a9rqy4ks8 1n5zjrp 27k - lincoln international · 20 lincoln international’s consumer conference +...

LINCOLN INTERNATIONAL’S CONSUMER CONFERENCE16

+

AKIRA WWW.SHOPAKIRA.COM

In 2002, AKIRA (the “Company”) opened the doors of its first women’s fast fashion clothing boutique in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Since then, the Company has extended its reach to 27 physical locations in four states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana) and internationally through its well-known and fast-growing website.

AKIRA tailors the merchandise, music and visuals in each store to reflect the signature style of its geographical location. Each store’s (including AKIRA’s web-store) stylists are well-versed in the latest national and international trends. AKIRA differentiates itself from other fast fashion retailers by providing high-end customized, personal styling advice through its vast roster of stylists, both in-store and remotely.

AKIRA intends to continue its pattern of rapid growth by staying ahead of the curve. As one of the few truly omni-channel fast fashion retailers in the industry with brick and mortar roots, AKIRA provides loyal customers seamless opportunities to stay fashionable, whether through e-commerce or in-store. And as a company that has been “bootstrapped” from day one, with zero institutional investors, it must make daily alterations to its strategic plan and capitalize on every business opportunity that arises. AKIRA’s co-founders live by the theory that the more one puts into a business, the more one gets out of it; they expect their employees (and themselves) to embody a can-do spirit and a strong work ethic.

GORDON C.C. LIAO CO-OWNER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

A life-long resident of the Chicago area, Gordon C.C. Liao is an independent entrepreneur, investor, operator and performer. He is a Co-founder and Partner of investment firms Modjule, Promise Holdings and 4C Capital, investing in both control buyouts and early stage start-ups. Separately, Gordon is Co-owner and Chief Financial Officer of AKIRA, a leading fast fashion retailer in the Midwest, Co-founder of Good Idea Foods, a healthy snacks company and Co-founder / Co-owner of HairClinical, a beauty products company.

Prior to his current activities, Gordon spent 15 years in institutional private equity as a Principal and investment professional with Baird Capital, Reliant Equity Investors and Wind Point Partners. Gordon received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School where he was a Toigo Fellow and Founder of the Asian American Business Association. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he graduated with Highest Honors and as a recipient of the Bronze Tablet.

Gordon’s core mission in life is focused on lifting up underserved communities, with an emphasis on economic wealth creation and the enhancement of self-esteem through the performing arts. He is the past President of the Goodman Theater’s Auxiliary Board, Founding Board Member and current Vice Chair of AAAIM (the Association of Asian American Investment Managers) and former board member of the Chicago Sinfonietta. Finally, Gordon is a published poet, produced playwright, spoken word artist and wedding singer.

PRESENTERS

@LINCOLNINT #LICONSUMER

17

ALENE CANDLES WWW.ALENE.COM

Alene Candles (“Alene” or the “Company”) is a full-service contract and private-label manufacturer of superior custom-designed filled candles for the gift, cosmetic and retail markets. Seen in the industry as the go-to supplier for high quality products and flawless execution, Alene produces a range of candle and home fragrance products for the world’s best-known brands.

Founded in 1995 in southern New Hampshire, Alene was purchased by an investor group in 2008, and currently has manufacturing operations in Milford, New Hampshire, and Columbus, Ohio, and a sales office in New York City. The Company’s permanent employee base of 325 grows to 1,000 during peak manufacturing months. Alene proudly supports community initiatives local to each factory and actively encourages personal growth amongst all employees.

RODNEY HARL PRESIDENT AND MANAGER

Rodney (“Rod”) Harl is currently President and Manager of Alene Candles, a company he and an investor group acquired in 2008. Since the acquisition, Alene has grown more than five-fold, with up to 1,000 peak-season employees producing more than 60 million units between factories in New Hampshire and Columbus, Ohio.

Prior to acquiring Alene, Rod co-founded Brandwise, a pioneering provider of software to independent retail channels, leading the company’s operations and product management through its growth from two to more than 40 employees, including three mergers and acquisitions transactions. Rod has also completed numerous projects in a variety of industries and situations ranging from startups to $500MM manufacturers, including extended projects with private-equity giant TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group) and DEMDACO, a premier provider of home and gift products.

Previously, Rod spent several years with pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck & Co., working on a variety of startup and technology transfer projects for the company’s vaccines business including in-house process implementation for second- and third-generation Hepatitis B vaccine manufacture, outsourcing production of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and developing, with an international joint-venture partner, a pentavalent “five-in-one” vaccine for rest-of-world countries. Rod has also completed assignments with The Dow Chemical Company and Hach Company, a producer of analytical instruments and reagents, now owned by Danaher Corporation.

Rod holds dual Bachelor of Science in chemistry and chemical engineering, with highest honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.


+

ASSET MARKETING SERVICES, LLC WWW.AMSI-CORP.COM

Asset Marketing Services, LLC (“Asset” or the “Company”) does business under the customer-facing brands of GovMint.com and ModernCoinMart.com. The Company is a leading omni-channel direct-to-consumer retailer of high quality collectible coins to customers in the United States and abroad. Showcasing its extensive relationships with sovereign mints such as The Royal Mint of Britain, The China Mint, The Royal Canadian Mint and private mints of the world, Asset creates some of the most unique and exclusive collectible coins available. Additionally, the Company has developed marketing relationships with several key partners, including The Smithsonian Institute, the National Park Service and the Discovery Channel, to bring unique products to coin enthusiasts everywhere.

DAVE RINGCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Since 2013, Dave Ring has been the Chief Executive Officer of Asset Marketing Services, LLC. Prior to joining Asset Marketing Services, he was President of Minco, a leading provider of flexible circuits, flexible heaters, temperature sensors and instruments serving a wide range of industrial markets. Earlier in his career, Dave was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ReVera, a venture-backed technology start-up that manufactures high-precision metrology equipment used to monitor and measure semiconductor devices. He served on the Board of ReVera until the completion of a successful exit, when the company was acquired by Nova Measuring Instruments. Previously, Dave spent over 15 years with Entegris, a global leader serving high technology markets by purifying, protecting and transporting critical materials used in the production of semiconductors, data storage and other electronic products. Dave joined Entegris as an early stage company and ultimately become President of the Microelectronics Division, playing a key role on the senior leadership team that took the company public.

Dave holds a degree in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, where he still guest lectures and participates in the Minnesota Cup competition for newly formed companies. Additionally, he holds a Master of Business Administration from Lehigh University in international finance. Dave is also on the Advisory Board of Hanover Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


19

BANZA WWW.EATBANZA.COM

Banza improves the foods people love; making them better by using more nutritious ingredients. Its first product, a delicious pasta made from chickpeas, is the fastest growing pasta brand in the country. Banza has been endorsed in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Buzzfeed, on Good Morning America, TODAY and been named one of TIME Magazine’s 25 Best Inventions of the Year in 2015. Most importantly, Banza has brought a better pasta to millions of happy people. Banza is headquartered in New York City.

MIKE TARULLOCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Mike Tarullo joined Banza as Chief Operating Officer in 2015, after his friends (and Banza’s co-founders), Brian and Scott Rudolph, wooed him with promises of unlimited chickpea pasta. Since then, they have been on a mission to make nutritious food more accessible.

At Banza, Mike focuses on business growth and organizational development. Banza has been the fastest growing brand of pasta in the country for two years running and is available in over 8,000 stores, from Kroger and Target to Whole Foods and Thrive. Banza’s young team of food industry outsiders believes passionately that healthy food should be fun, and the brand reflects that vibe.

Prior to Banza, Mike was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Venture for America, where he led the program’s launch in its first 15 cities and created the VFA seed fund and accelerator. He has also worked in B2B software and in marketing strategy, focusing on positioning and new product development for clients like JP Morgan Chase and Bausch & Lomb. He prefers working with the newer brands. Mike graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and is passionate about human development.


+

THE BAR METHOD WWW.BARMETHOD.COM

The Bar Method is an industry leader in barre-based fitness services and products with more than 115 franchise locations in the United States and Canada. Built on the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning, the science of physical therapy and the pace of interval training, The Bar Method is the most targeted and effective body-sculpting workout.

JAY DECOONSCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT

Jay DeCoons has been Chief Executive Officer and President at The Bar Method since January 2015. Jay has 20 years of experience in developing companies which are in a stage of growth. He is passionate about culture and building strong teams.

Prior to The Bar Method, Jay was the President and Chief Operating Officer at YogaWorks (a Great Hill Partners portfolio company), the leading provider of progressive and quality yoga instruction in the United States.

Prior to YogaWorks, Jay spent time at Highland Capital Partners as a venture capital investor During that time, Jay focused primarily on sourcing venture and growth stage investment opportunities and advising leadership teams of the firm’s existing portfolio companies.

Jay also formerly served in key leadership positions at The Mentor Network (Madison Dearborn portfolio company) and Summit Partners. Jay has a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


21

BÉABA SAS WWW.BEABA.COM

BÉABA® SAS (the “Company”) designs innovating and astute products which are joyfully identifiable and efficiently make parents’ lives easier once baby arrives. The Company’s full range of available products cover the entire range of babies’ needs from newborn to toddler.

BÉABA® is most importantly the inventor of the first food maker for babies and children, boasting seven million units sold worldwide since 1989. Along with the iconic food maker, there is a complementary range of products and accessories for baby food preparation, the BÉABA® Collection. The products in the BÉABA® Collection include bottles, training products, seats, monitoring, bathing and changing products as well as strollers, nursery bags and sunglasses.

BÉABA® sells to a wide variety of customers including childcare and household specialists, internet retailers, pure players, pharmacies, department stores, among others, and has a flagship store in Paris as well as an outlet store in the Paris area.

BÉABA® products are distributed in 60 countries, and the Company has subsidiaries in the United States, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Belgium.

JULIEN LAPORTECHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT

Since 2017, Julien Laporte has served as Chief Executive Officer of Béaba, a leading French brand in the juvenile care industry, owned Bridgepoint Private Equity firm, with the ambition to continue the strong international development of the brand. In 2013, Julien established his own consultancy firm, Blossom Partners, where he advises large private equity firms on their beauty and retail acquisition.

Julian began his career in the consumer industry having spent two years working for Danone Group in Spain after graduating from Reims Business School. While at Danone Group, he managed commercial marketing for the brand, Evian.

After Danone Group, Julien started at L’Oréal where he stayed for nine years. During his first four years, he held international marketing positions, developing products and communication for several brands within the L’Oréal group in its Paris head office. He then served as Managing Director, first for the Baltic States, then in the fast-emerging and strategic Turkish market. During this time, Julien had the opportunity to follow INSEAD Master of Business Administration seminars and educational programs, financed by L’Oréal.

During these years, Julien built-up a very strong expertise in brand building and in business management in a wholesale environment. He leveraged this expertise in his following roles as Chief Executive Officer at Laboratories Forté Pharma in Monaco, one of the European food supplement leaders, and Managing for the Melvita Brand within the L’Occitane Group where he was member of the management committee.

