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ghta board of directors
Julie Dix
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Chairman of the Board
FalconBlue, LLC & JBAT, LLC
Julie Dix is currently a managing partner in two companies. FalconBlue provides consultative expertise and experience to develop and grow consumer product brands through professionial brand strategy, management, licensing, and distribution. She is also a partner in a manufacturing company Justa 'bout Any Thangoes (JBAT) as the creator of Headliners, a new and innovative product focusing on messaging. Julie began working in the specialty business when she invented and co-founded Taggies, Inc. a children's manufacturing company which grew from an idea to a childhood "must have" brand. Julie has been featured in People Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, and other major news publications as a mompreneur and an innovator.
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John Keiser
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President
OneCoast
John Keiser is Chief Executive Officer of OneCoast, the leading national sales and marketing agency of gift, fashion, baby, and collegiate products. Previously, John served as Senior Vice President, where his primary responsibility was the development and management of National Division ONE, while also being involved in other strategic initiatives for OneCoast. For a one year period, John served in the role of Senior Vice President of Strategic Relationships for OneCoast. In this role, John was responsible for developing strong supplier relationships for the OneCoast Midwest Sales Region for 21/2 years. John has over 25 years of industry experience, working for both American Greetings and Enesco prior to joining OneCoast in 2003.
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Bob Watson
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Vice President
Annalee Dolls
Bob Watson Jr. is the third generation of his family working within the gift and home industries. He started as an independent sales rep, spent some time in retail, and then worked his way to a position as VP of Sales & Marketing with one of our industries' most recognized brands, Annalee Dolls. He currently enjoys living in New Hampshire with his wife, Bethany, and enjoys exploring the woods and beaches of New England with his three sons.
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Todd Litzman
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Treasurer
Brandwise, Inc.
Todd Litzman has more than 20 years of experience in developing, installing and supporting computerized point of sales and inventory management systems for a wide range of companies. He is the president of Brandwise Inc. and the co-founder of Showroom Solutions, Inc., which merged with Brandwise in 2005. Litzman and his team grew Showroom Solutions from a home-based company with two employees in 1997 to the largest provider of B2B, sales force automation, CRM and data consulting to the wholesale gift and home furnishings segment. The company now includes over 40 employees who support more than 450 corporate clients and over 6,000 sales reps worldwide.
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Cindy Henry
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Secretary
Wellspring
Cindy Henry is the Executive Vice President of Wellspring, Lancaster, PA. Wellspring brings art and organization to everyday life with stylish and functional personal and home accessories. For over 30 years, the family-owned company has enjoyed great retailer loyalty in the gift industry. Cindy brings to GHTA experience on multiple boards and a unique perspective of over 20 years on both the manufacturing and the rep side of business. She served two terms as secretary on the board of directors of GSMA (Gift Sales Managers Association) and on the GHTA auction committee for 4 years. Prior to joining Wellspring, she worked as a management consultant in multiple industries and in sporting goods. She is a member of Vistage International. She authored two children’s books and serves locally on a school board committee, Relay for Life, and as president on the soccer parents association board.
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Allison Barrows
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Ganz
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Joe Harris
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Whereoware
Joe Harris is currently the Vice President and Director of Professional Services with Whereoware, a web development and marketing firm located in Northern Virginia. Joe joined Whereoware in 2004 and currently manages the development of website and technical-based projects for over 150 Whereoware customers. Prior to joining Whereoware, Joe was a Founder and Vice President at SmartPants Media, a multimedia, software design firm specializing in the creation of interactive CD-ROMS, websites, and kiosks for marketing and educational purposes. He worked directly with a wide assortment of clients including non-profit organizations, small to medium-sized businesses, and federal and state governments.
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Kim Pounds
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Next Generation & 3 Gentrys
Kim Pounds is a Principal Managing Partner for 2 gift and home agencies in Dallas, Next Generation & 3 Gentrys. The foundation of the companies she co-manages with her sister, were birthed by their father Don Gentry. Kim has worked in every facet of the business, including showroom layout and design, back office commission management, territory management and key account sales. The gift industry has been her life long career and thankfully is her passion as well. Next Generation and 3 Gentrys showrooms are prime locations in the Dallas Trade Mart and both agencies pride themselves on being forward thinking, aggressive, result driven agencies.
