Advance Auto Parts names George Sherman president

Advance Auto Parts names Best Buy exec George Sherman as president, eliminates 2 positions

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) -- Advance Auto Parts has named George Sherman as president and eliminated two positions at the company.

CEO Darren Jackson had served as president and will continue to serve as CEO.

Advance Auto Parts Inc., which sells auto parts, batteries and other items, said after the market closed Thursday that it is eliminating the post of chief operating officer, which was held by Kevin Freeland. It is also getting rid of the position senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing. That post was held by Donna Broome. Both Freeland and Broome will stay with the Roanoke, Va., company for an unspecified time period to help transition their responsibilities.

As president, Sherman will lead the Advance Auto Parts' commercial sales, field operations, store operations support, merchandising, marketing, supply chain and e-commerce teams.

Sherman's career began with a seven-year stint in the U.S. Air Force. He then worked at various companies, including Target Corp., Mervyn's and Home Depot Inc. Most recently, he worked for Best Buy Co., where he was senior vice president for Best Buy Services, which included leading the electronics retailer's Geek Squad of technical assistants.

Advance Auto Parts also announced several promotions.

Charles Tyson, senior vice president of merchandising and marketing, is now executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and supply chain.

Jim Durkin, president of Autopart International, will take on the new role of senior vice president of the commercial business.

Tammy Finley, vice president of employment counsel and government affairs, was promoted to senior vice president of human resources.

Advance Auto Parts had 3,794 stores in 39 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as of Dec. 29.

The company's stock closed Thursday at $82.20, up nearly 14 percent since the start of the year.