18 minute read
Speaker Profiles
SPEAKER
PROFILES
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Listed in alphabetical order by last name
Kalinda Bogue
Kalinda Bogue is a growth-oriented strategist with over 25 years of experience in leadership roles marked by a progressive history of success defining, evolving and re-positioning established brands, start-ups, non-profits and industry organizations. Kalinda is the Principal of Artichoke & Owl, her consulting practice. She currently works with the Mark Messier Foundation and serves on the strategic development team of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, a 750,000-square foot historic re-purposed sports destination and social impact project in the Bronx. Kalinda launched a start-up as the inline skating category was emerging. The industry-recognized program produced 7,000 trainers in the US and satellites in 10 countries. Later, as the Executive Director of the International Inline Skating Association (IISA) she led the $1B industry trade association serving 32M participants and was awarded the CPSC’s Chairman’s Commendation. In her role at the Tecnica Group, she led the strategic global re-positioning of the iconic Rollerblade brand. Previously, at the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (now SFIA), she led the transition team in a strategic re-brand of the organization. Kalinda was also responsible for conceptualizing the first Sports + Technology conference establishing C-level engagement and early alignment of the two industries. As a Sporting Goods Business 40 Under 40 Honoree and a former competitive figure skater, Ms. Bogue believes in the transformative power of sports.
Chris Clawson
Chairman, Sports & Fitness Industry Association
Former President of Life Fitness and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Sports & Fitness Industry Association whose mission is to “Promote Sports and Fitness Participation and Industry Vitality.” Chris earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and received his baccalaureate degree from San Diego State University. He also attended Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, where he was an Academic All-American in baseball and is a two-time member of its athletic hall of fame. Before joining the fitness industry, he was a professional athlete, playing for the minor league organizations of both the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves.
David Cohen
David is a member of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in its Washington, D.C. office. He is also a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Mr. Cohen’s practice focuses on providing strategic advice to a wide range of clients (including several SFIA members!) on international trade and customs law matters, including valuation, preference programs and customs audits. In particular, he assists companies in structuring multi-tiered transactions to maximize lawful duty savings transactions. Mr. Cohen also works closely with the firm’s Trade Negotiations and Legislative Affairs practice on issues such as the development and implementation of trade laws and regulations and representation of client interests before federal agencies and judicial bodies.
Tom Cove
Tom Cove is the President and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), where he represents the interests of more than 1,000 leading manufacturers, brands, licensors, distributors and retailers of athletic equipment, footwear and apparel. Mr. Cove was named CEO in 2005, after 13 years building SFIA’s advocacy and public affairs programs in Washington, D.C. Mr. Cove oversees SFIA initiatives to promote sports participation & safety, health & fitness, international trade, and product standards, and serves as liaison to international and national sports federations and government agencies. He led the legislative campaign to pass and annually fund the Physical Education for Progress (PEP) program, which delivered over $1 billion to innovative local school PE initiatives. He also directed the industry’s landmark campaign to end child labor in sports equipment production around the world, for which SFIA received the 1997 Corporate Conscience Award. Mr. Cove also oversees the sports industry’s premier research facility and appears regularly in national media discussions and congressional hearings on the state of youth sports and physical activity trends in America. Mr. Cove serves on Boards of Directors of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry, PHIT America, Tennis Industry Association, USA Football and Children’s Charities Foundation of Washington, DC.
Mike Dowse
President, Wilson Sporting Goods
Mike Dowse is President of Wilson Sporting Goods, one of the world’s leading high-performance sports equipment manufacturers, and a member of the Executive Board for Amer Sports Corporation. As president of Wilson, Mr. Dowse leads the $750M+ global business of the most storied brand in the sporting world. He is responsible for the company’s global strategy, corporate operations and manufacturing across more than 160 countries. Mr. Dowse oversees the company’s growth and productivity initiatives, including innovation, product development, the formation of new business and partnerships, and the expansion of the brand’s footprint in Racquet Sports, Team Sports, Baseball, Softball and Golf. Most recently, Mr. Dowse led the acquisitions of the Louisville Slugger® and EvoShield® brands, which have significantly bolstered the company’s baseball presence and offerings. He is also a key, ongoing strategic partner in monetizing the company’s licensing agreements with the NFL, MLB and NCAA.
