Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — West Marine, Inc., the nation’s leading omnichannel provider of products, services and expertise for the marine aftermarket, has appointed Eric Kufel to succeed Ken Seipel as chief executive officer. As part of this planned transition, Seipel will become lead independent director of the West Marine board of directors, effective August 23. Kufel brings West Marine over two decades of executive leadership experience. He most recently served as executive chairman of Leslie’s, Inc., where he partnered with the team to transform Leslie’s into the largest, most trusted …