Julien was then appointed Global and Group Chief Executive Officer for the English retail cosmetic brand, Crabtree & Evelyn, where he managed more than 500 stores around the world, on top of managing the strategic and product development of the brand and its manufacturing and research and development facilities.


+

B.GOOD LLC WWW.BGOOD.COM

B.Good LLC (“B.Good” or the “Company”) serves sustainably-grown, fresh food that is prepared in-house. The Company features a diverse menu which includes green and grain bowls, salads, natural local burgers, sides and over-finished fries, smoothies and kids’ meals. B.Good sources as much product as possible from local, independent farmers as the Company is genuinely committed to its social and environmental responsibilities.

ANTHONY ACKILCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Anthony Ackil grew up in Canton Massachusetts. He graduated Harvard University in 1999 with a degree in government. While at Harvard, Anthony was a member of the varsity football and wrestling teams.

After college, Anthony worked in strategy consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers for four years. In 2003, Anthony and his best friend, Jon Olinto, decided to quit their jobs to start their own business. In January of 2004, after a year of concept and menu development, B.Good opened its doors at 131 Dartmouth St. in the Back Bay.

Today, Anthony is the Chief Executive Officer of B.Good, which currently operates 70 fast casual restaurants. B.Good plans to have over 100 stores by early 2019. The Company currently operates in ten states and has locations in Canada, Switzerland and Germany.

In 2014, B.Good founded the B.Good Family Foundation, a 501c3 organization that issues quarterly micro-grants to enable individuals to make positive change in communities.

Anthony was the 2015 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner for the New England region.

Anthony currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife, Jen, three-year-old son, James, and three-month-old son, William.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


23

BIRCH BENDERS WWW.BIRCHBENDERS.COM

Founded in 2011, Birch Benders Micro-Pancakery (“Birch Benders” or the “Brand”) is the number one natural pancake and waffle mix brand in the country, and the fastest growing brand in grocery. Its mixes are available nationwide at over 8,000 retailers, including Target, Whole Foods, Safeway and Sprouts. The Denver-based company launched a new line of delicious and functional frozen toaster waffles at the 2018 Natural Products Expo West. All of the Birch Bender’s products are naturally delicious, easy-to-make and utilize real ingredients consumers can pronounce.

The Brand believes that the best moments in life are spent around the table, which inspired Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Matt LaCasse, and his wife, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Lizzi Ackerman, to carefully craft their recipes through months of painstaking, double-blind taste tests. This process ensures that every ingredient is the best on the planet, and their combinations and proportions are true culinary poetry.

MATT LACASSE AND LIZZI ACKERMANFOUNDERS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Matt LaCasse, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Birch Benders, woke up one morning craving pancakes, but was confronted with a rather empty fridge of just eggs, which led him to a thought: “What if you could crack an egg over the griddle, but instead of an egg, you’d get a gourmet pancake. What if making pancakes could be that easy?” With this in mind, Matt started studying the pancake market and noticed it was uncrowded with little-to-no innovation. Natural pancake mixes were essentially glorified flour and required other ingredients, while conventional pancake mixes were conveniently just-add-water but full of unhealthy ingredients. Matt saw a white space and seized it. In May 2011, Matt and his then-girlfriend-now-wife, Lizzi Ackerman, founded Birch Benders. Matt got to mixing, and Lizzi got to testing!

For over a year, the duo executed demos to learn all they could about their products, brand, consumers and category. While developing the recipes, Lizzi, who at the time was finishing her prerequisites for medical school, brought the idea of running double-blind tests to recipe development. They double-blind taste-tested every single ingredient and ended up with the perfect just-add-water, better-for-you pancake and waffle mixes.

Once they were confident they had the right product-market-fit, Matt and Lizzi raised venture capital, put the pedal to the metal and slowly began building out their team.


+ PRESENTERSCONTINUED

BLACK ANGUS STEAKHOUSE, LLC WWW.BLACKANGUS.COM

Black Angus Steakhouse, LLC (“Black Angus” or the “Company”) has been mastering its craft since it was founded in Washington in 1964. Owned by Versa Capital Management, Black Angus is currently headquartered in Los Angeles and operates 44 locations across California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii. The Hawaii and Alaska locations operate under the name Cattle Company Steakhouse. The restaurants pay homage to its Western cattle rancher roots while offering the finest Certified Angus Beef® and USDA Choice steaks and burgers, in addition to seafood, salads, sides and desserts for the entire family. The Bulls Eye Bar serves a robust menu of craft beer, wine and hand-crafted cocktails.

CHRISTOPHER AMESPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Christopher Ames is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Black Angus, Christopher has a 31-year career in the restaurant industry having served as Chief Operating Officer of Benihana Restaurantsorporating 95 company-owned locations where he was responsible for operations and product innovation for Benihana, Ra Sushi and Haru Sushi brands. Christopher also served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Cosi Restaurants, where he oversaw operations for 95 company-owned and 43 franchise-owned restaurants. Additionally, he was the Executive Vice President of Operations for the Patina Group and California Pizza Kitchen.

Christopher served as Vice President of Operations for the Elephant Bar and was involved in all aspects of operations, marketing, purchasing, culinary development, restaurant design, real estate, property development, human resources and concept development.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from California State University, Fullerton.

MARC CARTERCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Marc Carter is the Chief Financial Officer of Black Angus. Previously, Marc served as the Chief Financial Officer of Taddsco Images and its affiliate TPP, from July 2008 to August 2015. Marc also held a variety of executive level positions in the Restaurants Division of the iconic television production pioneer, Dick Clark Productions, including Vice President of Brand Licensing from 2005 to 2008, Chief Administrative Officer from 2001 to 2008 and Controller from 1998 to 2001.

Prior to joining Dick Clark Productions, Marc was employed at California Pizza Kitchen from 1988 to 1998 and served in various accounting and finance positions including Controller from 1994 to 1998.

Marc earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Colorado.


25

BOA TECHNOLOGY INC. WWW.BOAFIT.COM

Boa Technology Inc. (“Boa”), creators of the revolutionary, award-winning Boa Fit System, delivers fit solutions purpose-built for high-performance. Featured in products across the golf, athletic, outdoor, snow sports, cycling, workwear and medical categories, the patented Boa Fit System consists of three integral parts: a micro-adjustable dial, super-strong lightweight laces and low friction lace guides. Each unique configuration is engineered to optimize fit and provide precision, agility, response and control. In collaboration with its market-leading brand partners, Boa is driven to make the world’s best gear even better. Boa is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with offices in Austria, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan.

SHAWN NEVILLECHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Shawn Neville is Chief Executive Officer of Boa Technology (“Boa”), a global leader in revolutionizing “fit and performance” in the athletic, outdoor, medical and workwear markets. Shawn also serves on the Board of Advisors of Zildjian Percussion and Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.

Recently Shawn worked at Avery Dennison as the Global President of the $1.6 Billion Retail Branding and Information Solutions Group, which is the global leader in branding, packaging, labeling and UHF RFID solutions for consumer goods and retail. The business delivered a $200+ million improvement in operating profit and established market leadership in RFID and sustainable packaging / labeling under Shawn’s leadership.

Prior to Avery Dennison, Shawn served as President at Keds Corporation (“Keds”) where he directed the brand turnaround and was recognized as Marketer of the Year in the footwear industry. While there he also led the company’s successful acquisition of Saucony. Before Keds, Shawn acted as Chief Executive Officer at Footaction USA, where he successfully repositioned the company and brand. As a result of his efforts, Footaction USA was named Trendsetter of the Year in the athletic industry for two consecutive years.

Shawn gained his experience in the footwear industry having spent many years at Reebok International where he held various roles including Vice President of U.S. Marketing, Senior Vice President / General Manager of Reebok France and European operations and President of Reebok North America. Shawn also spent a few years at VISA USA as Vice President of the Retail and Direct Marketing Industry Group, leading sales, marketing and product development.

Shawn started his career at Procter & Gamble, in sales and marketing, after graduating with honors from the University of Denver.



BUCK MASON WWW.BUCKMASON.COM

Buck Mason was founded in 2013 by Sasha Koehn and Erik Allen Ford, over coffee in Venice, California. They started out as neighbors and became fast friends disillusioned with the men’s clothing market. Given Erik’s success in the apparel business, and Sasha’s history in tech and media, they started Buck Mason with the single goal of slow building modern American classics for daily wear — elevated essentials men don’t have to think twice about, that look better over time. Instead of following the traditional wholesale fashion calendar, which forces designers to accommodate trends to design products in a hurry, they slow build products architecturally focusing on quality in product, timeless design, fit consistency and value. Initially, they set up shop in a 350 square foot garage off Abbot Kinney Boulevard. At first the two were obsessed with designing the perfect t-shirt. They worked closely with a local family factory to create small batch production runs, crafting each piece using old school manufacturing techniques combined with modern technology.

Buck Mason makes fashion less complicated, building every piece to last beyond a single season. Each design is a riff on an iconic American staple, the end result is a useful and effortless wardrobe. This process is best shown by their reinvention of the classic tee. Buck Mason’s best-selling product the ‘Curved Hem Tee’ has granted them praise from GQ, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Fast Company, The Huffington Post and others ranking the ‘Curved Hem Tee’ top across all categories including fit, fabric, quality, design and value.

ERIK ALLEN FORDCO-FOUNDER AND CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Erik Allen Ford’s career in apparel began in high school, selling jeans at the local mall. In 2008 he moved to Los Angeles to learn the garment manufacturing business, apprenticing under a handful of old-school jean designers, he learned the ropes of brand building and product development. In 2012, he had the vision of simplifying the male shopping experience through timeless, iconic basics. At Buck Mason, he oversees product design, retail and finance. Erik always puts design first—a few years back he replaced the refrigerator in his kitchen with a jukebox. He and his wife, Leanne, are both passionate designers living together in the hills of Silver Lake, California.

SASHA KOEHNCO-FOUNDER AND CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Sasha Koehn worked in advertising after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. A few years back he moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles to produce digital advertising for some of the biggest agencies in town. He quit his cushy day job as a digital producer and co-founded Buck Mason with friend Erik in 2013, overseeing marketing and ecommerce as Co-Chief Executive Officer.

Sasha is a vintage Porsche enthusiast and splits his time out of office driving Stuttgart’s finest and raising a newborn baby boy with his wife in Los Angele’s Arts District.


27

BURTONS GRILL LLC WWW.BURTONSGRILL.COM | WWW.REDHEATTAVERN.COM

Burtons Grill LLC (the “Company”) is an East Coast, full-service restaurant group founded in 2005. The Company currently operates two “scratch kitchen” concepts: 15 Burtons Grill & Bar (“Burtons Grill”) units and three Red Heat Tavern (“Red Heat”) locations, with three more Red Heat units to open in 2018.

Burtons Grill is a unique polished casual concept that specializes in American cuisine. Burtons Grill caters to an upper income demographic and has a highly loyal repeat customer base, as evidenced by a sales rate of over 40% through its {B} Loyal guest program.

Red Heat was introduced in 2014 to better position the Company to service a younger, more price-conscious demographic. The concept was inspired by good times experienced at a backyard barbecue with a menu developed around the “Josper” coal-fired oven. Red Heat’s tag line of “Fire, Family and Friends” represents what the restaurant promises to deliver to each and every guest.

