Executive Leadership
Brian Hutto, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Hutto brings over 30 years of experience and a proven track record in the home improvement and services industry. He most recently served as President and CEO of SageHome, a company he founded and grew, through acquisitions and organic expansion, into one of the largest fully dedicated providers of aging-in-place bath remodeling services in the United States. Prior to SageHome, Mr. Hutto was the CEO of Staymobile, a technology provider specializing in mobile and desktop device deployment, protection and service solutions. He also was an executive for Best Buy, where he led Best Buy for Business and Geek Squad’s strategy, in-home services, repair centers, remote technical support and warranty divisions. Additionally, Mr. Hutto spent seven years at The Home Depot, where he led their multi-billion-dollar home services programs.
Tom Knapp, Chief Financial Officer
Tom Knapp joined the Company in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Knapp joined the Company from Sears Holdings Corporation where he served as Chief Financial Officer of the Tools Business Unit. Prior to his CFO role, Mr. Knapp was Vice President of the Sears Financial Planning and Analysis group. In total Mr. Knapp spent roughly 10 years at Sears in various financial positions. Mr. Knapp is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst certification (CFA) as well as an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Bill Berry, Chief Information Officer
Bill Berry joined Empire in 2019 as the Chief Information Officer. Mr. Berry was previously the CIO of Cole-Parmer, where he drove integration of ten acquisitions. He was also Director of IT at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and a Consultant at Accenture. Mr. Berry’s accomplishments include implementing business transformation solutions including multiple ERPs, eCommerce, CRM and integrations of multinational acquisitions. He earned B.E. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University.
Paul Carter, EVP, Strategic Projects
Paul Carter currently oversees Merchandising, Logistics, Purchasing, as well as other transformation projects. Mr. Carter joined the company in 2009 to head its commercial business operations, and then later served as Executive Vice President of Operations. Mr. Carter obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Iowa State University. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Carter held Vice President positions at Sears Holdings Corporation in a variety of operational, strategic and development capacities, and was President of American Leak Detection, Inc.
Chris Granger, President, Residential
Chris Granger joined Empire Today as President, Commercial in 2018 and transitioned to the President, Residential role in 2022. Mr. Granger joined the Empire after spending 18 years at Sears Home Services, where he served in a variety of senior leadership roles in the in-home repair, replacement parts, franchise, and extended warranty businesses. Previously. Mr. Granger worked in a variety of manufacturing leadership positions with Eaton Corporation, Siebe PLC, and Federal Mogul Corporation. Mr. Granger earned a B.S. in Education from the University of Cincinnati, Master's Degrees in Human Resources and Public Administration from Ohio State University, and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.
Hillary Victor, Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Hillary Victor serves as the company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Ms. Victor joined the Company in 2012 from optionsXpress by Charles Schwab (NYSE), where she served as Chief Counsel. Prior to her role as Chief Counsel, Ms. Victor was the Vice President and Associate General Counsel of optionsXpress Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ). Ms. Victor was also a litigation associate at Jenner & Block. She earned her JD cum laude from The John Marshall Law School and Bachelor of Arts cum laude from North Central College.
Will Jameson, Senior Vice President, Call Center
Will Jameson joined the team in 2008 and worked his way up to leading the sales organization and opening markets and now is the Senior Vice President, Call Center. Mr. Jameson graduated with dual majors in Economics & Business Administration from Monmouth College.
Mark Krolick, Chief Marketing Officer
Mark Krolick joined Empire Today as Chief Marketing Officer in 2023, bringing a wealth of marketing experience from his prior leadership roles at United Airlines, Mavis Discount Tire, Delta Airlines, and Prudential Financial, amongst others. At Mavis, Mark was the Chief Marketing and Transformation Officer, leveraging performance marketing techniques to drive more customers to Mavis stores and increase profitability. At United Airlines, Mark led the development and execution of the best-in-class Polaris business class experience, and developed local market intervention plans that grew their New York market business vs. Delta. His earlier career was on the analytical side of marketing, leading pricing initiatives for Delta, CRM & Marketing Analytics for Marsh & McClennan, etc. Mark earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in Decision Sciences and an MBA from Temple.
Holly Badertscher, Executive Vice President, Merchandising
As Executive Vice President of merchandising, Holly Badertscher is responsible for merchandising, product development, supply chain and inventory management. She joined Empire Today in 2023. Holly has more than two decades of home improvement merchandising experience. Before joining Empire Today, she served in Vice President roles at Portobello America, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Floor & Decor. Prior to Floor & Decor, she worked at The Home Depot for nine years and at Sears Holdings for five years. Holly earned an associate’s degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC and a bachelor’s degree in Merchandising and Product Development from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Kristin Prudhomme, President, Empire For Business, Commercial Division
Kristin brings to Empire a wealth of experience and a history of business leadership, having most recently served as CEO of Washington, DC-based commercial contractor Forrester Construction. While there, she spearheaded a company-wide restructuring and transformation of people and processes. Prior to her tenure at Forrester, Kristin enjoyed a distinguished 16-year career at Schindler Elevator Corporation, holding a variety of sales and management positions before becoming Senior Vice President of Sales, Products, & Large Project Operations, a role in which Kristin was directly responsible for large sales volume. Her career began at Otis Elevator Company, and also includes time at Shaw Industries. Kristin holds a B.S. in International Business & French from Elizabethtown College and an M.B.A. from Drexel University.
