“She’s smart, talented, young and energetic and has an endless thirst for knowledge,” Empire President Roy Karch told XBIZ. “She’s only 24 and she’s moved up in this industry just on sheer energy and love for the job. That’s what it takes for a buyer, especially for a company like ours. We do a lot of buying; we try to be a real one-stop and carry every line in the industry, so it’s a lot of buying to do and it’s a lot of juggling and managing. It’s energy and personality, and that’s Tracy.”
Leone previously worked for Goalie Entertainment and Triplex Distribution. When Empire absorbed Triplex, the opportunity for Leone to be promoted to main buyer was created. Leone will be responsible for all of Empire’s new-release buying and inventory management, and oversee Empire’s 20 sales reps.
“It’s exciting for me because it’s the first time that I’m the main buyer,” Leone told XBIZ. “The way I see, it what makes a good buyer is someone that knows the product. Someone that has to be on top of all the lines, because every vendor right now has eight different lines; you have to know the quality of each line and whether it’s coming in on time for your sales reps.”
“That’s how I do it. I pay attention to what’s coming in and out. I spend time with the manufacturers, talking to them and getting to know the product, and with the customers as well. What’s selling and what’s not selling — who they want to see more of and who they want to see less of. You just have to dedicate yourself to the job.”
“Empire Video has become the biggest distributor on the West coast and I am so proud to be part of the team,” Leone said. “I can't thank Roy enough for this opportunity.”