KEVIN HARRON FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kevin Harron is a restaurant industry veteran with over 40 years of experience in restaurant development, operations, retailing and customer relationship management. Kevin began his career as a manager for Victoria’s Station in 1979. Kevin has acquired hands-on training in every aspect of casual dining restaurants, working in various management positions for Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern, Legal Sea Foods, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Kelly’s Roast Beef.

In 2004, Kevin’s acute awareness of restaurant trends, along with the recognition of the changing demographic in consumer preferences and lifestyle, led him and his partners to develop Burtons Grill LLC.

JOSEPH W. DELLO RUSSO CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND BOARD MEMBER

Joseph (Joe) Dello joined the Burtons Grill LLC management team in early 2016 to play a lead role in executing the Company’s growth plan, financial structuring and governance model. Joe is responsible for overall financial management of the Company, including the development and measurement of appropriate processes and metrics to ensure its success.

Most recently, Joe was an active investor and worked closely with various early stage companies focused on financial technologies, innovations in school lunch programs for independent schools and in sales acceleration tools. He has served as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of MFS Investment Management, a senior finance and operations executive at The Boston Company and an Audit Manager at Arthur Andersen & Co.

He currently serves as Chairperson of the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston, as President and a Board Member of the BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Trust and as a member of the Finance and Audit Committees of the Berklee College of Music.



THE CATCH COMPANY WWW.CATCHCO.COM

The Catch Company is the first and largest digitally-native vertical brand in the fishing industry. It has tapped into anglers’ desire to discover new products and techniques. The Catch Company’s portfolio of brands excites, challenges and delights its customers, while helping them save money and create memorable outdoor experiences together.

ROSS GORDONFOUNDER

Ross Gordon founded Mystery Tackle Box in 2012 in effort to help simplify the shopping experience for anglers. Ross has fished since he was a kid and has always been frustrated and overwhelmed by the number of new products entering the market each year and his inability to understand how to use those new products properly. Therefore, he started Mystery Tackle Box enabling anglers to discover new brands and techniques at a discount of up to 40% off retail. Mystery Tackle Box not only provides all the gear, it also includes tips anglers need to use each product.

In 2017, Ross created The Catch Company as a parent company for Mystery Tackle Box. Ross also developed a number of other outdoor brands, including a brand which is currently sold in major outdoor retailers.

Prior to starting Mystery Tackle Box, Ross started CraftJack, a home improvement lead generation and SaaS platform which was acquired by HomeAdvisor in 2012. Before CraftJack, Ross began his career at Leo Burnett as a digital creative working on brands such as Purina, General Motors and Kellogg’s.


29

CHUZE FITNESS WWW.CHUZEFITNESS.COM

Chuze Fitness (“Chuze” or the “Company”) is a market leader for high-volume low price (HVLP) health clubs in Southern California, Tucson, Arizona, and Denver, Colorado. Locally and family-owned and operated, Chuze has a passion for providing a gym model that sets itself apart from competitors. The Company built its foundation on three core values and continues to make them a priority in day-to-day operations: Culture, Customer Service and Cleanliness.

Over the course of ten years, Chuze Fitness has evolved from a small box footprint into a +/-40,000 square foot layout, allowing its in-house construction team to add new programs and amenities. Chuze offers state-of-the-art workout equipment, group exercise classes, a Chuze Cinema, swimming pools and spa areas, HydroMassage and tanning beds, child care and a high-tech team training program. The ongoing commitment of the Chuze team is to deliver a superior experience to every member, in every facility, every day.

Chuze Fitness’ extensive recruitment process and training program produces topnotch employees, allowing sustainable growth for the Company. The management team, with its strong operational culture, creates tremendous member appreciation for the Company, which in turn translates into high-level economic performance. Currently, Chuze operates 25 locations, with plans to steadily grow in each current market and, by year-end, expand the Company’s footprint into a new market.

CORY BRIGHTWELLCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Cory Brightwell co-founded Chuze Fitness with his dad, Charles Brightwell, and Charles’ former business partner, Ray Barshick, Ray’s son, Nick, and Ray’s son-in- law, Kris. Cory has been with the Company since 2008, opening and co-managing the first location in Southern California and managing several clubs as the Company grew. In 2015, Cory became the Chief Executive Officer and President of Chuze Fitness.

Prior to Chuze, Cory played professional baseball, coached high school baseball and worked as an equities trader. Though the co-founders came from the restaurant industry and had no health club experience, they had a love for all things sports-related and were confident they could apply their collective knowledge of providing value and great service to an industry in need of those standards. Cory believes that the Company’s success lies in building and supporting a cohesive and confident team that understands and lives by Chuzes’ core values.

Cory earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration and management from Pepperdine University, in Southern California. Throughout his time in college, he played four years of Division I collegiate baseball, served as team captain and made all-academic selection. Cory currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and son, and is expecting another child this summer.


+

HATCHBEAUTY WWW.HATCHBEAUTY.COM

HATCHBEAUTY (the “Company”) is an innovative beauty company. Award-winning and rapidly growing, it has been at the forefront of the industry’s most exciting brands and marketing initiatives. The Company provides insight on trend intelligence, business strategy, brand incubation and the creation of innovative retail programs across all channels of distribution. With approximately 135 employees, over 10 owned brands and 20 retail partnerships, HATCHBEAUTY offers best-in-class research and development, product development and creative, as well as vertically-integrated testing and manufacturing capabilities.

The Company keeps its fingers on the pulse of what-comes-next. Trend intelligence has always been the backbone of what the Company does. That is why beauty brands and retailers call on HATCHBEAUTY to advise them through the development of new initiatives. HATCHBEAUTY is able to uniquely identify trends and whitespace opportunities in the beauty space, which has translated to some of the industry’s most exciting and profitable formulations, products and brands.

TRACY HOLLANDCO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Tracy Holland is one of the leading innovators in the beauty and personal care industry as a key retail strategist and market development expert. As Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HATCHBEAUTY, her background has led the Company in both financial and business growth strategies. Tracy’s expertise in the areas of national brand development and tactical sales planning have led to successful market launches along with domestic and international sales efforts for brands such as Nuance Salma Hayek, Orlando Pita Haircare, FOUND, Naturewell, Kristopher Buckle and Costco’s Beauty’s Most Wanted prestige beauty strategy.

Prior to HATCHBEAUTY’s inception and Tracy’s reign in beauty and cosmetics, she resided in Spain for a year while studying Flamenco and Spanish at the University of Seville. Shortly after her studies, she began a political career back in the United States that involved the three-way race of Clinton-Gore, Alito and Strom-Martin. Upon winning two of the three races, Tracy spent two years working in the Speaker’s Office of Member Services in Sacramento, California under Speaker Bustamante. This preceded her time in grad school at Columbia University where she received a master’s degree in organizational development / change management.

Tracy is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and West Coast chairperson, as well as board member, of the beauty industry group, Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors (ICMAD). She is a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), an invitation-only membership organization of the world’s most successful women business leaders. Recently, Tracy received the EY Entrepreneur of The Year® 2017 Award in the Manufacturing & Distribution category in Los Angeles, California. Tracy currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her grade school-aged children.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


31

HELIX WWW.HELIXSLEEP.COM

Helix’s (the “Company”) mission is to empower individuals to be their best selves through customized sleep. We are a direct-to-consumer sleep brand that offers personalized, custom-made mattresses based on how you sleep. Each mattress is designed to your body type, sleeping position, temperature, and feel preferences using our proprietary sleep algorithm.

Backed by our sleep technology based on academic research and built with high quality 100% USA-made materials, each mattress is shipped directly to your doorstep at a fair price. Helix also sells pillows, mattress protectors, box springs, bed frames, sheets and adjustable bases. We have an aggressive new product roadmap to extend into new sleep categories.

In just over two years since launching in August 2015, Helix has sold tens of thousands of mattresses with over 250+ million hours slept on our beds and has an average customer rating of 4.7 out of 5. Consumers are reporting a 36% average improvement in self-reported sleep quality after sleeping on a Helix. The Company has been featured in GQ, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes and, among others.

Helix is Series A funded and headquartered in New York City.

ADAM TISHMANCO-FOUNDER

Adam Tishman is a Co-founder of Helix. Prior to Helix, Adam worked at a brand incubator that specialized in B2C start-up brand building advising companies on strategy and marketing. Shortly thereafter, he helped launch the consumer packaged goods company, Sheets Brand, a line of dissolvable oral energy and sleep strips, with brand endorsers and investors, who included LeBron James and Serena Williams.

Adam graduated with an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and earned a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, where Helix was born with two other co-founders. Adam currently lives in New York with his wife. Adam is six feet and two inches tall, sleeps on his back, sweats buckets at night and prefers a medium-firm mattress.

KRISTIAN VON RICKENBACHCO-FOUNDER

Kristian von Rickenbach is a Co-founder of Helix. Prior to Helix, Kristian began his career at L.E.K. Consulting before transitioning to Google’s corporate strategy team, where worked on several new product launches, including Google Wallet. After Google, Kristian worked at Harry’s, analyzing customer data and exploring new growth opportunities.

Kristian graduated with his undergraduate degree from Duke University and earned a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania. Kristian currently lives in New York with his wife. He is five feet and eleven inches tall, sleeps on his side and prefers an extra firm mattress.


+

HIPPEAS WWW.HIPPEAS.COM

HIPPEAS organic chickpea puffs are USDA organic, certified gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO. With three grams of fiber and four grams of protein per one-ounce serving, HIPPEAS are the new go-to snack for those who demand great taste and high-quality ingredients.

Core to the HIPPEAS brand mantra of “Peas Love & Giving Back’” and the insight to its millennial, “modern hippie” consumer, HIPPEAS believes that “tastes good” and “does good” can be in the same sentence. To bring this brand’s purpose to life, HIPPEAS has partnered with Farm Africa. For every pack sold, HIPPEAS donates a portion of sales to support farmers in eastern Africa grow themselves out of poverty and build more prosperous lives.

LIVIO BISTERZOFOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Livio Bisterzo has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Starting his first venture in college when he launched an events business, Livio has a proven track record of starting successful businesses spanning several industries, including hospitality, lifestyle, food and beverage brands. Livio is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of HIPPEAS.

HIPPEAS website was launched in April 2016. Since then, the Company’s all-new range of organic chickpea puffs, has shaken up global snacking with a bold brand story and purpose, clear health credentials and exciting flavor profiles. HIPPEAS was created by the talented team at Green Park to appeal to the increasingly health and socially conscious millennial consumer and is already one of the fastest growing snack foods brands in the category.

Livio moved from Italy to the United Kingdom in 1999 at the age of 18 and studied at London’s prestigious University of the Arts. In 2016, he moved to the United States and currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife and three children.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


33

HOPE FOODS LLC WWW.HOPEFOODS.COM

Hope Foods LLC (“Hope”) is committed to providing fresh and better-tasting dips and spreads. Its lines of hummus and guacamole use honest ingredients, are USDA-certified Organic and have been sourced from partners that share Hope’s values around freshness, wholesomeness, teamwork and innovation. Hope Foods uses a unique, state-of-the-art high-pressure processing (HPP) technology to ensure that its hummus and guacamole stay fresh, without an influx of preservatives. Hope Foods products are available for purchase at major grocery and natural stores nationwide.

