Lincoln e-commerce company appoints new CEO

The company announced Wednesday that Joshua Ketter has taken over the role from Brett Thome.

Ketter, who joined Spreetail three years ago as chief financial officer and became head of the retail division last fall, has extensive e-commerce experience, including stints at both Target and Amazon.

“I am honored to take on the role of global CEO of Spreetail,” Koetter said in a news release. “Our team is incredible, and I look forward to building on our strong foundation, driving innovation and continuing to deliver exceptional value to our brands and partners.”

Thome, a Nebraska Wesleyan University graduate who was one of Spreetail's first employees and has served as CEO since 2011, takes on the role to focus on strategic initiatives and building new service pillars. A spokesman said the leadership transition had been planned over the past year.

“Joshua's leadership and strategic vision have been pivotal to our recent growth and I am confident that he will continue to lead Spreetail forward as our new global CEO,” Thome said in the release. “This transition is a testament to our commitment to strategic planning and leadership development within Spreetail.”

The company, which started out selling refurbished computers, has undergone a major transformation under Mr. Thome's leadership, growing from primarily a third-party seller of consumer goods into one of the world's largest e-commerce accelerators.

The company has also experienced a number of growing pains, including rapid expansion after moving its headquarters to the Nebraska Innovation Campus in 2015, and subsequent downsizing, including significant layoffs in 2019 and 2022. But since the last layoffs, Spreetale has grown its workforce and now has more than 1,500 employees.

One of Thomi's final major accomplishments as CEO was securing a $208 million capital investment early last year.