The Astrup Company is pleased to announce one new Branch Manager and four new Account Representatives in its Distribution Centers.

Mellisa Gravitis was recently promoted to Branch Manager for Astrup’s Northern California Distribution Center in Hayward. Also a resident of Hayward, Gravitis will manage a staff of two account reps, as well as 10 other employees, along with customer accounts throughout Northern California and Western Nevada. She will be responsible for all facets of running the distribution center. Prior to joining Astrup, Gravitis worked as a customer service manager at Joann Fabrics. Gravitis is a graduate of West Valley High School, where she was an honor student, and currently attends Chabot College in Hayward, California.

Nathan Hesterman of Berkeley, California, is another recent addition to Astrup’s Northern California office. Hired as an Account Representative, Hesterman will serve customer accounts in Northern California outside of the Bay Area and Northern Nevada. Prior to joining Astrup, Hesterman worked in advertising sales with East Bay Express. Before that, he worked in research and development for Threshold Enterprises. Hesterman graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Astrup’s Chicago Distribution Center has welcomed Vince Lollino of Addison, Illinois, as its newest Account Representative. Lollino will manage accounts in Minnesota, Northern Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. Lollino came to Astrup from Humanscale, Inc., where he was a Corporate Accounts Representative in ergonomic office equipment sales. Prior to that, he worked for MCI Conferencing, on one of the company’s largest global accounts with audio, video and web conferencing services. Lollino holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Aurora University.

Gregory Phillips of Douglasville, Georgia, has been promoted to Account Representative in the company’s Lithia Springs, Georgia Distribution Center. Phillips will oversee accounts in the Central Tennessee, Lower Mississippi, most of Alabama, and Western Florida. Prior to joining the sales staff, Phillips spent three years working in the Astrup Warehouse, developing a deep knowledge of the company’s products and services. His past experience includes eight years working for another industrial fabrics distributor as well as handling inside sales for a lumber company.

Jayelyn Powell of Kent, Washington, recently joined Astrup’s Distribution Center in Seattle as an Account Representative serving Southern and Eastern Washington, all of Oregon, Northern Idaho and Northwest Montana. Powell previously worked in sales for Unifirst in uniform rental sales. Her prior sales experience also includes handling advertising sales for Dex Media and corporate sales for the Spirit of Puget Sound cruise ship. Before going into sales positions, Powell owned and operated a limousine service.