ROBBIE RECH CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Robbie Rech is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Foods, an emerging natural food company based in Boulder, Colorado. A lifelong student of business, Robbie gained his first entrepreneurial experience at the age of five, by selling worms on his front porch. Unfortunately, since his parents did not allow him to expand beyond their small cul-de-sac, that enterprise quickly folded.

Fifteen years later, Robbie and several friends launched a software startup out of his dorm room. CampRegister.com—or Thriva, as it would eventually be renamed—aimed to simplify the then-arduous process of online registration for summer camps and sports leagues. Within seven years, Thriva was serving several thousand organizations on a subscription-based model, until it was acquired by The Active Network in 2007.

After selling Thriva, Robbie spent the next several years helping build a non-profit adventure company called Peak7 Adventures, which provides challenging wilderness experiences to under-privileged youth in the Pacific Northwest. Many hikes and camping trips later, Robbie moved to the foodie haven of Boulder, Colorado, where in 2011 he co-founded Hope Hummus as a farmers’ market venture with a group of friends. In the last six years, Hope has become a breakaway success by creating the most innovative and high-quality hummus and guacamole recipes you have ever tasted. Somewhere in the midst of all that, Robbie received a bachelor’s in computer science and a master’s in management science and engineering at Stanford University.



HORIZON FOOD GROUP WWW.HORIZONFOODGROUP.COM

Horizon Food Group (“Horizon” or the “Company”) is a leading supplier of sweet baked snacks to the convenience, diet and food service channels. Since its start in the late 1970’s, the Company has prided itself on using the finest ingredients to develop delicious tasting snacks that remind you of “homemade goodness away from home.” Today its products are sold in over 50,000 locations throughout the United States. Because of the Company’s belief in listening to its customers, it has been able to form long term relationships with some of the leading food service and retail companies in the country by developing custom items specific to their needs.

ROBERT SHARPPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Robert Sharp joined Horizon in 1991 as Chief Financial Officer of its coffee division, Coffee Bean International (“CBI”). He has over 27 years of experience in the food/baking industry. In 1998, Robert was promoted to President of CBI. From 1999 to 2003, he grew the division from $14 million in sales and $1.5 million in EBITDA to $22 million and $3.5 million, respectively. The division was successfully sold in 2004 and Robert remained at Horizon Food Group as its President and Chief Executive Officer.

Robert grew up in Portland, Oregon and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and golfing. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business from Portland State University in 1978.


35

INNOVATIVE NUTRITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES WWW.INNOVATIVENUTRITIONTECH.COM

Innovative Nutritional Technologies (the “Company”) wants to help its clients create their next product.

As a known industry leader, Innovative Nutritional Technologies is used to working with all types of clients - local or global, large or small. Exceptional quality is the foundation of the Company and is the driving force behind all decisions. No matter what the project size, Innovative Nutritional Technologies will take its client’s ideas and turn them into reality.

Innovative Nutritional Technologies works in a highly competitive industry where the only clients that companies will engage are large orders. Innovative Nutritional Technologies invests in smaller projects – no matter the size. The Company is constantly investing in technology to stay ahead of the curve. Its commitment to quality guarantees both clients and its success. Client’s projects are Innovative Nutritional Technologies’ passion.

Innovative Nutritional Technologies is a premier sports nutrition manufacturer. The Company combines industry experience and contract manufacturing expertise to create client’s products and brands.

Innovative Nutritional Technologies offers its clients product concepts, social media optimization, marketing, flavor development, CGMP manufacturing, laboratory services, package and label design, fulfillment and logistics, regulatory compliance support and documentation.

NICHOLAS VASILIOUFOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Nicholas Vasiliou is an entrepreneur, inventor and scientist. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innovative Nutritional Technologies, a sports nutrition manufacturer and think tank. He has spent over a decade building and growing brands in the beauty, wellness and sports nutrition sectors, across multiple markets.

Nicholas is an expert at identifying demand of non-existent products and innovating unique, fast-moving consumer goods and taking them to market. He is widely recognized as the pioneer of the grass-fed movement in the sports nutrition sector by launching the first all-natural, grass-fed protein powder and creating a market many did not believe could work. He has spent the last few years developing strategic relationships with social media trainers, celebrities and influencers to partner with, and design, direct-to-consumer brands and special editions.

Nicholas resides in La Canada Flintridge, California, with his wife Maria and four children. He is an active member of their community and school district. He received his degree in biology with an emphasis in cellular molecular biology. In addition to his primary business pursuits, Nicholas envisions a future where genetic and metabolic testing, combine with personalized nutrition and workout regiments to optimize health and performance.


+

INTERNATIONAL COOKWARE WWW.PYREXUK.COM

International Cookware (the “Company”), headquartered in France, designs, manufactures and distributes cookware and kitchen products, including glass and ceramic ovenware, metal bakeware, top-of-stove cookware, prepware, utensils and storage products, among others. The Company primarily sells its manufactured tempered borosilicate glass ovenware products under the PYREX brand name within Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The Company also sells products under its proprietary Ôcuisine brand within EMEA, North and South America and Asia. International Cookware manufactures all glass products in-house and operates the world’s largest borosilicate glass cookware and manufacturing plant in the world.

JOSE LUIS LLACUNA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jose Luis Llacuna has more than 25 years of experience in the world of retail and wholesale.

Jose Luis has held various managing positions in France and Spain, including Business Development Manager for Iberia and Managing Director of the Jardiland Group, a European leader in the distribution of gardening and pet products, as well as President of SIA Home Fashion, a prestigious home decoration brand. Over the last few years, Jose Luis has worked as a strategic consultant for a diverse portfolio of clients as well as senior adviser for various investment funds.

With strong international experience and a reputation for successful team leadership, Jose Luis is responsible for implementing and accelerating the ambitious plans of International Cookware, which aim to take the Company to a leadership position in the cookware sector over the coming years.

By utilizing his strong international experience and reputation for successful leadership, Jose Luis is focusing the Company on achieving its maximum potential through product innovation in glass and other materials and market expansion.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


37

JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS WWW.JENIS.COM

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (“Jeni’s” or the “Company”) was founded in 2002 by Jeni Britton Bauer, a James Beard Award winner, and Henry Crown Fellow. Jeni brought a chef’s focus on quality and an artist’s creativity to what had always been a commodity product. She was also highly focused on creating community through her company’s sourcing, culture and shops.

In 2009, with four scoop shops in Columbus, Ohio, and a local cult following, Jeni brought in a long-time friend and GE executive, John Lowe, as Chief Executive Officer to help her grow the business. The Company now has 33 company-owned scoop shops, from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, California, its pints on the shelves of approximately 2,000 specialty, natural and conventional grocers and a booming direct-to-home e-commerce business.

Jeni’s first book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, is credited with being the bedrock on which the artisan / craft ice cream movement was founded. It is among The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal best sellers. The Company has received innumerable accolades, from a Time Magazine headline asking, “Can the Best Ice Cream in America Be the Biggest?” to, Fast Company and Fortune, as well as Best Dessert and Best Product Line Sofie Awards from the Specialty Food Association. In 2016, Castanea Partners made a significant investment in the Company, which continues to operate as a B Lab-certified B Corporation.

JOHN LOWECHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

John Lowe joined Jeni’s in 2009 as Chief Executive Officer and Part-Owner after receiving a late-night call from his long-time friends, Jeni Britton Bauer and Charly Bauer. The couple knew they had created something amazing, and they knew their friend was just the person to help it skyrocket. John took the leap to the four-shop ice cream company based on his belief that Jeni Britton Bauer was a once-in-a-generation talent who was making the finest ice cream the world had ever known.

John has appeared on Bloomberg and MSNBC, but generally remains behind the scenes in favor of the Company’s founder, who remains its creative driving force. For the Company’s handling of a 2015 outbreak of listeria monocytogenes, including its transparency with consumers and management through the crisis, John received the Specialty Food Association 2016 Business Leadership Award.

Prior to Jeni’s, John served in numerous leadership roles with General Electric Company (“GE”), including stints as General Counsel of GE’s Business and General Aviation startup and its Aviation Services Global Operations. While at GE, John served as an Officer of GE Honda Aero Engines, a joint venture created to power HondaJet. John began his legal career with Kegler Brown, where he was twice named a Rising Star by Ohio Super Lawyers, was a 40 Under 40 recipient at 29 and was cited by the Columbus Bar Association and Columbus Public Schools for his volunteer work, mentoring and commitment to Columbus-area youth.

John is an outside director of White Castle Company and serves on the advisory boards of Watershed Distillery and Acre Farm-to-Table-To-Go. He also serves on the boards of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Youth Foundation. He is a graduate of University of Illinois, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, GE’s famed Manager Development Course, the Human Performance Institute’s Executive Course and most recently, Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program.


+

JTM FOODS LLC WWW.JJSBAKERY.NET

JTM Foods LLC (“JTM” or the “Company”) was founded in 1986 and acquired by Kainos Capital in September 2014 and is the undisputed leader and “The Only Choice” in snack pies and crispy treats for consumers, customers and its associates and investors. Headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, JTM leverages its 80,000 square foot, SQF Level II, nut-free facility and over 200 associates to provide more than two-thirds of all snack pies sold in America while delivering against Stakeholder expectations.

From the Company’s state of the art, highly efficient low-cost facility in northwest Pennsylvania, JTM is a ten hour / 600 mile or fewer drive from over 135 million people across over 30 major metropolitan North American markets including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Toronto. Selling directly under the JJ’s Bakery brand and through co-packing arrangements with multinational branded producers and retailers, JTM products are available across all retail channels, to include grocery, c-store, club, drug, dollar stores, mass merchants and value grocers as well as on-line.

Building on its industry leading retail distribution, JTM continues to drive significant growth for the Company and category through value added consumer insights and product innovation from varied pack options to unique flavors like award winning Boston Cream duo pies and Gluten-Free Birthday Cake crispy treats. New, creative fillings keep the JTM experience fresh while clean and simple ingredients keep JTM products on trend.

With committed, hands-on senior leadership in a values-driven culture, JTM is driven by continuous improvement across every aspect of the business. JTM’s experienced, customer-centric organization and low-cost operations, allows the Company to deliver significant double-digit, category driving profitable growth.

MONTY POOLEYPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Monty Pooley joined JTM as President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2017. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Shearer’s Snacks, a privately held salty snack supplier of private label, contract manufacturing and branded products from 2012-2017.

Prior to Shearer’s, Monty held executive positions at Sara Lee Corporation as Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, North America, until taking on the role of President, Retail & Food Service and Chief Marketing Officer in 2007. Before Sara Lee, Monty was Vice President, Customer Development and Frozen Foods at H.J. Heinz Company. He joined Heinz after serving as Vice President and General Manager at WebVan Group, an internet grocery retailer headquartered in Foster City, California. Monty began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, trade marketing and business development in the company’s paper products division from 1984 through 1999.

