UTC Saks GM takes new job

After overseeing the launch of a new store at the Mall at University Town Center, Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota General Manager Joel Ellzey is leaving the region for a job in Boston.

“This is a bittersweet moment for me because while it is an excellent career opportunity, the past two years in Sarasota have been amazing both professionally and personally,” Ellzey said in an email.

Ellzey took his current position in March of 2013, after leaving the Saks location in Tampa, and will now transfer to Saks in Boston as vice president and general manager. He will work his final official day Friday, Feb. 13.

Ellzey comes to the retail industry after a childhood spent on his family’s farm in South Central Mississippi. The farm, said Ellzey in a 2013 interview with the Business Observer, ranged from 300 cattle to 12 chicken houses to 500 acres of crops, including 60 acres of blueberries. Just like in his current post at Saks, Ellzey says he “did a little bit of everything” on the farm.

“Joel has done an excellent job with positioning us at the UTC Mall, and we’ll miss him dearly,” said Saks Sarasota Marketing Director Sally Schule.

Terri Najmolhoda will transition from a similar position at the Saks store in Washington, D.C. to take over as general manager in Sarasota March 2.

“She’s familiar with market as well, and is thrilled to get back to Sarasota,” Schule said. “We’re lucky in many ways.”