Summer Infant Appoints New Chief Product Officer

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Nov. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Summer Infant, Inc. ("Summer Infant" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: SUMR ), a global leader in premium infant and juvenile products, today announced that Art Gehr has been appointed as the Company’s new Chief Product Officer, beginning December 5, 2016.

“Art comes to Summer Infant with over 20 years of experience in juvenile product development, operations, marketing, and branding,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Messner.  “We are excited to have Art join our team.  His experience in building brand awareness and creating innovative products will be a tremendous asset as we further leverage an already innovative team, and look forward to achieving our strategic objectives for Summer Infant.”

Prior to joining Summer Infant, Mr. Gehr was General Manager at Nuna Baby Essentials, Inc., a premium brand and manufacturer of baby products including car seats, strollers, and baby seats.  Prior to joining Nuna Baby, Mr. Gehr spent 16 years with Graco Children’s Products, where he served in roles of increasing responsibility, including Research and Development Project Designer, International Product Manager, Director of Strategic Partnerships, culminating in the positions of Director of Marketing - North America, Director of Marketing – Europe, and Business Manager – Pennsylvania.

In connection with his employment, Mr. Gehr was granted an option to purchase 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, with an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant, and 25,000 shares of restricted stock. Subject to Mr. Gehr’s continued service with the Company, his options and restricted stock award will vest in equal annual installments over a four year period beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant.  The Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors granted these awards as an inducement material to Mr. Gehr’s acceptance of employment in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

About Summer Infant, Inc. Based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the Company is a global leader of premium infant and juvenile products for ages 0-3 years which are sold principally to large North American and international retailers. The Company currently sells proprietary products in a number of different categories including nursery audio/video monitors, safety gates, durable bath products, bed rails, nursery products, strollers, booster and potty seats, swaddling blankets, bouncers, travel accessories, highchairs, swings, and infant feeding products. For more information about the Company, please visit www.summerinfant.com .

Company Contact: Chris Witty Investor Relations 646-438-9385 cwitty@darrowir.com