Monty is an advisor for Tecum Capital Partners, a Malcolm Baldrige Executive Fellow and a former member of the Board of Directors of Ciao Bella Gelato. He served two terms on the Industry Affairs Council of the GMA. Monty earned a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he served as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees from 2013-2017.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


39

KATZKIN AUTOMOTIVE LEATHER WWW.KATZKIN.COM

Katzkin Automotive Leather (“Katzkin” or the “Company”) is the nation’s premier designer and manufacturer of professionally installed, factory-fit custom leather interiors for consumer’s cars and trucks. More than 60% of mid-market vehicles come with cloth seats, yet more than 90% of consumers prefer a leather interior. With Katzkin, consumers can transform their vehicle by upgrading to the luxury, comfort and durability of a custom leather interior at an affordable price.

Katzkin’s product is not a seat cover. In partnership with its nationwide installer network, the Company completely re-upholsters the customer’s interior, re-covering all seating and other cloth upholstered surfaces with high quality materials tested to automotive standards, and installed to fit just like the factory leather seat. Katzkin is the only aftermarket leather interior approved by all Fiat Chrysler brands (Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler and Mopar), specialty vehicle builders like Shelby and Roush, and retailers such as AutoNation and CarMax.

Katzkin offers virtually unlimited design customization options including 120 colors and materials, decorative stitching, perforation and more. The Company has a product option for just about everyone, with a library covering almost all mid-market vehicles from the past 20 years that came with original cloth interior from the car maker.

TIM CLYDEPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Tim Clyde is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Katzkin Automotive Leather/ Katzkin, transforms consumers’ vehicles by upgrading the upholstery to the luxury, comfort and durability of a custom leather interior at an affordable price.

Tim is an experienced global executive who has driven sales and profit growth in both the consumer and industrial products sectors. Previously, he served as President of Avery Dennison’s Specialty Materials and Converting group, a diverse portfolio of nine industrial adhesive-based divisions with total revenue of $1.5B. Prior to this role, he was President of Avery Dennison’s Consumer and Office Products group where he led the global expansion of Avery brand office products. Tim began his career at the Boston Consulting Group.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and mathematics from Claremont McKenna College, and a Master of Business Administration from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at University of California Los Angeles. An active community volunteer, Tim serves on the board of directors for United Way in Orange County, California, and Mercy House, which provides support services to the homeless and housing insecure.


+

KIDFRESH WWW.KIDFRESH.COM

Created by parents, for parents with the help of pediatric nutritionists and chefs, Kidfresh offers a line of reinvented frozen kids’ favorite meals enriched with vegetables, made with wholesome ingredients and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Kidfresh started as a concept store in New York City and quickly grew to become a pioneer in better-for-you frozen kids’ meals in the U.S. Kidfresh is the solution for today’s busy parents who want convenient and nutritious kids’ meal options and is now available in over 10,000 grocery stores nationwide.

MATT COHENFOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Born and raised in France, Matt Cohen graduated from the prestigious European business school, Edhec, and went to London at the age of 23 to manage seven outposts of the French clothing outfitter, Rodier. He then joined Accenture, the top management consulting organization that afforded him diverse professional opportunities - first in France, then in the United States where he moved in 1995.

In 2000, after eight years at Accenture, Matt joined EZSize.com, an internet startup that used in-store and 3D scan technology to provide consumers with size and fit recommendations on garments bought online. When the internet bubble burst, he returned to consulting, this time as Chief Operating Officer of Stromberg Consulting. Under Matt’s tenure, Stromberg was turned around, sold to Omnicom Group and ultimately integrated into the group. Soon thereafter, Matt left the corporate world to strike out on his own. As someone who was interested in how brands connect with consumers, he was looking to develop a concept that would truly connect to people’s everyday lives and be meaningful. Upset by the limited healthy food options available to children when he became parent, Matt envisioned a line of better-for-you and tasty kids meals to-go, made with the same quality ingredients enjoyed by parents, but for children. In the space of a single morning, the idea of Kidfresh was born. Matt built the Kidfresh team, creating a whole line of better-for-you food products that would not only appeal to children, but also be a lifestyle brand that makes parents feel good.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


41

LIFEAID BEVERAGE CO. WWW.LIFEAIDBEVCO.COM

LIFEAID Beverage Co. (“LIFEAID” or the “Company”) fuels passion with its clean and refreshing nutritional blends. The same cannot be said about those other one-dimensional products whose “blend” is a bunch of additives, sugar and added caffeine. LIFEAID’s products are tailored for an active lifestyle – without all the junk.

Based in Santa Cruz, California, LIFEAID is an independent brand, not a subsidiary of a large beverage conglomerate. That spirit of independence is reflected in the Company’s culture, its products and the communities it serves. The Company is obsessed with producing high quality, efficacious and niche functional lifestyle drinks to replace the aforementioned one-dimensional “sports” drinks, LIFEAID garnered tremendous traction with CrossFitters and Spartan Racers concerned about clean recovery with the Company’s FITAID sku. Today, the entire LIFEAID product line continues to dominate niche markets and garner significant traction in conventional channels such as grocery and specialty stores, among many others. LIFEAID products are currently sold in tens of thousands of accounts, have more than 500,000 active engaged followers on social media and was twice ranked in the 500 fastest growing companies in the United States.

DR. AARON HINDECO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

In 2011, Dr. Aaron Hinde left his lucrative $350k a year sports chiropractic practice to push the chips “all in” by entering into an industry with a failure rate of 99%, the beverage industry. With zero beverage experience and high hopes of creating the next billion-dollar beverage brand, Aaron moved his family off the grid – literally. With two kids, he downsized his life to live in a 400 square foot home with no power and no income.

Aaron obtained his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Saint Vincent College with a minor in international business and his Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic. He practiced in Santa Cruz, California for 10 years. In 2008, Aaron was elected to serve as a trustee on the Santa Cruz County Board of Education. He was re-elected in 2010. He has since sold his practice and given up politics to focus on making LIFEAID a household name.

ORION MELEHANCO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Orion Melehan was beverage outsider with a big idea. Orion borrowed $30,000 from his 401(k) to fund LIFEAID while the economy was still in crisis. In the five short years since, the growth of LifeAID has been explosive. Today LIFEAID is worth tens of millions of dollars, but ask Orion, and he’ll tell you their growth is just getting underway. This was all accomplished by first nailing their concept, product and branding and then creating hundreds of thousands of raving fans and selling millions of cans before ever hitting a conventional retail shelf.

Orion believes that the Santa Cruz free thinking lifestyle and wealth of outdoor recreational activities played a big part in the LIFEAID concept. Orion graduated from University of California Santa Barbara and prior to launching LIFEAID had his own practice as a Certified Financial Planner.


+

MASTERBUILT MANUFACTURING, LLC WWW.MASTERBUILT.COM

Masterbuilt Manufacturing, LLC (“Masterbuilt” or the “Company”) is a leading designer and marketer of branded smokers, fryers, grills and other accessories in electric, propane and charcoal varieties. The Company has strong brand recognition and is the leading player in the electric category for smokers and fryers.

Masterbuilt works with most major retailers, both in store and online, and has entrenched relationships with its customers through its differentiated product partnerships by offering exclusive SKUs or sub-brands. Founded in 1973, the Company has pursued innovations that turned Masterbuilt into a category-defining company.

To this day, John McLemore carries on the family legacy (along with his son, John, the third generation of Masterbuilt). Together with its private equity partner, Dominus Capital, Masterbuilt is committed to taking even greater leaps forward as a trusted brand and world-renowned household name. Masterbuilt believes that given the right tools, anything can be mastered. The Company builds products that make its customers proud and help create signature dishes that become family traditions.

JOHN McLEMOREPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

John McLemore is the Co-Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Masterbuilt, a manufacturer of indoor and outdoor consumer cooking products.

John’s passion for product sales began at the ripe old age of eight. He would load up his Red Ryder wagon with the plant stands his father made and cart them around the neighborhood, selling his wares door-to-door. This passion has carried through his entire life. Once he turned 16 and was able to drive, he took on a more formal role in sales with his father’s company. His first truck took over for the red wagon and his neighborhood route expanded throughout the southeast. Since then, the brand has gone worldwide and has established a reputation as an innovator in the cooking products industry.

As a leader in the industry, John is not afraid to take risks and keep pushing himself harder. With faith in God and a lot of hard work, he continues to face challenges without fear. He has traveled the world over and learned a lot of lessons about life and food along the way. Everywhere he goes, he has requests for recipes, tips and secrets for his meals. Always a solution-maker, he knew it was time to share his family story and recipes in a cookbook, and from there came his three best-selling cookbooks - the Dadgum, That’s Good! series.

John is a pilot, fun-loving storyteller and a practical joker. He is a Chief Executive Officer with a heart and is energized by the success of others. Of all his adventures, the most exciting has been his marriage to Tonya. They have three grown children and reside in the Columbus, Georgia, area.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


43

MIGHTY QUINN’S BARBEQUE WWW.MIGHTYQUINNSBBQ.COM

Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque (“Mighty Quinn’s” or the “Company”) offers up slow smoked all-naturally raised meats and chef curated sides in a comfortable fast casual setting. The Company emphasizes creating amazing food as much as offering a great guest experience. Mighty Quinn’s began smoking meats at outdoor food markets in Brooklyn before opening its flagship restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village in 2012. In addition to receiving many food related accolades, the Company has expanded to ten locations in the New York/New Jersey area including a restaurant in Yankee Stadium. Mighty Quinn’s also opened five locations oversees with its franchise partners.

Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque carries a 2.5 star rating from the New York Times and was recently named TimeOut New York’s 100 best restaurants in 2018.

CHRISTOS GOURMOSCO-FOUNDER

Christos Gourmos brings a lifetime of hospitality experience to Mighty Quinn’s. His innate abilities trace back to his parents, who owned and operated a Greek restaurant in New Jersey where Christos began helping at age 15, before growing several successful companies in the food industry.

“While we’ve expanded rapidly, Mighty Quinn’s revolves around great service, a welcoming atmosphere and, of courseredible barbeque made with love,” he explains. With a focus on operations at Mighty Quinn’s, Christos makes a personal priority to cultivate a consistent, yet refreshing, experience at every location.

With relevant education and experience in his parents’ restaurant as well as a fast-paced local deli, Christos acquired his first business, The Venetian Catering, one of New Jersey’s largest catering operations, which he successfully exited in 2013. Also adding a restaurant to his portfolio, Christos co-founded THAVMA Mediterranean Grill in Livingston, New Jersey, offering a menu of Greek and Middle Eastern specialties.

MICHA MAGIDCO-FOUNDER

Micha Magid, alongside two co-founders, identified an opportunity to fill a void within the fast-casual industry. Culminating dining experience that emphasizes authentic barbeque, friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere, Mighty Quinn’s grew from a Smorgasburg tent, to a flagship restaurant, to a brand that now features locations throughout the New York metropolitan area, Asia and the Middle East.

Micha started his career at JPMorgan Chase in its M&A department. He later moved into investment management at several funds focusing on value opportunities as well as special situation investment strategies. Micha also served as Director of Research at SuttonBrook Capital Management and took on the roles of anchor investor and board member for the New York City-based Bulldog Gin. Micha is a graduate of New York University Stern School of Business.


