Jim Ristow Named AVB Executive Chair
Jim Ristow, who has led AVB BrandSource for the past 11 years as CEO, has been appointed Executive Chairman of the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent furniture and appliance dealers. Ristow will assume his new post on April 2, 2026. Succeeding him as co-CEOs will be CMO John White and COO Dave Meekings.
The move represents the final phase of a longstanding succession plan, developed by AVB’s Board of Directors, to assure a seamless transition for dealer members, staff, and suppliers, and to set the stage for the next chapter of the 56-year-old organization.
Under the plan, Ristow will continue to serve BrandSource members and the AVB team for years to come in an advisory role that he described as “an executive coach.” He said he has primed Meekings and White for their new positions, and has been handing off his responsibilities for the past year as the two assumed AVB’s day-to-day reins.
They, in turn, have been mentoring AVB’s “rock star” leadership team, which has already taken on many of their previous duties, he said.
Ristow said White and Meekings each bring unique strengths to their new posts, and that their joint leadership is a prime example of “one plus one equals three.” Indeed, their rapid advancement under Ristow’s tutelage and unwavering commitment to BrandSource’s members persuaded him to move up the transition timetable.
Also influencing his decision was the recent loss of his beloved mother-in-law and the self-reflection that followed. “With the group in good standing, my focus has now shifted to my wife, my family, my friendships, and the blessings of good health,” he said. The shifting responsibilities will also leave Ristow, an avid sportsman, more time to pursue his favored pastimes of running, biking and basketball.
A Humble Start
Ristow began his career while still in high school, working at a small audio shop in Oshkosh, Wis. Following college and a brief stint in advertising and pharmaceutical sales, he returned to the business he loved and launched what became a three-store A/V chain.
Active as a dealer member and AVB director, he was tapped to lead the group’s CE initiatives in 1999 and assumed the role of CEO in 2015.
Under Ristow’s leadership, AVB BrandSource aggressively developed its merchandising, dealer operations, and digital marketing might and became the dominant force in independent home goods retail. Looking back over his tenure as CEO, he said his proudest accomplishment was helping members take share and prosper after the independent channel had been written off.
Ristow is passing the torch at a time of record membership, market share, and unprecedented achievements for the group. He said he is leaving it in the able hands of “the brightest, most caring and talented team in the industry,” who continue to live and breathe AVB’s core tenet, “It’s all About the Members.”
His devotion to the group, and theirs to him, was palpable last week during AVB’s annual employee meeting and leadership conference, where Ristow’s emotional transition announcement prompted tears and a spontaneous, extended standing ovation.
“I am blessed to have a vocation vs. a job,” he told a reporter last year. “It’s made the biggest difference in my business life; we get to wake up every day and do all we can to make our members more successful. At AVB, our mission statement is, ‘It’s all about the members.’ If helping them live their American dream doesn’t get you inspired, nothing will.”
Meekings and White will assume their new roles on April 2, 2026. In addition to BrandSource, their responsibilities extend to AVB’s multiple affiliate groups, including ProSource, MEGA Group (Canada), the New England Appliance Group, and Intercounty Appliance Corp.
About AVB BrandSource
BrandSource is the nation’s leading merchandising organization for independent home furnishings, appliance, and consumer technology dealers. Its parent company, AVB, is a $25 billion member-driven co-op that provides merchandising, financing, operational, and digital marketing services to thousands of independent dealers across the U.S. and Canada, including members of the BrandSource, ProSource, Mega Group, New England Appliance Group, and Intercounty Appliance Corp. retail organizations.
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