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Steve Papevies
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Southern Accessories Today
Steve started Southern Accessories Today 35 years ago, with the goal of setting the standard for representing the best home furnishings and accents in the Southeast and the nation. He is responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of SAT, including selection of vendors and showroom layout. He is also responsible for the creative vision of the company. Steve also serves on the board of ARTS and NASA.
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Robert Ricciardi
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About Face Designs
Robert Ricciardi has been in the gift industry for more than three decades. He is President and Owner of About Face Designs, the company he founded in 1999 based in Highland Park, IL. About Face Designs markets and distributes proprietary sentiment gifts to the card, gift, and specialty industry. Ricciardi began his career in 1978 at Enesco Corporation and quickly advanced to management positions. During his tenure, he was Vice President of Sales, Executive Vice President and President of Sales, Acquisitions and North American Subsidiaries. He resigned from Enesco in 1997 to become President of Ty, Inc. – a position he held until he started his own company. Over the years, he has served on numerous industry boards of directors, including the California Gift Show, Americas Mart, New York Gift Show, Philadelphia Gift Show and Gift Association of America.
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Fred Schmidt
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All for Color
Fred Schmidt joined Prime Source Accessories in 2004 as a partner to assist co-founders Jamie Chauss and Maureen Lorr in launching Prime Source Accessories first consumer branded collection, All For Color™. With a strong background in key account sales, sales team management and marketing Fred currently serves as the Vice President of Sales and manages a network of top-tier sales agencies to market and sell the All For Color™ and Sloane Ranger™ brands. Today that network consists of over 170 sales professionals in the gift, collegiate, resort, and athletic channels.
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Randy Spoor
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The Center Stage Team
Randy Spoor is the managing partner of The Center Stage Team, providing sales management services to a variety of gift and home decor companies. With over 35 years of sales and marketing experience, Randy has "done it all" and then some. From road salesman, vice president of sales, owner of a gift company, and everything in between, Randy is as passionate about the industry as he ever was.
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Lisa Wohlhart
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Ivystone
Lisa Wohlhart is the Director of Sales Operations, Inside Sales and International Sales for the Ivystone Group. She has over 15 years of experience within the gift and hone industry, with wide-ranging experience in brand management, marketing, licensing, product development, sales, business operations, process improvement, and strategy. Prior to joining Ivystone, Lisa held positions at OneCoast, Yakety Sak, and Enesco. She currently works with sales management teams on growth strategies for all sales divisions, process engineering and implementation efforts, as well as sales and marketing integration. Lisa has been a member of the GHTA since 2006.
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George Kacic
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Ex-Officio
George Kacic is President of U.S. operations for Giftcraft, Ltd., the Toronto-based lifestyle home décor and giftware industry leader serving a diverse network of specialty retailers around the world. His career spans more than 36 years within the home and gift community, including senior sales and business development leadership roles at GANZ and Russ Berrie. Kacic's career also reflects long service to the gift and home industry through leadership of the Gift & Home Trade Association (GHTA) and other prominent trade organizations. He is Chairman of the AmericasMart Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Advisory Board, on which he has served for eight years, and is also a member of the Gift for Life Board.
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Mary Liz Curtin
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Ex-Officio
Leon & Lulu
Mary Liz Curtin is passionate about independent retail. Her knowledgeof all aspects of the gift and home industries gives her a uniquepoint of view, encompassing the needs of retailers, vendors and sales representatives. With over 35 years of hands-on experience in the gift and home industries, Mary Liz is an internationally acknowledged expert inindependent retail and has advised numerous manufacturers on marketing,sales and management issues with her unique brand of Sales and MarketingTherapy. Most important of all, Mary Liz is a shopkeeper. She and her husband ownLeon & Lulu, a 15,000 square foot destination retail store located just outside Detroit. Leon & Lulu, profitable since its fourth month in business, is an example of building a brand in an out of the way location, using skillful marketing, terrific product and excellent customer service to attract shoppers from the entire metropolitan area and beyond. |
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about the ghta
2013 ghta conference
11th Annual GHTA Conference!
The 2013 national conference will be held October 2-5 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California. Click here to learn more!
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