+

NUMI ORGANIC TEA WWW.NUMITEA.COM

Numi Organic Tea (“Numi” or the “Company”) inspires well-being of mind, body and spirit through the simple art of tea. A labor of love created by brother and sister, Ahmed and Reem Rahim, the Company began in 1999 in Oakland, California. Numi’s ethos is rooted in the principle of creating a healthful product that nurtures people and honors the planet. Numi tea is made with the highest quality organic, non-GMO ingredients that are sourced directly from Fair Trade Certified TM gardens. Numi uses only real fruits, flowers and spices, making for unique, balanced and authentic-tasting blends. Known for its premium quality and smart innovation, Numi is excited to be the brand that introduces new teas and herbs to the marketplace.

Numi’s commitment to celebrating people, planet and pure tea goes deep. In addition to improving livelihoods as a top purchaser of Fair Trade Certified ingredients, Numi is a founding member of both B Corporation and OSC2, through which it is developing industry-wide sustainable packaging solutions with other like-minded brands. Through the Numi Foundation, the Company also drives Together for H2OPE, a non-profit initiative that provides clean drinking water to farming communities around the world. Numi strives to foster a healthy, thriving global community while bringing its customers the purest, best-tasting organic tea.

AHMED RAHIM CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Ahmed Rahim is the Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Alchemist behind Numi Organic Tea, the largest premium, organic, Fair Trade Certified tea company in North America. Ahmed is responsible for all the unique Numi blends and products the Company introduces to the marketplace. He started the Company in 1999 in Oakland, California, with his sister, Reem Rahim Hassani.

At Numi, Ahmed travels to remote regions of the world seeking unique herbs and teas unknown in the United States, building partnerships with farmers and their communities along the way.

At home in the Bay Area, Ahmed co-founded OSC2, One Step Closer to an Organic Sustainable Community, a national community of chief executive officers and business leaders driving positive change and building sustainable awareness in the food industry. He also chairs the Numi Foundation and sits on various for profit and non-profit boards enhancing their growth strategy and sustainability goals. Ahmed’s core goal is to be in service to those focused on caring for their community and creating positive change for the environment.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


45

ORBIT WWW.ORBITONLINE.COM

Orbit (the “Company”) is a leading smart technology company that has more outdoor water flow through its products than any other brand in North America.

Orbit offers integrated residential water optimization products for the entire customer lifecycle. The Company designs and builds water management products and technology to deliver connected home and yard solutions.

Orbit helps homeowners, landscape professionals and farmers across six continents and 40 countries gain total control of their irrigation needs, saving time, water and money.

STUART EYRINGCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Stuart Eyring is Chief Executive Officer at Orbit and Hydro-Rain, worldwide leaders in watering innovation. As Chief Executive Officer, Stuart drives the unprecedented growth of retail, professional, digital and international channels, leads worldwide engineering, manufacturing and quality systems and pioneers water-related IoT solutions for the masses.

Before becoming Chief Executive Officer, Stuart served as the Chief Operating Officer at Orbit. He drove significant growth through a continued focus on innovation and automation, including development and highly successful launch of the new line of B-hyve smart irrigation controllers for residential, commercial and agricultural markets across the globe.

Prior to joining Orbit, Stuart spent 11 years at Ford Motor Company as a member of the marketing leadership team. He served as the company’s first Zone Manager for Vietnam, Marketing Plans and Business Development Manager for Asia-Pacific, Brand Strategy Manager for South America and Sales and Marketing Director for the Andean markets.

Stuart grew up in Bountiful, Utah, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is an enthusiastic tennis player and enjoys coaching his children.


+

REFAC OPTICAL GROUP WWW.NATIONWIDEVISION.COM | WWW.USVISION.COM

Refac Optical Group (“Refac” or the “Company”), a leading provider of vision care products and services, and is the parent company of U.S.Vision and Nationwide Vision. U.S.Vision operates licensed optical departments in more than 700 retail locations through partnerships with department stores, wholesale clubs, mass merchants and military exchanges. Nationwide Vision operates free-standing optical stores with 83 retail locations, three medical centers and a Laser eye center in Arizona, along with other retail locations in Tampa, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. Both U.S.Vision and Nationwide Vision are full-service vision care centers that offer a wide selection of designer brand and private-label eyewear, contact lenses and sunglasses. Complete eye examinations are offered by a team of optometrists and ophthalmologists. The Company also operates a single, eco-friendly optical laboratory where custom orders are fulfilled daily.

ADAM LEVYCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT

Adam Levy has been Chief Executive Officer and President of Refac Optical Group since September 2015. Prior to Refac, Adam served as President of Retail for Tumi where he was responsible for developing and executing strategies to grow sales and profitability of Tumi’s North American retail business channel. Adam managed their direct-to-consumer businesses, including e-commerce and retail merchandising, with profit and loss responsibility, as well as responsibility for the consumer experience.

Before Tumi, Adam was the President of Retail at Liz Claiborne. Adam has also served as President of Retail, Ready-to-Wear at Jones Apparel Group; Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Retail at Tommy Hilfiger; Vice President-Divisional Merchandise Manager for Footwear at Bob’s Stores, and has held various buying and management positions at R.H. Macy & Co.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


47

REGENT HOLDING COMPANY CREATIVECOOP.COM | BLOOMINGVILLE.COM | ILLUMECANDLES.COM

Regent Holding Company (“Regent” or the “Company”) is a designer and distributor of home décor, home fragrance and personal fragrance products.

Regent operates three primary brands, Creative Co-Op, Bloomingville and Illume, which are sold to over 15,000 independent retail accounts in the United States and 3,000 in Europe through a network of over 250 sales representatives. Product procurement is supported by a wholly-owned, China-based sourcing office and a Minneapolis-based manufacturing facility, and products are distributed from facilities in the United States, Europe and China.

Regent’s broad customer base provides an incredibly valuable source of data. The Company leverages the collective preferences of its nearly 20,000 independent retail accounts in a variety of ways: to more accurately forecast and manage inventory levels, to inform future product development direction and to support a significant private label business to larger national accounts.

Regent’s strong inventory position enables the Company to be a valuable partner to retailers that want to react quickly to trends and need immediate inventory availability. This value resonates with independent retailers, with national retailers who are looking to react more quickly to trends and, especially, with e-commerce partners, a key focus area for Regent.

Regent’s focused strategy has enabled the management team to deliver consistently strong returns to investors. Over the past five years, Regent has grown revenue and EBITDA at compound annual growth rates in excess of 20%, while making continued investments in infrastructure to support future growth.

EUGENE WANGCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Eugene Wang is the Chief Executive Officer of Regent Holding, where he has held various roles since 2002. During this time, Eugene has lived in Memphis, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and San Francisco, where he now resides with his wife and three children. Eugene has traveled extensively in both sales and product development capacities, and today, Eugene spends much of his time working with Regent’s brands: Creative Co-Op, Illume and Bloomingville, in the United States, Asia and Europe.

Prior to Regent, Eugene was a management consultant with the Monitor Group. Eugene is a graduate of University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.


+

REUNITED CLOTHING WWW.REUNITEDCLOTHING.COM

Reunited Clothing (the “Company”) is a leading designer and distributor of contemporary private label and branded juniors’ and women’s apparel, serving the high-end and moderate department, specialty chain discount store and mass channels. The Company offers a multi-tier brand strategy including private label products and owned brands such as Marled and Embossed, to serve a diverse set of retailers’ needs and consumer demographics. Reunited Clothing was founded in 2011 by four talented industry veterans, Donald Kesselman, Jeffrey Sherman, Hilda Batayneh and Jerry Firestone, who combined their respective strengths to start the business. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality, fashionable products including sweaters, woven tops, knits, dresses and various other apparel items. Since its founding, Reunited Clothing has developed an outstanding reputation in the market for its ability to design innovative and customized products addressing all retailer needs, from core essentials to high-novelty, one-of-a-kind collection pieces.

DONALD KESSELMAN CO-FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Donald (“Don”) Kesselman co-founded Reunited Clothing in 2011 and serves as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. In these roles, Don oversees all aspects of Reunited Clothing’s strategic vision and operation, including sales and vendor relationships. Prior to co-founding the business, Don served as the President of Sales at Ralsey Group, a New York-based knitwear and sportswear company offering a diversified line of women’s and children’s ready-to-wear apparel for specialty retailers and mass merchants. Previously, Don was the Owner and President of Great American Sportswear, a privately-held apparel company specializing in dresses, skirts and other items. Don received a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a Juris Doctor with a specialization in banking, corporate finance and securities law from the St. John’s University School of Law.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


49

RUG DOCTOR® WWW.RUGDOCTOR.COM

Rug Doctor® (the “Company”) is the global market leader in professional-grade, do-it-yourself floor cleaning systems for consumers providing a quality clean at a better value than professionals. Rug Doctor® was created in 1974 in the garage of a professional floor cleaner who believed it was possible to empower consumers to achieve professional-quality results themselves. Rug Doctor® continues to deliver on that promise with iconic red machines that are available for rent in more than 40,000 retail locations and for purchase at major retailers like Walmart, Tesco and Amazon.

Originally established in Fresno, California, Rug Doctor® relocated its corporate headquarters to Plano, Texas, a suburb just north of Dallas, in 1998. The Company has grown from a regional West Coast operation to an international manufacturer and marketer of the most convenient floor cleaning machines and products available today.

Present-day United States operations include a main manufacturing facility in Fenton, Missouri, with more than 30 warehouse distribution points and service centers and a product manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom.

TRAVIS L. LEWISCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Travis L. Lewis is Chief Executive Officer of Rug Doctor®. Travis joined Rug Doctor® in 2015, bringing more than 20 years of relevant industry leadership, strategy expertise and executive management experience to his role with the Company.

Since joining Rug Doctor®, Travis has set out to improve and modernize all aspects of the business, which has included a complete relaunch of the rental business with all new products and a focus on making Rug Doctor® the number one fastest growing product in retail deep carpet cleaning including the introduction of a new, versatile Flexclean® product. He also added significant technology and automation to the retail logistics platform which performs over 400,000 retail service visits annually and invested in significant new talent hires from across the consumer product industry in marketing, product, sales and technology.

In 2017 alone, with a new management team, Travis spearheaded the launch of more new product than any point in the Company’s 44-year history, demonstrating rental growth in the four key markets where the business was relaunched.

Previously, Travis served as President of Inmar, a technology company that operates intelligent commerce networks based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Other work experience includes leadership roles at The Home Depot, McKinsey & Company and Procter & Gamble.

Lewis earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. He currently resides in the Dallas, Texas area with his wife and two children.


+

SHOE SENSATION, INC. WWW.SHOESENSATION.COM

Since 1984, the mission at Shoe Sensation, Inc. has been to offer customers quality and brand name footwear in less populated communities, for the entire family. Shoe Sensation, Inc. carries national brands such as Skechers, Clarks, Crocs, Sperry and Bearpaws, plus a wide range of the most popular athletic brands for the family from Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Vans, Puma and Converse. It also has a large selection of workwear brands including CAT, Timberland Pro, Wolverine, Skechers Work and more.

