CORT, the nation’s leading provider of furniture rental and transition services,announced the retirement of longtime Corporate Vice President of Human Resources, Jeff Seidman, after 22 years of leadership at the company. Jeff will be succeeded by Vice President of Human Resources, Lisa Denny.
“Lisa has become instrumental to the senior leadership team and I’m excited to see what she will accomplish.”
“During Jeff’s tenure, he created a wonderful bond of respect with our field and corporate management,” shared CORT Chairman & CEO Jeff Pederson. “His advice and counsel helped in the development of countless managers.”
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Throughout his time at CORT, Jeff was instrumental in managing many legal issues to successful outcomes, ensuring that the company met its compliance and ethical requirements and upheld CORT’s reputation in the marketplace.
In terms of accomplishments, Jeff successfully on-boarded many new employees that came from the acquisitions over the years including Globe, Aarons, and the Party Rental acquisitions in the pacific northwest. Jeff was responsible for implementing Emotional Intelligence training for all levels of employees in the business along with introducing professional development approaches to drive leadership and high-potential growth.
Jeff’s care for the wellness of CORT’s employees was apparent throughout his career, ensuring the voices of employees across the company were elevated and accounted for during major leadership decisions, and even more so during times of duress. One such example was when Jeff aided and facilitated the relocation of employees who had been impacted by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and ensured employees and their families had the resources they needed.
More recently, during the pandemic, Jeff was an indispensable part of the senior leadership team. “Our people being our highest priority,” shared CORT President & Chief Operating Officer Mike Davis, “Jeff was instrumental in ensuring processes and communication with our employees regarding health situations, overall concerns and what benefits were available to both individuals and their families during that difficult time.”
“The people at CORT have had the biggest impact on me. Everyone is incredibly genuine,” Seidman said. “Being surrounded by great people made it easier for me to make decisions because it always felt like there was a right thing to do – the challenge was in how to carry the decision out. The way everyone pulled together to help employees during Hurricane Katrina really solidified that I was at the right company.”
Succeeding Jeff will be Lisa Denny. Hired in 2020, Lisa has been working alongside Jeff, helping to support employees throughout the pandemic. Her contribution to human resources has been significant, despite not being able to interact with employees in-person until 2022 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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“Achievement in human resources comes from hiring people who are going to be successful in the business, and I feel confident I have succeeded in finding Lisa Denny as my replacement,” Seidman said. “Lisa has become instrumental to the senior leadership team and I’m excited to see what she will accomplish.”
Prior to CORT, Lisa accrued 25 years of experience in the human resources field. Her position before CORT was as the vice president of human resources at Centurion, where she was responsible for human resource strategic initiatives for 8,000 clinical staff across 25 states. Additionally, during her tenure at Centurion, Lisa provided leadership for six departments including employee relations, benefits, HR systems, administration, credentialing, and training and organizational development.
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