TOANO, VA - Lumber Liquidators has fired its chief merchandising officer, William K. Schlegel. The position will be integrated with the flooring manufacturer's marketing department, with Marco Q. Pescara taking over as Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer, effective June 19. Pescara has served as Chief Marketing Officer with the company since 2006.

Thomas D. Sullivan, founder and acting CEO, said, "By coordinating the merchandising and marketing departments under [Pescara's] leadership, I believe we will be better situated to identify and satisfy customer demand for our assortment of flooring products and accessories."

Schlegel's last day will be Friday. His departure marks the fourth top executive to exit the hardwood and laminate flooring firm in the last couple of months. On May 21 the company announced the sudden resignation President and CEO Robert Lynch, just weeks after it had fired CFO Daniel Terrell. SVP and COO Ray Cotton also left the company in May.

The company's troubles stem from a March 1 "60 Minutes" report that claimed some of  Lumber Liquidators' imported laminate flooring had dangerously high levels of formaldehyde emissions -- which have been linked to cancer -- despite being labeled CARB-compliant. Lumber Liquidators has since announced it would suspend its importing of the Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring.

A hardwood and laminate flooring producer, Lumber Liquidators also is North America's largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring, with more than 360 locations. The company says it offers more than 400 flooring varieties, including solid and engineered hardwood, bamboo, cork, laminate and resilient vinyl, as well as flooring enhancements and accessories.