Rich Karlgaard
Publisher, Forbes
Rich Karlgaard is the publisher of Forbes—the world's most popular business and financial magazine, read by 4.5 million people. He is also the author of the Amazon and Wall Street Journal business best-seller, Life 2.0: How People Across America Are Transforming Their Lives by Finding the Where of Their Happiness. In each issue of Forbes, Rich writes Digital Rules, a column focusing on technology, entrepreneurship, regional and economical development, and the future of business and work. He frequently lectures on these subjects and is a regular guest on the Fox News Channel’s “Forbes on Fox.” On the entrepreneurial side, Rich co-founded Garage Technology Ventures in 1997 and Upside magazine in 1988. Rich was a winner of the Ernst & Young Northern California “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for the 5,500-member Churchill Club civic organization he co-founded in 1985. Rich graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Political Science. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Northern California.
Alfred Lin
COO and CFO, Zappos
Alfred joined Zappos in 2005 and is responsible for all financial, administrative, and warehouse operations. Prior to joining Zappos, he served as vice president of finance and business development at Tellme Networks, helping grow the company from no revenue to over $120M in recurring revenue per year, 30 percent cash margins, and a $0.5B estimated contracted revenue backlog. Before Tellme, Alfred co-founded Venture Frogs, an incubator and investment firm that invested in Internet startups, including Ask Jeeves, Tellme Networks, and Zappos. Prior to Venture Frogs, Alfred served as vice president of finance and administration at LinkExchange, where he managed its sale to Microsoft for $265M.
Jill M. Anderson
Senior Marketing Manager, National Promotions and Advertising, International Dairy Queen, Inc.
As senior marketing manager for International Dairy Queen, Inc., Jill Anderson is responsible for the development and management of multiple marketing programs at Dairy Queen in the U.S. and Canada, including DQ Brand Licensing, Youth and Family Marketing at Deeqs.com, Loyalty Marketing at BlizzardFanClub.com and DQ’s Cause Marketing Programs (Miracle Treat Day and Corporate Giving). Jill began her career with IDQ in 2007. Prior to IDQ, Anderson worked for a decade in various marketing positions at Target Corporation. She started her career in marketing for Carlson Companies (Radisson Hotels, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Carlson Marketing Group).
Bill Bolling
Founder & Executive Director, Atlanta Community Food Bank
Bill Bolling is the founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank and has served as its executive director since 1979. In this capacity he oversees the distribution of more than 20 million pounds of good but unmarketable food each year through 800 local and regional nonprofit organizations that feed the hungry. Bill is a charter member of the board of directors of America's Second Harvest–The Nation's Food Bank Network. Prior to his association with the Food Bank, he served as director of Community Ministries for St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Georgia Trend Magazine has consistently named him among its"100 Most Influential Georgians."
Jack Butorac
President and CEO, Marco's Franchising
Jack Butorac is an industry veteran with 35 years of experience turning high-quality local restaurant concepts into thriving national chains. As president and CEO of Marco’s Pizza, Butorac’s goal is to help expand Marco’s brand of Ah!thentic Italian pizza from its Ohio roots to a nationwide presence.
His restaurant industry experience began with Zapata’s, a small group of Mexican fast-food stores and grocery products. He became the second employee of Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant in 1978 and was part of the small group that quickly took the restaurant from a good idea to a national favorite. Butorac left Chi-Chi’s in 1984 to become senior vice president of operations for Fuddruckers. In 1995, Butorac purchased Tumbleweed, a chain of Southwest-style restaurants he took public and expanded to more than 60 restaurants nationwide. After retiring in 2000, Butorac started working as a consultant for Marco’s Pizza founder Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco and purchased the franchise rights in 2004. He assumed his current role as president and CEO that same year, creating a lean corporate infrastructure targeted toward aggressive growth and recruiting a select team of seasoned executives. Butorac holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Minnesota State University Mankato.
Kimberly Egan
CEO and Principal, The Center for Culinary Development
Kimberly Egan’s professional journey in the food industry began with building displays and setting shelves at 100 San Francisco grocery stores. Her career has successfully traversed corporate sales and marketing to leading a top product development consultancy for consumer packaged goods, quick-service, and foodservice companies such as Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Kraft, Dole, Bush Brothers, and General Mills. As CCD’s chief strategist, Kimberly connects the dots between culinary and consumer insights. Kimberly was named a person with “serious clout” in Fortune magazine’s 2007 Power 25 issue, and “one of the 49 most influential people in San Francisco” in 7x7 magazine’s Power List in 2007.
