ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree...

Robert P. Baird, Jr. joined A.T. Cross, based in Providence, Rhode Island in August 2015 as CEO. Founded in 1846, Cross products are sold in 89 countries through fine department and specialty stores as well as through the corporate gift channel. Prior to A.T. Cross, for four years he was Group President and CEO of Dorel Sports, the world’s leading bike portfolio company with such brands as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, Iron Horse, and SUGOI sold in more than 100 countries around the world. Prior to Dorel, Bob worked for Philips Electronics, the Dutch based conglomerate. From 2006, he was Chairman of the International Retail Board, managing global customers. From 2002, he was President and C.E.O. of Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care (DAP) located in Stamford, Connecticut. Previous to Philips, from 1999 Bob was a consultant in the New York office of Egon Zehnder International with practice specialties in the consumer products industry and marketing management. Preceding his tenure as a consultant, Bob was the Vice President & General Manager at Samsonite, where he was responsible for their largest business and setting their global strategy. Prior to Samsonite, Bob worked in various consumer goods companies in positions of increasing responsibility, including General Motors, Scott Paper, Bristol Myers, and Procter & Gamble. He started his career at General Electric in Finance and is a graduate of their Financial Management Program. Bob holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School at Northwestern University, with concentrations in Marketing, Management, and Finance. He holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Lawrence University.

Daryn Fillis became the CEO of Distroller USA in 2008, following a 20+ year track record of launching profitable businesses and business units. Distroller USA is a retail entertainment company bringing to life experience-based concepts, with art and design at its core, and spreading good vibes for ages 0 to 102. Daryn came on board at a time when the organization had an informal business model, and he has successfully laid out the roadmap and executed the processes of transforming Distroller from a small business to a middle market organization. His leadership has catapulted the Distroller brand into success, making it possible for Distroller to enter the U.S. market in 2017. With a passion for retail and design, Daryn has found his niche as the CEO of Distroller USA with stores in San Diego and Houston and will be leading the brand into further national expansion. Daryn lives in West LA, and while he spends most of his time building Distroller USA, he squeezes in a few triathlons to enjoy the beautiful So-Cal climate and scenery. Daryn is also a fellow and a mentor at Victoria 147, a Mexican accelerator for women entrepreneurs and was previously the President of the LATAM jury for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards.

Leticia Latino-van Splunteren was born and raised in Venezuela by Italian parents, so she has always been exposed to a multicultural approach to life and business. When she graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration people assumed she would go straight into Neptuno, the company her father had founded in 1972 and that since then has engineered, manufactured and installed over 10,000 telecom towers in the Americas. However, she decided to take a different path instead. Leticia accepted a job offer from Merrill Lynch where she spent a few years learning about the financial industry. She left Merrill Lynch to move to the US in 1996 to pursue a dual degree Graduate Program at the University of Miami, where she graduated with an MBA in Investments and an MS in International Business. She then went on to land a job at Nortel Networks, one of the leading Telecom Infrastructure vendors at the time. In 2001, she finally decided to go into the family business to help grow market share, create US presence and diversify the product line, all of which has been accomplished since Neptuno’s USA incorporation in 2002. In 2017, shortly after being named CEO of Neptuno USA, Corp she obtained the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Certification for the company and also became part of the Wireless Infrastructure Association/Smart City Council National Task Forces.

Upon joining Swiss Farms in its 50th year of success, Simon will lead the favorite drive-thru market towards a fresh new start with lifestyle focused, good-for-you product offerings. Scott will oversee operations, marketing, and brand-identity while increasing shareholder value across all 13 drive-thru market locations. As President & CEO, he directs overall operational services and drives revenue through exceptional customer service, company culture, and strategic planning and management. Scott most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Heavenly Bowl, LLC, where he led the operational activities from inception to execution at seven Bowl of Heaven stores in Southern California and Nevada. He also previously served as Director of Food and Beverage for Harrah’s Philadelphia, CCR Resorts in Las Vegas and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino – Boyd Gaming in E Peoria, Illinois. Past experiences include positions at Aramark and Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. as well. Mr. Simon has an MBA from Bradley University, completed undergraduate work at UCLA, and obtained a certificate equivalent to an AOS Degree from California Culinary Academy. He also has educational certificates from Harvard University, United States Coast Guard Cooking School, Aramark Leadership School, Peoria Chamber of Commerce Leadership School and the University of Nevada. Aside from his pivotal time spent at Swiss Farms, Scott enjoys bike riding in his spare time and resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife and best friend, Lynn, and their dog, Max.

Scott Armstrong is a seasoned general manager with extensive experience leading specialty consumer products companies. In 2004, Scott started CKA Capital, a private equity firm seeking to invest in consumer products companies in the Pacific Northwest. This venture led to the acquisition of Fairhaven Group Inc, dba Brenthaven (www.brenthaven.com). As the CEO of Brenthaven, Scott led the company to double-digit sales and profit growth, eventually selling the company to Gladstone Ventures in 2017. He remains the President and CEO of the new company called Pioneer Square Brands. From 2000-2004, Scott ran the merchandise division at Starbucks Coffee Company, a $200M business that includes all of the retail products found in Starbucks Cafes around the world. During his tenure at Starbucks, Scott and his team doubled the business and in 2003 achieved the best results the company had experienced in over a decade. Prior to joining Starbucks, Scott held several key roles in the Asia-Pacific Region for Bausch and Lomb’s Ray-Ban Sunglass Division. As the Regional Brand Manager based in Hong Kong, Scott directed the development and execution of regional marketing programs across twelve Asian countries. From there, he went on to lead marketing and product management for Ray-Ban Sunglasses in Australia/New Zealand. Scott began his career at Princess Cruises where we worked as an Operations Manager, planning and leading group tours around the world. He has traveled extensively and lived in several countries in Asia including China, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong. From these travels, he gained a proficiency in conversational Mandarin Chinese and a global perspective on business. Scott is actively involved in his community and served as a trustee of the Make-A-Wish Foundation from 2004-2008. He holds an MBA from New York University and a BA from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His is an avid tennis player and enjoys spending time with his wife Kim and three children (2 girls and a boy), ages 16, 14 and 12.

