ORANGE COUNTY

Quiksilver Inc. has named John C. Warner as its first vice president of sales as part of a planned expansion into the Midwest.

The Newport Beach-based surfwear company, which went public last December, hopes to boost sales by 70% to 80% over the next two years by expanding its boys’ and toddlers’ lines and by moving into department stores in the Midwest states, company executives said. Bringing in Warner to head the sales department is the first step to prepare for that growth, said Jon Hanour, Quiksilver’s newly appointed chief financial officer.

Warner, 39, also becomes a board member. He will head a sales staff of 35 in the $240,000-a-year post. Warner, who has worked in department store retailing for more than 17 years, was an executive with May Department Stores before joining Quiksilver.

Quiksilver also announced Hanour’s elevation to chief financial officer from the post of corporate controller, which he held for three years. As head of the accounting and finance department, Hanour, 32, will earn $100,000 a year and oversee 20 employees.

Hanour said the new title only reflects “the nature of job responsibilities. I’ve been serving as CFO, in terms of work, for quite a while. That was the intention when I was hired.” Before joining Quiksilver, Hanour was an accountant with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.

Hanour replaces A. Lawrence Crowe as chief financial officer. Crowe remains as vice president, secretary-treasure and a company director, earning $150,000 per year.