Jared Drinkwater
Chief Marketing Officer, BSN Sports
Jared has over 20 years of marketing experience within the Sports, CPG, Restaurant and Entertainment industries. He currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for BSN SPORTS, the largest distributor of team sports equipment and apparel in the country. Jared is tasked with leading all brand development, product merchandising, digital marketing, emerging sports development and sales communications for the rapidly growing company. Prior to his current role, Jared served as the Vice President of Marketing at Pizza Hut where he oversaw brand strategy and experience, advertising, media and pizza innovation for the $6B Pizza Hut brand. Jared helped lead a massive brand repositioning effort aimed at contemporizing Pizza Hut, which included the biggest menu overhaul in company history. Jared also spent a total of 7 years at Frito-Lay, where he served as Senior Director of Marketing, overseeing all media, advertising and brand and sales strategy for the $2B Doritos and $1.3B Cheetos brands. In 2012, Jared developed a marketing strategy for Doritos Jacked, which became the biggest Doritos innovation launch since Cool Ranch.
Tom Farrey
Executive Director, Aspen Institute
Tom is a pioneering journalist, analyst and social entrepreneur whose leadership has created breakthrough opportunities for stakeholders throughout the sport and health sectors. He also is author of the influential book, Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of Our Children. He founded the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, the mission of which is to convene leaders, facilitate dialogue and inspire solutions that help sport serve the public interest. Two years later, in 2013, he launched Project Play, an initiative that provides stakeholders with tools to build healthy communities through sports.
Tom’s work as a journalist has been recognized among the nation’s best and most innovative. He left the Seattle Times to join the internet start-up Starwave in 1996, helping develop, as deputy editor, the website that later became ESPN.com. In 1998, he became the first ESPN reporter to conceptualize and deliver cross-platform enterprise reports. His ESPN contributions over 21 years helped build the reputation of the television show Outside the Lines. His reports also appeared on SportsCenter, E:60, ABC’s World News Tonight, Good Morning America and This Week with George Stephanopolous. At the Aspen Institute and ESPN, Tom has explored the connections between sport and the largest themes in society, including education, globalization, technology, race and ethics.
Greg Gadson
Decorated Army Commander & New York Giants Honorary Captain
Colonel Greg Gadson has survived the very worst of war, but this highly decorated American soldier has not been defeated by unfortunate circumstance. Instead, his life is a portrait of courage in the face of great adversity. Gadson understands that hard work and determination are key factors in overcoming life-altering setbacks. His biggest challenge happened in Iraq when an IED attack led to both of his legs being amputated above the knees. For anyone else, this might have been a defining moment, but he refused to be defined by the proverbial “hail of bullets.” Gadson speaks with fervor about the crucial role teamwork and camaraderie play when facing life’s obstacles. He applies his story of personal adversity to every level of an organization, showing how every team depends on every one of its players. The lessons he imparts are not just words; his life was saved by the application of these same lessons. As an Army commander, he has been responsible for the lives of his men, and—thanks to the training, preparedness, and professionalism he teaches and practices—his life was saved by those same men. Few people understand the value of teamwork and support better than Colonel Greg Gadson.
Kevin Hall
CEO and Chairman, Unifi Inc.
Kevin Hall has served as Chief Executive Officer of Unifi since May 2017 and as Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2017. Prior to joining Unifi, Hall began his career in various brand marketing and general manager positions at The Procter & Gamble Company from 1985 to 2001. After his departure from P&G, Hall made the leap to Senior Vice President of Marketing at Fidelity Investments Retirement Services Company, and then served as Chief Marketing Officer at Hanesbrands Inc. During that time, Hall was promoted to President of the Outerwear strategic business unit, which included top brands such as Champion Activewear, Just My Size and Hanes Casualwear.
