The COE Team

The COE Distributing team is fully committed to meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations. We solicit and value input from each team member as we continually improve our operations and strive to develop leaders at every level of our business. COE thrives on a culture in which employees live out our Core Values of Customer Service, Respect, Teamwork, Quality, Safety, Innovation and Transparency.


Our Executive Team

J.D. Ewing

Chairman & CEO

Raised in the family business, J.D. Ewing has worked at COE in one capacity or another all

his life. In fact, when he took the helm in 1989, he was COE’s sole employee — tackling sales, driving trucks, loading product and learning each position inside and out. This hands-on experience at every level of the business coupled with a passionate commitment to employee engagement and development are the difference-makers for J.D. and the core of his leadership style. 

Mike Flaherty

President & COO

PA and finance executive with 30 years of experience and an MBA from Duquesne University, Mike served as COE Distributing’s

CFO for two years before transitioning to the

role of President and COO. He was named Pittsburgh Business Times CFO of the Year in

both 2014 and 2020.

Melanie Ewing

Chief Marketing Officer

With 30+ years of office furniture industry experience, Melanie started in manufacturing before joining COE in 1994. She spearheads marketing strategy and brand recognition, driving the company’s vision through innovative marketing programs for product excellence and purpose-driven initiatives. 

Scott Nichols

Vice President Sales

Scott served COE as director of e-commerce

sales strategy throughout 2021 before

being promoted to VP of sales. Scott brings expertise in merchandising, product management, e-commerce, channel development, sales, global sourcing, pricing, customer service, market strategy and vendor relations to our team.

Jennifer Jubin

Vice President of Customer Experience

Jennifer joined COE in 2016 as VP of operations and shifted her focus in 2021 to oversee the total customer experience. Skilled in strategic leadership, analytics, forecasting, budgeting and problem solving, she holds an MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.