Furniture
10 Ashley Furniture operations leaders
These ten Ashley Furniture operations leaders hold or have held distribution, transportation, plant reliability and site operations roles at Ashley Furniture Industries, from director of operations to chief operations officer. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at Ashley Furniture from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Bernie Pezzente
LinkedInExperience: Former Chief Operations Officer · Ashley Furniture Industries
Former Chief Operations Officer at Ashley Furniture Industries (2016–2018) and former Director of Distribution at Ashley Furniture Industries (April 2024 to August 2025), based in Cleveland, Ohio. Bernie Pezzente's profile also lists Vice President at Arhaus (2018–2023) and Vice President Of Operations at Haynes Furniture Company (2008–2016).
Carlos Beltran Villezcas
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Operational Excellence and Asset Reliability · Ashley Furniture Industries
Vice President of Operational Excellence and Asset Reliability at Ashley Furniture Industries since February 2026, based in Advance, North Carolina. Carlos Beltran Villezcas's profile also lists Plant Manager (2022–2026), Director Of Operations (2022), Assistant Plant Manager (2020–2022) and Production Manager (2018–2020) at Ball Corporation.
Derrick Yim
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Distribution Center Innovation & Strategy · Ashley Furniture Industries
Vice President, Distribution Center Innovation & Strategy at Ashley Furniture Industries since April 2025, based in Fullerton, California. The profile summary says Derrick Yim leads AI-enabled initiatives, continuous improvement and operational excellence across DC operations at Ashley. The profile also lists Vice President of Supply Chain Solutions at Colliers (2022–2025) and Principal, Project Manager and Senior Consultant roles at Tompkins Solutions (2015–2022).
John Leighty
LinkedInExperience: EVP Distribution and Transportation · Ashley Furniture Industries
Current EVP Distribution and Transportation at Ashley Furniture Industries, based in the Greater Chicago Area. The profile headline gives John Leighty's title as Executive Vice President Distribution, Transportation and Customer Relations at Ashley Furniture Industries. The profile does not list a start date for the role.
Joseph Murphy
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Operations · Ashley Furniture Industries
Senior Director of Operations at Ashley Furniture Industries since May 2015, based in Leesport, Pennsylvania, with Director of Operations at Ashley also listed from 2006. Joseph Murphy's profile shows a long run at Ashley Furniture Industries, including General Manager (2002–2006), Plant Manager (2000–2002) and Southern China Office Manager (1999–2000).
Kevin W.
LinkedInExperience: Former Sr. Director of HomeStore Distribution Operations · Ashley Furniture Industries
Former Sr. Director of HomeStore Distribution Operations at Ashley Furniture Industries (2014–2019). Kevin W.'s profile also lists Director of DC Operations North at DSG Ashley Homestore (2019–2021) and Regional Vice President Of Operations at Dufresne Spencer Group, LLC dba Ashley (2021–2023), where the profile says Kevin W. led three retail distribution centers, including the flagship DC.
Manny Martinez
LinkedInExperience: Former Vice President of Distribution Center Operations · Ashley Furniture Industries
Former Vice President of Distribution Center Operations at Ashley Furniture Industries (September 2021 to February 2025), in Redlands, California, where the profile says Manny Martinez oversaw distribution and fulfillment operations including 7 US distribution centers. The profile also lists Sr Director of CA, MS, TX & Asia Distribution Centers (2015–2020) and Director, CA DC Operations (2007–2015) at Ashley, and Vice President of Operations at E.S. Kluft & Company since January 2025.
Rahul Yadav
LinkedInExperience: SVP Distribution Operations · Ashley Furniture Industries
SVP Distribution Operations at Ashley Furniture Industries since August 2024, with the role listed in Arcadia, Wisconsin, and VP Distribution Strategy at Ashley Furniture Industries from October 2020 to August 2024. Rahul Yadav's profile also lists VP Operations (2018–2020) and Director of Operations (2015–2018) at Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Sean Lento
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations · Ashley Furniture Industries
Director of Operations at Ashley Furniture Industries since January 2026, based in Rancho Cucamonga, California; the profile headline describes Sean Lento as a supply chain leader and lean practitioner. The profile also lists Senior Operations Manager (2023–2026) and other operations manager roles at GXO Logistics, Inc., and Area Operations Manager II at Amazon (2016–2022).
Thomas Madigan
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Transportation · Ashley Furniture Industries
Vice President Transportation at Ashley Furniture Industries since August 2015, based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with the role listed in the Operations department. Thomas Madigan's profile also lists Director of Operations at KNX Logistics (2013–2015), Director - Dedicated Contract Services at UTi Worldwide (2010–2013) and Business Process/Terminal Manager at USF Holland (2005–2008).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person to the part of operations behind your question, such as distribution centers, transportation, plant reliability or a single site. Check the dates on the relevant role before asking how things work at Ashley today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you run a network of distribution centers that serves both stores and home delivery?
- 02How do you decide which operations improvements to fund first across many plants and warehouses?
- 03What do you track week to week to know whether a distribution center is performing well?
Reaching Ashley Furniture operations leaders
How can I contact one of these Ashley Furniture operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Ashley Furniture Industries, based on profile data retrieved on October 13, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Ashley Furniture operations leaders?
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Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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