Jennifer Harned
President & General Manager — Bell & Giro, Vista Outdoor
Jen Harned leads the Bell, Giro, Blackburn, Raskullz and Krash businesses and is responsible for sustaining a growing, profitable core business, while developing a roadmap for future expansion via category and geographic extensions. She also had responsibility for the Bolle, Cebe and Serengeti businesses prior to the recent divestiture of those brands. Jen was previously the Vice President – Global Sourcing, Outdoor Products, where she led the change management necessary to develop and implement a strategic sourcing and procurement function. Prior to joining Vista Outdoor, Jen held progressive positions across numerous organizations. As a consultant at Deloitte & Touche, she analyzed, documented and developed redesign recommendations of operational processes for financial services, entertainment and government middle market sector clients. At Guitar Center and THQ, Jen led implementations and administered Hyperion, responsible for assessing and delivering all system requirements, issue resolution and training. As Chief Operations & Chief Financial Officer of the Action Sports division of BRG Sports, her leadership enhanced supplier and customer relationships and KPI performance driving improvements in profitability and working capital.
Merril Hoge
Former NFL Player & ESPN Analyst, Author
Guided by his life philosophy, “Find A Way,” Merril Hoge played in the NFL for 8 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, worked at ESPN for 21 years, and survived career-ending head trauma, cancer and open-heart surgery. These successes and challenges have helped Merril inspire others to persevere in the face of adversity along with achieving success. A leading advocate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The American Heart Association and Safety in Sports, Merril is an active contributor to shaping the communications regarding head trauma in all sports. He is also the chairman of the board of the Caring Place, a center for grieving children and their families that have lost a loved one, and the author of Find A Way: Three Words That Changed My Life.
David Knies
Chief Growth Officer, ESSENTIAL DESIGN
David helps visionary leaders and teams at the world’s most exciting start-ups and established brands turn their disruptive ideas into business results. As Chief Growth Officer at ESSENTIAL, a Boston-based innovation strategy, product, service and experience design firm, David leads strategy, new business, marketing and innovation for the firm’s clients and portfolio, including Lowe’s, P&G, Bose, Dell, Staples, GE, 3M, iRobot, TrueRowing, Coravin and many others. Prior to joining ESSENTIAL in September 2018, David spent 7 years as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Breakaway, a hybrid branding agency & venture capital firm in Boston, working
with disruptive consumer and technology companies, including Shoes.com, Spartan Race, Drizly, Wasabi, EverybodyFights, Oath Pizza, PUMA, TrueFit, Bemis, AARP, Tishman Speyer, Dunkin’ Donuts, Velcro, Ascend Cannabis, Brown Brothers Harriman and DRIVN. Prior to helping launch Breakaway in 2011, David spent 20 years in global product, marketing, brand, general management and innovation roles at adidas, Groove Networks, Hearts On Fire, Reebok, Acclaim Entertainment and SmartPak Equine. David has worked with over 300 of the world’s most innovative companies, been part of a start-up team acquired by Microsoft, led brand & marketing for a company that scaled from $30 to $150MM in 3 years and introduced industrydefining technologies for major global brands. He is also a board member of a sports technology start-up and serves as a mentor/ judge at two premier start-up accelerators — TechStars and MassChallenge.