Tom Ertler, LEED AP
Creative Director, Palladeo
As the creative director for Palladeo, Tom oversees the creative leadership of Palladeo's full-service environmental design studio. He brings more than 20 years of international retail design and consulting experience. His knowledge runs deep in all aspects of the design process, from branding development and positioning to environmental design and implementation. His unique approach is to blend the client's business practices and brand perceptions with objective market research and consumer needs. Tom's clients include Albertsons/SUPERVALU, Best Buy, ExxonMobil, Office Depot, TravelCenters of America, The Home Depot, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market. Prior to Palladeo, Tom was prototype director at WD Partners, a retail design firm specializing in national retail and restaurant chains. Prior to that, Tom served as senior project director at Miller Zell, Inc., an Atlanta-based retail marketing and design firm. Tom earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design from Cleveland Institute of Art.
Andy Eversbusch
Managing Director, AlixPartners
Andy is a seasoned management consultant and business leader with 25 years of professional experience and a distinguished track record of achieving high-impact performance improvements for Fortune 500 companies worldwide. He has deep operations expertise, especially in purchasing, supply chain, asset optimization, and front-line operations. He also brings extensive industry experience across a broad array of sectors, including electric power, basic materials (pulp and paper, metals, glass), chemicals, oil and gas, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and industrial manufacturing. Andy is best known for architecting and leading sustainable performance transformations. The hallmark of his work with clients is his ability to combine deep functional expertise, strong business acumen, and tested change leadership with a pragmatic and collaborative approach that delivers distinctive results.
Henry DeVries and Chris Stiehl
Authors, Pain Killer Marketing
Henry DeVries and Chris Stiehl speak to thousands of executives and marketers each year, teaching them the top ways to maximize revenues through market research. Two of the leading experts in their field, Chris and Henry are members of the marketing faculty at UC San Diego.
Henry’s weekly column “Marketing 411” appears in the online newsmagazine, San Diego News Network, where he also serves as the Career and Workplace section editor. Henry’s other marketing books include Client Seduction, Self Marketing Secrets and Marketing the Marketers. Henry is the founder of the New Client Marketing Institute, a research and training firm that focuses on the latest trends in market research.
Chris, a former General Motors market researcher and a noted expert on Voice of the Customer research, was key to Cadillac’s winning of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990. Today he is the president of a worldwide consulting practice that has tested the Pain of Customer concepts with such companies as Palm, Cisco Systems, Flowserve Corporation, Kennametal, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Carl Zeiss Meditec.
James Green
CEO, Giant Realm, Inc.
A serial entrepreneur, James Green became CEO of Giant Realm in January 2007. James began his career in the entertainment industry and spent eight years with The Walt Disney Company, culminating in an appointment as General Manager of the Japanese market. James moved to Pixar Animation Studios where he worked for Steve Jobs as the vice president of marketing and new business development. In 1998, he became a founding partner and CEO of Sabela Media, an Internet ad serving company. Sabela Media was ultimately sold in January 2000 to 24/7 Real Media where James remained as president of technology solutions. In Oct 2000 he was recruited by LiveWire to become CEO of GiantBear where he successfully launched new products with major carriers and sold the business to InfoSpace in March 2002. After GiantBear, Green became CEO of PVI, a virtual advertising company most famous for the virtual first down line in football and the ad behind the batter in baseball. He took the company private in 2003 and sold it to Cablevision in May of 2005.
Eric King
Vice-President of Business Services, Delta Community Credit Union
Eric King has a background in marketing, sales, and management. Prior to joining Delta Community, he was the chief operating officer for Callahan Industries, Inc., an Atlanta-based land development and construction company. His professional experience also includes time at IBM and CORE Rewards, an incentive management company.
Jack Koch
Marketing Research & Intelligence, MASSIVE Microsoft
Jack Koch heads up marketing research for Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft. At Massive, Jack leads advertising effectiveness research, as well as audience profiling and industry analysis. Prior to joining Massive, Jack has held strategic positions on both the client and agency sides, designing and leveraging research to deepen consumer insight, evaluate advertising effectiveness, and maximize media efficiency and return on investment. Jack holds dual degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.
Karen Spencer
Founder and CEO, Fran-Systems, LLC.
Karen Spencer is the founder and CEO of Fran-Systems, LLC., an Atlanta-based franchise education and consulting company. Karen’s background encompasses over 25 years experience with all levels and types of franchise companies, including Arby’s, AFC, RTM Restaurant Group, Original Cookie Company, Planet Smoothie, and Moe's. Karen has written and published over 100 franchise educational articles and programs. She currently holds a second term on the Board of Trustees for the Educational Foundation with the International Franchise Association. She also serves as an Ambassador to Franchising for the IFA. On a local level, she is the co- founder for the new Atlanta Franchise Alliance—the ATLFA. Through the SBA she volunteers her time to conduct free classes to the public about franchising, teaches franchising at many universities, and has been a speaker in the industry for over 15 years.