J. Kirby Best has been named to head Ingram's Lightning Source subsidiary. Best takes over as president and CEO from Lightning chairman John Ingram, who had been serving as president and CEO since the resignation of Ed Marino last spring (News, Apr. 8). Best, who joined Lightning July 8, will report directly to John Ingram.
Best's background combines printing and technical expertise. Since 1997, he has been chairman of Publishing Solutions Inc., a data collection and sales tracking service for the publishing industry. Before launching PSI, Best had been president and CEO of Royal Book Manufacturing. Best, who has been consulting for Lightning for several months, said the CEO job is "a fabulous opportunity. Lightning is poised to be a major distributor of digital information."
Best will continue to serve as a director of Coldlogic, the new name given to PSI. Dave Pullin will oversee the day-t0-day operations of Coldlogic.