Andrew Lafiosca
Senior Vice President of Teams & Brands Business Lead, Nielsen Sports & Entertainment
Andrew joined Repucom (now Nielsen Sports & Entertainment) in 2015, bringing with him a diverse background across brand marketing, sports marketing and agency services. Andrew spent over 11 years working for Red Bull in varying capacities, concluding with 5 years as the VP of Marketing & Sales for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. Andrew received his BS from James Madison University and his MS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Gwen Manto
Former EVP & Chief Merchandising Officer for Sports Authority & Dick’s Sporting Goods
Gwen Manto is a seasoned retail executive with over 30 years in the C-suite with roles in Merchandising, Marketing and Planning. She served as EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer at Sports Authority, where she was responsible for overseeing merchandising, planning and allocation, brand development and worldwide sourcing for 462 full line sporting goods stores. She previously had the same title for Dick’s Sporting Goods, which operated over 400 full line sporting goods stores and 84 golf specialty stores. Prior to Dick’s, Ms. Manto was the EVP of Soft Lines for Sears, Roebuck and Company, where she led the apparel and soft home categories to over $6.5 billion in revenue. She also served as President of Kids Foot Locker and has held senior roles at Kids “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Federated Department Stores and Macy’s. Gwen is currently a consultant to the retail industry, where she works with brands and store groups in the USA, Europe and Asia. She specializes in the sporting goods space. Gwen is also the founder and CEO of mixallogy, an innovative cocktail mixer company. She is also an equity owner in a health and wellness company, Aloha.
Rick Mina
President, WSS
Rick Mina, current President of WSS, has a long history in the specialty retail industry, as he has also served as former President and CEO of Foot Locker North America, Foot Locker Europe and Champs Sports. Mina has spearheaded growth and profitability for a Fortune 500 company through many phases of a changing and dynamic world. Opening new markets to American retailing, he has worked closely with executive leaders on 3 continents, truly understanding how to navigate cultural differences in today’s business world. He has achieved turnaround success, led high-level buyout and assimilation teams and created infrastructures for start-ups. He has also worked closely with several Private Equity firms, assisting in the due diligence and purchase of several companies.
Alison Minter
Managing Director, North Castle Partners
Alison Minter is a Managing Director with more than 18 years of consumer private equity investment experience. Since joining North Castle in 2001, she has actively managed the firm’s investments across a variety of Healthy, Active and Sustainable Living sectors. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Full Swing, ProSupps, HydroMassage, Sprout Foods, SmartyPants and Red Door Spas, and has previously served on the Boards of Directors of Doctor’s Best, Octane Fitness, Contigo, Ibex, Cascade Helmets, Atkins/Bora-Bora Organic Foods, and Avalon. Alison also serves as a member of the board of the New Canaan Soccer Association and the New Canaan Lacrosse Association. Alison also serves on the Women of Leadership Committee for ACG New York. She earned an A.B. in Economics from Princeton University.
Joey Pointer
CEO, Fleet Feet Sports
A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Joey majored in business and earned his master’s in accounting. After college, he began working as an accountant at Ernst & Young. Upon learning, through his wife, that Fleet Feet’s national headquarters also resided in Carrboro, Joey saw an opportunity to combine his personal passion with professional experience. Shortly thereafter, Joey joined the Store Support Team, made up of 5 employees, becoming the first classically trained financial member of the staff. Starting as a financial manager in 2004, Joey was then in the position of director of operations from 2006 to 2012, and then CFO from 2012 until his 2017 promotion to CEO. Under his leadership, Fleet Feet has undergone significant changes rooted in people, culture, business development, the customer experience, national marketing and innovation. Guided by these strategic priorities, the brand has introduced fit id 3D foot scanning technology to all of its locations, driven customer engagement through its e-commerce site and digital media channels, added key roles to its senior leadership team, and undergone a complete brand refresh, all of which have helped the brand post consecutive months of comp store growth.
Matt Powell
Vice President & Senior Industry Advisor, The NPD Group
Matt Powell is the vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group, covering the sports, outdoor and recreation marketplace, offering his industry expertise on retail sales and consumer trends across apparel, footwear and equipment for categories such as running, outdoor, paddle sports, fitness and cycling. With over 40 years of experience in the retail and research industries, Powell has held positions both on the client and vendor sides of the business. On the client side, he has worked with leading retailers and e-tailers in sporting goods such as Modell’s Sporting Goods, Sneaker Stadium and MVP.com. A recognized expert on the sports industry, he is frequently quoted in media and writes Sneakernomics, a blog on Forbes.com.
