Longtime Doc Johnson national sales manager and product development head Al Bloom moved to distributor M&M Sales on July 19, taking the helm as general manager and co-owner. Bloom replaces former M&M general manager and co-owner Don Browning, who has left the company for personal reasons.
The parting with Doc Johnson was amicable. "An opportunity came along for Al, and I'm glad that he was able to seize it," said Doc Johnson owner Ron Braverman about the move. "All of us at Doc Johnson, including myself, are just thrilled for him. He's been involved in every area of the industry. We wish him well."
Braverman said that replacing Bloom at Doc Johnson will come "sometime in the future," probably before the end of the year. "Al's shoes are going to be difficult to fill."
"Had this opportunity not come along, to have an ownership interest in the business, I would have stayed [at Doc Johnson] till I retired," Bloom told AVN. "I started in the '70s in distribution, similar to what M&M does now. I thought it would be a great move for me and my family. Since I have background in this area, I seized the opportunity," he added with a chuckle. "I'm happy."
M&M co-owner (through Goalie Entertainment) Eddie Wedelstedt told AVN, "M&M wants to give better service to customers who want to run better stores: people who sell novelties, lingerie, magazines. We need to be prepared to better help the retailers. Al Bloom has the respect and liking of everyone out there. I've never heard a bad word about him. He's going to help take M&M to another level."