In addition to its sensational product offering, Shoe Sensation, Inc. strives to be a good steward in the communities in which it operates. Shoe Sensation, Inc. places a high priority on making a difference through participation in local events and supporting local charitable organizations.

Shoe Sensation, Inc. continues to expand its physical footprint, reaching over 185 stores by year-end, 2018. Additionally, Shoe Sensation, Inc. is placing an increased focus on its dot com and omnichannel evolution in 2018, continuing to provide its customers with more shopping options and better meet their needs.

DAVE SCHOENGARTCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dave Schoengart is Chief Executive Officer for Shoe Sensation, Inc. While Dave started at Shoe Sensation, Inc. in 2007, he has been in the shoe business for 32 years starting with Acton Enterprises. Dave attended Eastern Kentucky University where he studied fire engineering and emergency medicine. Dave has held senior level positions with both companies in sales, store operations, supply chain, new store development, logistics and real estate. Dave has been Chief Executive Officer since early 2017.

EDDIE PRICEEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Eddie joined Shoe Sensation, Inc. in late 2011 as Chief Financial Officer and has since increased his finance and accounting responsibilities to include leadership over real estate, logistics and supply chain and IT operations.

Eddie has over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, process improvement, acquisitions, auditing, budgeting and accounting. Prior to joining Shoe Sensation, he held various management positions with Brown Forman Corporation, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, Louisville Gas & Electric and RecoverCare.

Eddie earned his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in accounting from Indiana University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


51

SUPERIOR AUTO, INC. WWW.SUPERIOR-AUTO.COM

Superior Auto, Inc. (“Superior Auto” or the “Company”) is a leading specialty finance business that sells quality used vehicles while providing in-house financing options to credit constrained customers, commonly referred to as “Buy-Here/Pay-Here” (BHPH). The Company, founded in 1975, currently has over 10,000 active accounts across 64 locations mainly throughout Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky. It is also one of the fastest growing participants in the BHPH market and realizes one of the highest pre-tax ROAA in the consumer finance or auto retail sectors. The Company has increased its store base 20% over the past three years and realized 15% same store sales growth in 2017.

CHAD MELCHIPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Chad Melchi has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Superior Auto and SAC Finance since January 2006. In 2012, Chad oversaw the sale of the Company and continues to lead the business and deliver industry-leading growth and profitability. Prior to joining Superior Auto, Chad was a Territory Operations Manager with School Specialty (SCOO), a school and furniture and supply company. In addition to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer, Chad serves as a Director of Superior Auto. He also holds Director positions on the boards of four additional privately-owned companies.

RICH DELL’AQUILAMEMBER OF THE BOARD

Rich Dell’Aquila is a Managing Director at Brookside Equity Partners (“Brookside”). Prior to joining Brookside, he was a Managing Director at Parallel Investment Partners, a Principal at Southfield Capital Advisors, a Research Analyst and member of the investment team at Sasco Capital, and the Director of Finance & Corporate Development for Pangea. Rich started his career as a Financial Analyst in the leveraged finance group at Bear Stearns.

SKIP FALGOUTCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Skip Falgout has a unique background as a corporate attorney specializing in M&A and federal securities law. His experience comes from having served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of America’s Car-Mart, serving on the board of directors of INX, as a member of the board of directors of Sovereign Bank Shares and as Chairman of the Board of Sovereign. He is a member of the board of directors of Veritex and Chairman of the Board of Superior Auto Group. He is also a Senior Executive Advisor with Brookside Equity Partners.

Additionally, Skip is an active owner of several businesses and real estate investments that he oversees.


+

TEA COLLECTION WWW.TEACOLLECTION.COM

Tea Collection (“Tea” or the “Company”) is a leading kids’ clothing e-commerce brand, with its direct-to-consumer business launched in 2007. The Company is distinguished by the global inspiration of each collection, the unique and recognizable aesthetic and the commitment to quality and giveback. Each season the design team travels to different parts of the globe, immersing themselves in the culture and then interpreting their experience into a seasonal collection. Tea offers a full apparel assortment for newborn through tweens, complemented online with other brands for outerwear, shoes and accessories.

With a best-in-class net promoter score, Tea has consistent and remarkable customer lifetime values as well as a passionate advocate group that calls themselves “Tea Collection Obsessed.” The Company remains founder-led and -owned and profitable for more than ten years. Tea partners with local boutiques and Nordstrom to drive brand awareness and brick and mortar sales. Tea also has success with catalogs that can showcase the assortment and brand. Now with 70 employees, San Francisco, California-based Tea Collection has been recognized for several years in Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies as well the San Francisco Business Times lists of fastest growing companies and largest women owned companies in the Bay Area.

Every purchase of Tea gives back through a long-time partnership with the Global Fund for Children. Tea Collection was founded to inspire global connection and curiosity. The co-founders, Leigh and Emily, are committed to helping parents make the foreign familiar for their children and to find common ground around the world.

EMILY MEYER CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

Emily Meyer earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in fashion design from Parsons School of Design. She spent nearly ten years as a designer for several apparel brands including Ralph Lauren, Esprit and Gymboree. Emily is a frequent speaker at blogger conferences and is often found volunteering in her kids’ preschool. She currently lives in Palo Alto, California, with her husband, son, age nine, and daughter, age seven. Emily grew up in a small town in the Texas hill country where her mom was a foreign language teacher and raised Emily to understand that travel is the best education.

LEIGH RAWDON CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Leigh Rawdon grew up in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, then went to Davidson College to earn her Bachelor of Arts in English and to Harvard Business School for her Master of Business Administration. Leigh taught entrepreneurship as a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and she is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Leigh lives in Oakland, California with her husband and two sons, ages nine and eleven. Leigh looks back to her high school French class trip to Paris as the pivotal point when she understood the power and importance of travel to fuel curiosity and connection. She and her family keep their passports active with family trips to China, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica and Mexico. Leigh and her husband are committed to raising their boys to be citizens of the world.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


53

THINKBABY : THINKSPORT WWW.GOTHINKBABY.COM | WWW.GOTHINKSPORT.COM

Working with a team of physicians and scientists focused on the latest biological and chemical sciences, Thinkbaby and Thinksport (collectively “Think” or the “Company”) lead in the development of safe, non-toxic consumer products. To date, the Company has produced a long list of firsts including first BPA free baby bottle, first insulated sports bottle line, first sun care line to pass Whole Foods Premium Care requirements, first transformational baby bottle line, first non-toxic yoga mat line and a patent pending natural deodorant line.

In the early years, Think focused on growing its portfolio of safe solutions and, while profitable, the Company has spent the last seven years driving sales and marketing. Think has grown more than 900% with strong EBITDA, products available in 12 thousand locations in North America and a strong footprint across Asia. The growth comes from new store placements, expansion of products within existing retailers, global expansion, strong e-commerce growth and a robust product development pipeline. This is a direct result of consumers embracing the Company’s products as they search for safer solutions from sun care and baby feeding to hydration.

Think created Thinksocial as its socially responsible arm of Thinkbaby and Thinksport. Its unique approach empowers its followers every year to vote on 20 top non-profits. Four of these organizations become partners for the year, whereby a portion of sales assists these organizations in their pursuit of environmental safety, global health and scientific advances.

“Think is not a baby bottle company, sunscreen company or a sports bottle company, we are a safe products company. We specifically identify products and categories which are hampered by harmful chemicals and produce alternative solutions,” explains Kevin Brodwick, Founder of Thinkbaby and Thinksport. “Through the Company’s process of innovation, it continues to expand and lead by example.”

KEVIN BRODWICKFOUNDER

Kevin Brodwick’s path to launching Thinkbaby and Thinksport started at a much earlier age. With parents that were heavy weights within scientific world, it was not uncommon for top scientists and Nobel Prize winners to be a fixture at the dinner table. What became abundantly clear at an early age was there was a big disconnect from those conversations and the critical health implications which were not reaching the general population.

Prior to launching Thinkbaby and Thinksport, Kevin worked for a lab funded by the National Institutes of Health on harmful chemicals leaching from consumer products. During the time at the lab, Kevin also educated the public and corporations about the expanse of the issue. After receiving tremendous push back from major consumer product companies, Kevin brought his interest in health and preventative medicine and his background in biotechnology together to form a mission-based company. The sole purpose of Thinkbaby and Thinksport is to create alternative products for babies to athletes alike.

Armed with previous experience from both the startup world to Fortune 500, Kevin’s skillset from science, business development and marketing to product design allowed him to build a strong foundation to tackle a large assortment of consumer products.

When not knee deep in building the Company, Kevin maintains one of the longest careers of racing triathlons in the Southwest United States. In addition to the building the Company, Kevin continues to educate consumers and retailers on the harmful effects of chemicals in everyday use.


+

TOUCH OF MODERN WWW.TOUCHOFMODERN.COM

Touch of Modern (the “Company”) is the leading e-commerce app for men to discover cutting edge products. Catering to male millennial tastemakers, Touch of Modern focuses on offering unique and new-to-market products not easily found at traditional retailers, with more than 250+ new items added daily. Touch of Modern was named one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America by the Inc. 5000 for two consecutive years and its founders were awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the Company has over 14 million users.

JERRY HUMCO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jerry Hum is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Touch of Modern, the curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products, fashion brands and accessories to elevate their lifestyle.

Recently named (along with his Touch of Modern co-founders) one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2015, Jerry plays a key role in determining which products, brands and designers are featured on Touch of Modern. Trained in architecture and with a strong background in design, Jerry applies a systematic approach to curation, evaluating each proposed item against a strict set of criteria to meet customer demand and brand standards. Jerry is also a self-taught coder and when Touch of Modern launched, he handled all the front-end design and development.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


55

TOWNSHEND GROUP WWW.BREWDRKOMBUCHA.COM

In 2006, Townshend Group (“Townshend” or the “Company”) was founded with the idea of serving great teas in a casual teahouse setting. In 2008, the Company began making kombucha in the kitchens of Townshend’s original two teahouses, giving it the name Brew Dr. Kombucha. The brewing approach is unique, as the majority of commercially available kombucha products are flavored with juice at the time of bottling. Brew Dr. Kombucha’s flavor profiles come from attention to the quality and formulation of the organic tea and botanicals the Company uses, which creates a difference its customers can taste.

Townshend is comprised of three operating businesses: Townshend’s Tea Company, Brew Dr. Kombucha and Townshend’s Distillery. The Company believes in having as little impact on our natural environment as possible and it has stayed true to its roots as a tea company, using high quality organic tea in every batch. Townshend’s Tea Company currently operates nine retail teahouses throughout the Northwest, Brew Dr. Kombucha is sold in all 50 U.S. states and across Canada and Townshend’s Distillery is the world’s first tea distillery and has fast earned recognition and awards for its line of innovative tea-based spirits products.

Brew Dr. Kombucha grew 150% in 2017 after achieving 100% growth in 2016. The Company currently brews, ferments and bottles over 600,000 bottles of kombucha every week in its own 60,000 square-foot brewery space. All three companies are based in Portland, Oregon.