Seth Richards
CEO, Implus
Seth Richards has been Chief Executive Officer of Implus Footcare, LLC since February 2000. Mr. Richards manages the overall operations, finance, IT, and product development efforts of Implus. Since joining Implus Footcare, LLC in 1990, Mr. Richards has gained valuable experience in product development, vendor relations, sales, customer service, shipping, manufacturing, inventory and production management. Mr. Richards holds a BS degree in Operations Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Michael Schrage
Research Fellow, MIT Center for Digital Business
A fellow with MIT Sloan School’s Initiative on the Digital Economy, Michael Schrage is author of The Innovator’s Hypothesis, Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become? and Serious Play. His research, writing and advisory work focuses on the ‘behavioral economics’ of models, prototypes and experiments as collaborative media for managing ‘innovation risk’ and opportunity. His current research explores the interplay of ’network effects’ with innovation and human capital. He’s pioneering work in ‘selvesware’ technologies — coined by Schrage — designed to augment aspects, attributes and talents of productive individuals. Current research building on that theme — in collaboration with Google and the Sloan Management Review — addresses the ‘future of KPIs’ and digital dashboards. He is particularly interested in the future of ‘agency’ in algorithmically-rich networked environments. Michael was also an angel investor in several digital media and ‘machine learning’ start-ups, and is a featured and top-trafficked blogger on the Harvard Business Review site.
Mark Sullivan
Editor, Running Insight
Mark Sullivan has spent more than 25 years writing about the sporting goods and active lifestyle business. He is a founder of The Running Event, which was recently sold to Diversified Communications. Prior to that, he was editor and publisher of Sporting Goods Business at VNU and earlier in his career was a group publisher at Fairchild Publications where he oversaw SportStyle, Footwear News and Golf Pro magazine, which he founded. While a reporter at Women’s Wear Daily, Mark won the prestigious Atrium Award for outstanding coverage of the American fashion industry. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Matthew Tingler
Managing Director, Robert W. Baird
Matthew is a Managing Director within Baird’s Consumer & Retail Investment Banking practice, where he advises on equity offerings, mergers and acquisitions and other financial advisory services with a focus on the apparel and footwear, sporting goods and fitness, health and wellness, and outdoor recreation sectors. Some of his past clients include 5.11 Tactical, Badger Sportswear, Bushnell, Hydro Flask, Implus, Louisville Slugger, Performance Health and Simms Fishing. Prior to joining Baird, Matthew was a Senior Associate in Merrill Lynch’s Mergers & Acquisitions Investment Banking practice. Previously, he was an Associate in Citigroup’s Equity Research practice and a Manager in Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services practice, where he performed M&A due diligence, restructuring and valuation assignments. Matthew received an M.B.A from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with distinctions and a B.S. in accounting and marketing with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder through the CFA Institute and a recipient of the SGB 40 Under 40 award sponsored by SportsOneSource Group.
Jim Weber
CEO and Chairman, Brooks Running
Jim Weber joined Brooks as CEO in 2001 and is credited for the Seattle-based company’s aggressive turnaround story, focusing the team solely on delivering personally inspiring products and experiences that keep people running. The business and brand caught the attention of Warren Buffett, who declared Brooks a standalone Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary company in 2012. Weber’s professional journey also includes assignments as chairman and CEO of Sims Sports, president of O’Brien International, vice president of The Coleman Company, and various roles with The Pillsbury Company. Prior to joining Brooks, Weber was managing director of U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Seattle Investment Banking practice, and also served on the Brooks board of directors. He currently serves on the boards of directors for Zumiez Inc., the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Camber Outdoors and Tuck School of Business. In 2015, Runner’s World magazine named Weber one of nine most influential innovators in the running industry. As well, he’s earned a spot for more than 10 consecutive years on the Footwear News “Power 100” list, honoring greats across all footwear categories from the runway to running.
Two full days of insightful discussions and meetings, led by industry experts, regarding the changes, developments and innovations occurring in the sports & fitness industry.
Rule Changes Impact of Governing Bodies Product Standards
Health & Safety in Sports Future of Sport
Team Sports Rules Conference
