and marketing background. She will be the principal liaison between Studio M and the OneCoast sales team, working to train territory managers and drive sales on the hundreds of new products Studio M releases twice a year.

"I first met Gretchen many years ago through GSMA," Studio M's general manager, Tammy Hickel, says. "She has tremendous knowledge of our industry and a great business sense. I am excited about the many strengths she brings to the table, and I couldn't think of a better person to fill Debbie's shoes."

Gretchen Bingle

Early in her career, Bingle spent about six years working as manager of customer service and then national special markets manager at Crabtree & Evelyn. She is an expert in customer development, strategic planning, process improvement and more.

"It's such a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Curt, Tammy, and everyone else at Studio M. I was attracted to the position because of Studio M's reputation for high quality products, strong values, and heavy focus on customer service. I'm so thrilled to be part of the team as the company evolves with innovative product introductions, and I look forward to working with familiar customers and meeting new ones as well," says Bingle.