BuildDirect Technologies has appointed a new interim CEO, adding experienced e-commerce and retail company executive David Lazar to its ranks.
Lazar replaces former BuildDirect CEO Dan Park, who transitioned to the role of board chair on December 31. Park has since become CEO of San Francisco-based grocery delivery startup Imperfect Foods, which reportedly experienced a tumultuous 2021 that involved slowing sales, rapid expansion, and an executive exodus, according to Business Insider.
Lazar replaces Park, who has since become CEO of San Francisco-based grocery delivery startup Imperfect Foods.
BuildDirect offers an online marketplace for buying and selling building materials focused on the home improvement sector. The Vancouver-based, publicly-traded company connects homeowners and contractors to suppliers from around the world selling home improvement products like flooring, tile, and deck materials.
Lazar brings experience building and scaling e-commerce companies to BuildDirect, having most recently served as CEO of Los Angeles-based premium women’s apparel company Bailey 44. Lazar joined Bailey 44 in 2018 as president before becoming CEO, helping the firm rebuild its brand, executive team, and business strategy ahead of its sale to Digital Brands Group in February 2020, eventually leaving the company in June of that year.
Prior to joining Bailey 44, Lazar held other CEO and senior executive roles at organizations like Wantable, Joyus, Stitch Fix, Twenty Tees, and advised Facebook on its retail strategy.
“I look forward to working with the entire BuildDirect team to execute on the initiatives that will lead our company during this next phase in our growth story,” said Lazar.
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BuildDirect initially announced Park’s intention to step down as CEO last October, adding that the move was “due to personal reasons.” At the time, Park said he remained “as bullish as ever on BuildDirect’s opportunity to disrupt the building materials industry.”
Replacing co-founder, president, and CEO Jeff Booth, Park previously served as BuildDirect’s CEO since September 2017, guiding the company through its emergence from creditor protection in 2018, subsequent growth, and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) debut last summer.
Founded in 1999, BuildDirect went public on TSXV last August after completing a reverse takeover that the company said valued BuildDirect at $160 million. As part of the deal, BuildDirect raised a $20.5 million private placement.
BuildDirect has not yet specified when it plans to appoint a permanent CEO.
Feature images of David Lazar and Dan Park from LinkedIn and Imperfect Foods, respectively