George Coe, one-time CEO and president of Baker & Taylor and a former v-p at Brodart Co., is returning to the library services vendor as president and CEO.
A veteran executive in the library services industry, Coe worked at Brodart for 20 years beginning in 1980, including serving as v-p general manager of the Books, Library, and Automation division. In addition, he worked for 17 years at Baker & Taylor, serving as CEO and president of B&T until its sale to Follett in 2016. After the Follet acquisition, Coe served as group president of Baker & Taylor and Follett School Solutions before retiring in May 2017 .
Most recently Coe was interim president and CEO of Better World Books, until it was acquired by Better World Libraries/Internet Archives.
Coe said he was “excited at the opportunity” to lead Brodart. He said: “We're looking to develop and expand all three lines of business — Books & Library Services, Contract Furniture, and Supplies & Furnishings. We will be active and entrepreneurial, as we seek to refine our focus, innovate, and better serve our library and school customers.”
Coe is credited with bringing an entrepreneurial approach to management and has been cited for his expertise in collection development, custom cataloging, collection analysis, new product development and financial oversight.
Brodart v-p of human resources Denise Gatsche said, "George has the vision, business expertise, and industry knowledge to fuel Brodart’s long-term growth and profitability. We're thrilled to have him and look forward to thriving under his leadership."
