Greg Bridgeford was promoted to executive vice president of business development in 2004 after serving as senior vice president of business development since 1999. He is responsible for all aspects of the company's development of new business opportunities, strategic planning, research, and business process improvement. Bridgeford joined Lowe's in 1982 as executive assistant to the chairman, and has served in a variety of increasingly responsible positions, including vice president of corporate development, senior vice president of merchandising/general merchandising manager, and senior vice president of marketing. Bridgeford holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and earned an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University.