Acosta names Don Byrd EVP

Acosta Inc., a Jacksonville, Fla.-based provider of sales and marketing services, has named Don Byrd executive vice president of in-store services for Walmart.

Byrd will lead a team dedicated to elevating service and outcomes and enhancing talent acquisition and engagement in support of the company's business with Walmart, Acosta said.

Most recently, Byrd was principal/team leader, CPG/retail insights, for Information Resources Inc. (IRI), a Chicago-based market research firm. He has more than 20 years of experience with CPG and mass retailers in sales, market research, business development, marketing strategy, and retail category management. 

Byrd previously held leadership roles with Crossmark, a Lewisville, Texas-based sales and marketing services firm, and Chesterfield, Mo.-based Premium Retail Services, an Acosta agency.

In his new position, Byrd will report to David Yenzer, president of Acosta’s in-store services team.

The recently formed in-store services team is designed to address the most significant retail challenges across labor, technology, and execution for clients and customers, Acosta said, adding that it will leverage the company’s scale, data, and technologies to drive retail execution and compliance and deliver stronger ROI for its brand and retailer partners across the entire enterprise. 

Areas of focus include enabling elevated service and outcomes for CPG clients and retail customers and fully implementing Acosta’s SmartRetail/360 technology across the retail sales operations team.

The development of the in-store services team, which was announced in December, is part of strategic and leadership changes which are intended to strengthen the design and execution of Acosta’s strategic initiatives.

“As Acosta continues to evolve as a company, we are focusing our organization and investments to meet the needs of our clients and customers in an increasingly dynamic marketplace,” Brian Wynne, Acosta chief executive officer, said in a statement in December.