Lumber Liquidators cements compliance team

Lumber Liquidators has taken some steps in the aftermath of the investigation it underwent last fall after an environmental advocacy group leveled chargers against the retailer, claiming it was knowingly sourcing wood from protected forests.

Among those steps is the formalization of its compliance and sustainability team, the members of which it announced on Tuesday.

Raymond Cotton was appointed chief compliance and sustainability officer in February and is now reporting directly to CEO Robert Lynch. He will continue overseeing the operation, managing quality assurance, sustainable sourcing, loss prevention, risk management and regulatory compliance. He comes with an extensive background in cyber and physical security, loss prevention, global audit and crisis management. He has worked for Facebook, Orchard Supply, TJ Maxx and Target; most recently, he served as head of global security and safety for Riverbed Technology.

Also new to the team are Lisa Kuca as director global product compliance and Rebecca Rizzuti as director global trade and customs compliance, both of whom are directly reporting to Cotton.

Kuca has over 10 years of experience in compliance and risk assessment, most recently serving as senior compliance officer and VP corporate compliance at American First Title Company.

Rizzuti has a wealth of customs compliance experience in retail, distribution and international logistics, coming from her most recent role as director international trade at Footlocker.

"Sourcing quality products direct from worldwide mills is central to Lumber Liquidators' value proposition," said Lynch. "The diversity of our products and scale of our purchases requires an ongoing commitment to sustainable forestry, and Ray is a key member of the team of professionals we employ around the world who are dedicated to quality control. Our focus on continual improvement of our processes and procedures, combined with the collective expertise of Ray and other executives on this newly formalized team will help maintain and foster our Company's ongoing responsible sourcing efforts and deliver high quality flooring for our customers."