Meet The Applica Team
Eric Vergne
Chief Executive Officer
George Sam
Chief Operating Officer
Denise LaRose
Vice President
Bob Leeney
VP of Operations
Eric Vergne
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO, Eric Vergne manages Applica, develops and executes long-term strategies, and collaborates with clients, employees, investors and stakeholders. He is the chief decision and policy maker, and as such, he sets the tone for the company’s values, ethics and culture.
Eric leads by example with his unwavering commitment to reducing our clients’ costs and improving their service levels. His expertise in establishing strong client relationships, and a passion for bringing together outstanding client teams with the right mix of talent and disciplined focus on operations and execution have made Applica a leader in the industry.
Eric has excelled in a wide variety of leadership roles across many industry sectors and product lines during his 22-year career. Prior to becoming CEO in January 2011, he was Senior Vice President of Jen-esis, Inc. There he served clients in both Federal and State Governments, and the Healthcare and Telecommunications industries. He was instrumental in the successful planning and execution of Jen-esis’ long-term business strategy.
Eric has spurred growth and profitability within several Federal, Civilian and Military programs: He is a veteran of the United States Air Force (USAF) and also provided instrumental program and project leadership at Computer Services Corporation (CSC), Client Network Services (CNSI), Innovative Management and Technology Approaches (IMTAS) and BAE Systems.
George Sam
Chief Operating Officer
George Sam is Applica’s Partner and COO, responsible for the company’s strategic and operational leadership; acquiring new customers and delivering superior services. He is responsible for all of the company’s sales operations and activities, end-to-end management of Applica’s supply chain, as well as service and support to all of our customers and product lines.
Along with our CEO, George serves on the Senior Leadership team, dedicated to keeping our promise to help our clients build stronger businesses. He helps set the overall strategy and direction for Applica, advising on strategic planning decisions including resource allocation and setting operational and performance goals that guide Applica toward our long-term goals.
Before joining Applica, George was the COO of Jen-esis, Inc. As an innovative and proactive Senior Consultant, he optimized IT security, revamped corporate structure, maximized cash flow, decreased expenses and promoted company exposure to increase profitability. George successfully managed operative components from all departments with an eye on team performance, improving processes, devising solutions and finding opportunities for expansion and growth. Because of his intense focus on these goals, he was able to develop long-term client relationships and business partnerships.
Previously, George worked as a senior executive and country head of a multinational company. There, he successfully leveraged global external relationships and internal resources to generate long-lasting value. He provided project/program management and led the way in customizing methodologies, identifying technology risks, executing business value assessments to understand client needs, and developed solutions to successfully implement products and services. George supervised and mentored a 160-member team, providing guidance to increase individual and team performance in providing value to their customers. He conducted presentations to prospective clients, developed requests for proposals and cultivated customer loyalty by coordinating efforts with sales teams.
George earned a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering. He is ITIL certified and a PMI certified PMP. He is also a certified CMMI SCAMPI Appraisal Team Member. Additionally, he is a Certified Unicenter Engineer (CUE), Certified Novell Administrator (CNA), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), and Certified BMC PATROL.
Denise LaRose
Vice President
Denise has been in the office furniture industry for 20+ years, both at the manufacturer and dealer levels. Her entrée into the field came while living in Germany as an Army spouse where she was involved in the master planning, initial outfitting, renovation and project management for military medical facilities throughout Europe to include medical clinics for deployed troops. Upon relocating to the Washington, DC area, Denise continued to work for major furniture manufacturers before she transitioned to the furniture dealer community, allowing her to gain expertise in the healthcare, government, commercial and hospitality industries.
Some of Denise’s largest clients include the Veteran’s Administration, United Services Organization (USO) facilities throughout the world, and several MGM Casinos.
Denise holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University.
Bob Leeney
VP of Operations
Robert (Bob) Leeney is retired from what is now called the U.S. Space Force. While in the Air Force, Bob was an Aircrew Life Support Technician, Survival Specialist, and Electrical Engineer on Titan II, Titan IV Space Launch Vehicles and Centaur Upper Stages.
After the Air Force, Bob worked Quality/Reliability on the Space Shuttle with United Space Alliance (USA). From USA, Bob worked at ARES Corporation as Florida Operations Manager and Risk Management Manager identifying and mitigating risks in support of the United States Space Launch range functions of the USSF Eastern Range (ER) and Western Range (WR).
He went onto being Operations Director at International Trade Bridge (ITB) supporting NASA efforts and global space sustainability workshops around the world. Bob looks forward to being part of the Applica family and growing the company in the Government and Commercial sectors.