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Seeking a fresh start after its acquisition of Irvinebased eMachines, Poway computer maker Gateway Inc. is leaving its suburban San Diego headquarters for Orange County, taking 550 jobs with it.
The company also announced it will close all 188 of its retail stores on April 9, and pursue other sales channels. Gateway has two stores in San Diego County.
The moves come just weeks after Wayne Inouye, former chief at eMachines, took over the chief executive's job at Gateway.
The company's current headquarters space in Poway is not sufficient to house the staff of the combined company, said Gateway spokesman David Hallisey, adding that Gateway needs "a fresh start in a neutral location." The move could happen as early as July.
The company has not yet announced the site of its new headquarters, or a firm moving date.
At the same time, Inouye is reshuffling top management, putting several of his former lieutenants into Gateway's top spots.
Seven of Gateway's top executives now hail from eMachines, while six former highranking Gateway leaders are leaving and another is taking on a lesser role.
One of the few top-tier Gateway people keeping their jobs in the new organization is Rod Sherwood, Gateway's chief financial officer.
"The whole point is that for (Inouye) to be effective, he has to have a team in place that's responsive to him," said Roger Kay, a computer industry analyst with market tracker International Data Corp. "If he calls a meeting and says I want to go from direct to indirect distribution, then he should be able to walk out of the meeting and have his guys make it...