Gateway Dismisses Top Marketer, Closes Stores

LOS ANGELES Gateway said it is eliminating several senior-level positions in the wake of its acquisition of PC maker eMachines, including that of its executive vice president of consumer marketing, T. Scott Edwards.

The Poway, Calif., computer maker said it is also planning to close its 188 company-operated stores on April 9, resulting in the elimination of approximately 2,500 retail positions.

Edwards joined Gateway in January 2003 from Sony Electronics, where he was senior vice president in the brand and creative consumer communications group. Prior to that, he was an account executive at Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett in Chicago.

“There has been a change in the structure of the company,” said Gateway representative Bob Sherbin. “We no longer have a layer of evp’s and Scott was one of those. We’ve shifted to a structure that is somewhat leaner.”

Gateway now has 13 senior vice presidents, all reporting to chief executive officer Wayne Inouye, who had been CEO of eMachines.

Brad Shaw, who has served as Gateway’s senior vice president of corporate communications, will be acting senior vice president of marketing until the company fills that position permanently.

Jocelyne Attal, who was evp of Gateway’s professional division, is also leaving the company. She oversaw professional marketing, now the responsibility of Shaw.

Leo Burnett handles Gateway advertising. Sherbin said there are currently no plans to change agencies, but said it is “too early to say” if Gateway will cut media spending.

Gateway spent nearly $150 million on ads in 2003, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.