MATT THOMAS FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Matt Thomas is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Townshend Group. The Company was derived as a result of Matt’s senior year project at the University of Oregon. He was tasked with creating a business plan for a new idea that would serve a niche market. Inspired by his grandfather’s prolific love of tea, Matt found there was a noticeable gap in the market for quality teas in relation to the ongoing coffeehouse boom. Thus, he developed a business model that would fill that void and make premium tea more accessible.

This concept took form and after starting his first teahouse in 2003 with only $45,000 raised from friends and family, Matt now employs over 250 people across his three distinct, tea-focused companies. The Townshend’s Group places a strong emphasis on caring for its employees and the environment. The Company is aligned with 1% For The Planet, supports the non-profit ECO (Ecology in Classrooms & Outdoors) and is currently working on attaining B Corp status.


+

UFC GYM® WWW.UFCGYM.COM

UFC GYM® is the first major brand extension of UFC®, the world’s premier MMA organization. In alliance with New Evolution Ventures™ (“NeV”), developers of many of the world’s most successful fitness brands, UFC GYM® offers a full-range of group fitness classes, private MMA coaching, personal and group dynamic training, plus MMA-style youth programming, providing something for all ages and fitness levels. As the first to combine the worlds of MMA and fitness, UFC GYM®’s TRAIN DIFFERENT® approach creates an atmosphere where members can see immediate results. UFC GYM® is the ultimate fitness experience. The brand is not what you expect, and more than you can imagine. With 150 locations open and more than 600 currently in development, UFC GYM® is revolutionizing the fitness industry.

JIM ROWLEYCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER

Prior to joining the fitness industry, Jim proudly served his country for eight years as a U.S. Marine, including a three-year assignment with the prestigious State Department, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group and a combat tour with “Task Force Ripper” during the Persian Gulf War.

After successfully serving in the Marine Corps, Jim began his fitness career at 24 Hour Nautilus. From 1992-2008, he held nearly every management position at what would become 24 Hour Fitness (“24 HF”). Jim’s role included everything from club General Manager to Senior Vice President of Fitness, where he developed a national fitness program that generated approximately $300+ million annually in 420 locations.

His final position at 24 HF was Division President, responsible for more than 225 fitness centers, over 8,000 team members and about $750 million in annual revenue. During this period at 24 HF, Jim had the opportunity to invest with his friend and mentor, Mark Mastrov, on a number of international fitness investments, allowing him to gain experience working in Asia, Europe and South America.

Jim left 24 HF in 2008 and co-founded New Evolution Ventures (“NeV”) alongside Mastrov. Jim currently acts as Chief Executive Officer, where his responsibilities include the day-to-day operations of NeV’s global investment portfolio. In the past ten years, Jim has developed strategic plans and been instrumental in executing the successful emergence of brands including Crunch Fitness, Chile’s Energy Fitness, UFC GYM®, YogaWorks and Alex Rodriguez Energy Fitness, among others.

Jim also serves as Chairman of the Board for Crunch Fitness, he is a Board Member and Chief Executive Officer of NeV Mexico, Board Member and Managing Partner of NeV Australia, Chief Executive Officer of Hard Candy Fitness and Managing Partner and Board Member of UFC Gym.

Jim has two specific quotes that he tries to lead and live by: “work hard, be patient, stay positive,” and “the harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

A native of Northern California, Jim spent many years living abroad in Africa, Spain and the Middle East and now resides in Lafayette, California, with his wife of 22 years and their three children.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


57

VAN LAW FOOD PRODUCTS, INC. WWW.VANLAW.COM

Based in Fullerton, California, Van Law Food Products, Inc. (“Van Law” or the “Company”) is a leading private label and contract manufacturer of liquid food products including salad dressings, sauces, marinades, syrups, beverage bases and flavorings. The Company’s 200,000 square foot facility houses seven flexible production lines. Van Law strives to be a cost-conscious producer, providing innovative and quality products that meet or exceed customer and consumer expectations.

DANIEL F. MUTHEXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Daniel (“Dan”) Muth is an operator and executive with over 25 years of experience in executive management, operations, operational turnarounds, corporate finance, acquisitions/divestitures, accounting and finance, negotiations, sourcing and management consulting. Dan has worked extensively with financial sponsors, creditors and corporate management teams throughout his career.

Dan is currently serving as Executive Chairman of Van Law, the largest contract and toll manufacturer on the West Coast of liquid food products. Prior to Van Law, Dan led two private equity-owned manufacturing companies (Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company and International Fiber Corporation), serving over time as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman.

Dan started his career at Bain & Company working in-depth in a number of diverse industries and in four offices around the globe. He worked extensively in manufacturing, call center operations, retail and specialty apparel, telecommunications, real estate, defense, agricultural operations and in several regulated utilities. Following Bain, Dan next headed operations improvements and acquisitions for a major private conglomerate, eventually serving as Chief Financial Officer for the country’s largest floral wire service.

Dan earned his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in quantitative economics with distinction from Stanford University. He currently serves as a Director for Excel Fitness Holdings, one of the largest Planet Fitness franchisees, and is a past Trustee of Marymount High School. Dan is a member of City of Angels Chapter of YPO-Gold and is a past member of the Los Angeles Chapter of YPO.


+

WALKER EDISON WWW.WALKEREDISON.COM

Walker Edison (the “Company”) is an innovative provider of high quality, ready-to-assemble home furnishings and furniture products sold exclusively through e-commerce retailers. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Company uses a high margin, data-driven business model to sell home furnishings in a category with very favorable online purchasing trends. Operating in the rapidly growing e-commerce segment, Walker Edison has designed every aspect of its operations and business to serve the online retail channel, including new product design, sourcing, packaging, distribution and merchandizing. Walker Edison focuses on providing a compelling value proposition to its e-commerce partners through seamless solutions, high quality products, continuous innovation and a robust distribution infrastructure.

BRAD BONHAMCO-FOUNDER, OWNER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brad Bonham founded Walker Edison in 2006 after the successful purchase of a single container of TV stands, where he identified the opportunity to exclusively focus on serving lead retailers’ e-commerce channels. As Co-founder, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Brad’s innovative management style and measured risk-taking have been central to the Company’s high growth rate. Brad’s primary responsibility is to oversee the expansion, well-being and strategic direction of the Company. Additionally, Brad works with the product development team to design new products, the sales department to cultivate relationships and the accounting division to ensure Walker Edison’s financial strength. Brad studied accounting and finance at the University of Utah.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED


59

WARP + WEFT WWW.WARPWEFTWORLD.COM

Doing the right thing can be as simple as wearing the right jeans. That’s why WARP + WEFT (the “Company”) is committed to ethical production, innovative fabrics, flattering fits for all sizes and premium quality for less than $100. In other words, denim done right. As a family-owned company that’s been in the denim business for three decades, mindful manufacturing is in its genes — and jeans. While other brands buy their materials, WARP + WEFT makes its own premium denim from scratch in its eco-friendly mill, which is fully compliant with International Social and Environmental & Quality Standards. A traditional pair of jeans consumes 500 gallons of H20, but WARP + WEFT’s use less than 10 gallons. The Company’s signature fabrics fuse the best elements of authentic denim with smart technology, for a perfect modern fit that looks great and feels even better. Plus, its vertical operations mean no third parties or unnecessary markups, for the best value in the denim market. Inclusivity is central to everything WARP + WEFT does, and the Company prides itself on designing for, and fit testing on, real bodies, informed by customer data and feedback. WARP + WEFT is on a mission to make the world’s best sustainable denim for everybody and every body.

SARAH AHMEDCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND FOUNDER

Sarah Ahmed is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of WARP + WEFT, as well as the Creative Director of DL1961. Growing up in a textile manufacturing family, Sarah has always been intrigued by the denim-making process. She followed her passions to study at Parsons the New School for Design, where she graduated with a degree in design thinking, product development and business.

Shortly after graduating from Parsons, Sarah joined DL1961 Premium Denim where she applied her learnings from school to develop the brand and creating high-performance denim that uses half the water, dyes and energy. The super fit, fabrication and story helped build a loyal customer following leading to collaborations and campaigns with celebrities and influencers like Jessica Alba, Sofia Richie, Jasmine Sanders, Bagsnob and Josephine Skriver. Sarah also worked on developing the brand’s online customer experience and brand strategy. DL1961 is currently stocked in 1,800 stores and in 35 countries. It has expanded its offering to include RTW, kids, maternity and men’s.

Using the lessons she learned and knowledge she gained from working on DL1961 and her deep background in creating vertically integrated denim, Sarah was determined to democratize the industry with Warp + Weft. Combining size inclusivity, fair price and optimal customer experience, Warp + Weft is redefining denim – for everyone.

Warp + Weft has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Vogue, Glamour and numerous other publications as disrupting the denim industry. Sarah was recently featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class for 2018.


+

WATERSHED DISTILLERY WWW.WATERSHEDDISTILLERY.COM

Watershed Distillery (“Watershed” or the “Company”) was built to make exceptional spirits. Firmly rooted in the belief that success does not happen overnight, and certainly not by chance, Watershed seeks to create and celebrate change within the community and beyond.

The Watershed brand is a symbol of the American dream, and the grit it takes to realize that dream. Built by two individuals in the heart of the Midwest, the Company resonates with builders, crafters, dreamers and individuals who are not afraid to forge their own path. The Watershed path started with two guys in Columbus, Ohio, making Gin, Vodka and Bourbon. Watershed quickly expanded its reach all across Ohio and, today, sells spirits in six additional states. In early 2017, Watershed opened an on-site kitchen and bar that was recently recognized as one of the top five restaurants in Columbus, Ohio.

At its core, Watershed is a team and a family of spirits, committed to quality and progress. The Company values how far it has come and what lessons await. Its spirits reflect its drive and refusal to settle.

GREG LEHMAN CO-FOUNDER

Greg Lehman is Co-founder of Watershed Distillery and has been involved in all aspects of running the business since inception. Greg has a passion for business and is an entrepreneur at heart. After a stint playing pro-volleyball in Switzerland, he began a career in sales, working his way from a small manufacturing company in North Carolina, up to the large pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. That entrepreneurial passion led him to leave his job at Pfizer to start Watershed with Dave Rigo in 2010. Dave and Greg have expanded the business to a present-day team of nearly fifty employees. Greg has been instrumental in growing Watershed into the largest revenue Ohio-based distillery.

Greg helped organize, and was one of the founding three members of, the Ohio Distillers Guild where he currently serves as the guild’s president. Through the guild, he has been instrumental in changing the law in Ohio to support the distilling industry. After helping pass a law which allows distilleries to open onsite restaurants, Greg orchestrated the opening of a kitchen and bar at Watershed that has earned recognition as one of the top restaurants in Columbus, Ohio.

Greg was selected as the 2012 winner of the Young Profession Achievement award by The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. In 2015, Greg was recognized as the Columbus, Ohio Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Columbus CEO Magazine. He currently leads Watershed’s production, finance and marketing teams.

PRESENTERSCONTINUED

a9rqy4ks8 1n5zjrp 27k - lincoln international · 20 lincoln international’s consumer conference +...

Documents