NEW YORK -- Robert E. Ingalls Jr., a 25-year veteran of Verizon and its predecessor companies' marketing and sales strategy and delivery teams, has been named president of Verizon's Retail Markets Group. He succeeds Bruce S. Gordon, who is retiring after 37 years with the company.

Ingalls now leads all Verizon consumer and small-business sales and marketing activities, including the highly competitive broadband products, and the company's public communications and operator services businesses. He also directs the company's brand advertising and marketing communications.

"With technology fueling competition in virtually all our markets, Verizon's sales and marketing strategies across the board are the tool for leveraging our outstanding technologies, our bold expansion initiatives and our product sets in the markets we serve," said Lawrence T. Babbio Jr., vice chairman and president. "Bob has the vision and the aggressive leadership skills to position Verizon's services, under our great brand name, for enormous customer response and growth in sales."

Ingalls has most recently been senior vice president and chief operations officer for the Retail Markets Group and previously was president of Verizon's Business Solutions Group, guiding sales and services for small and medium- sized businesses. Prior to the completion of the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger, he was vice president of consumer marketing for Bell Atlantic.

Verizon Communications Inc.