Paul joined Naf Naf Grill as CEO in June 2017 and brings more than 35 years of foodservice experience to the organization. His love for the culinary arts began when he worked at his dad’s catering business washing dishes and preparing food. This work inspired him to attend Johnson & Wales University where he earned degrees in Culinary Arts and Hotel Restaurant Management and where he met his wife, Laura. Following his graduation from J&W, Paul spent 13 years in various roles with Host Marriott Corporation culminating to his role as Vice President of International Development where he oversaw restaurant development on five continents. In 1999, his entrepreneurial instinct came to life and he co-founded FoodBrand LLC, a company that specialized in the development of restaurants in malls and airports. He and his co-founders grew this company to over 100 restaurant locations. In 2006, Paul joined SSP America, an international concessions company, as the Chief Operating Officer responsible for airport properties in North America and the Caribbean. In 2008, Paul joined Moe’s Southwest Grill as President of the organization. Over a six-year period he grew the company from 200 locations to 680, leading the industry in new restaurant openings and culinary development. During his time with Moe’s, Paul delivered 23 consecutive quarters of positive same store sales growth and was named by Fast Casual Magazine as a Top 26 Executive. While President of Moe’s, Paul was featured on the CBS hit TV series Undercover Boss where he went undercover to work in the restaurants and changed the lives of 5 Moe’s associates. After six years with Moe’s, Paul was promoted to Group President, by parent company FOCUS Brands, and was responsible for the oversight of McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s Deli. In early 2016, his role expanded to encompass all six FOCUS Brands, including Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Carvel Ice Cream and Cinnabon World Famous Cinnamon Rolls. As FOCUS Brands’ President of North America, Paul oversaw a $2.6 Billion-dollar foodservice company made up of more than 5,000 restaurants. Paul is a philanthropist and advocate for children and the hungry community, generously donating his time and money to causes such as the No Kid Hungry and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). An active member of the restaurant industry, Paul is an International Franchise Association Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and Board Member of the National Restaurant Association Fast Casual Industry Council. Paul also serves on the Illinois Restaurant Association. In 2015, Paul was honored as the Restaurateur of the Year for the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Crystal of Excellence Award. He was recognized by his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University, as a Distinguished Lecturer and Distinguished Visiting Professor and was recently inducted into the World Association of Cooperative Education Hall of Fame. In 2016, Paul was again honored by Johnson & Wales University as they conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Restaurant, Food & Beverage Management, honoris causa. Paul and his wife, Laura, reside in Chicago, Illinois and are the proud parents of their three daughters: Taylor, Samantha, and Rachele.

Rick Kornbluth is a Senior Executive with multi-industry experience and a proven track record growing consumer personal care businesses. Known for his relationship and leadership skills, he currently serves as CEO of Kevin Murphy ($340M in retail revenues) an International manufacturer of Professional Hair Care and Hair Coloring products. Kevin Murphy has globally earned the reputation of being the most successful Professional Haircare brand over the past 10 years, growing market share with a CAGR of +25% over the past 5 years. Previously he was President/CEO of Wella Corporation a division of Procter and Gamble. Wella Corporation retained Kornbluth after he led the sale of Graham Webb to them in 2001. Kornbluth resides in Del Mar, California with Kimberly, his wife of 38 years. Together they have two children, Ashley 31 and Dylan 27.

Russ Taylor is a dynamic businessman, a leader in the tech space, and a born entrepreneur. As CEO, President and Founder of Fusion of Ideas, Taylor is steward of the only American mobile integration company of its kind offering end-to-end mobile device branding experiences, in-house app development as well as mobile integration programs & consulting for some of the largest brand names in the world. Founded in 2003, Fusion of Ideas has a rich history of disrupting the mobile device market, first with never-before-seen carbon fiber accessories featured in nationally acclaimed outlets such as Wired Magazine and Gizmodo. In 2010, a few years after the launch of the first iPhone, Taylor’s custom solution for a blocked antenna issue on the iPhone 4 was the buzz around town, most notably recommended by America’s favorite technology guru himself, David Pogue of The New York Times (now a tech correspondent on CBS News Sunday Morning). As smart personal electronic devices increased in popularity, Taylor followed his keen entrepreneurial instinct and expanded his services to include mobile integration and customization in the B2B market. This opened the door for Fusion to work with businesses of all sizes, leading to exponential growth in a short span of time. In 2014, Fusion of Ideas closed its retail space and moved to an office in Lake Forest, California, where it now focuses solely on servicing clients in the B2B market. Taylor is a graduate of Brigham Young University, where he studied advertising and marketing. In his spare time, Taylor finds great satisfaction in racing his Z28 Camaro in the Super Touring Series of the National Auto Sport Association. Outside of the track, he enjoys leading a troop of Boy Scouts, traveling, and spending quality time with his family. Taylor resides in Ladera Ranch, Calif. with his wife Debbie and their two young children.

President and CEO of BPI Sports, Jennifer Hughey, was brought on in 2017 to help take this fast-growing company to the next level. Jennifer brings with her a 20+ year track record of successfully building teams, driving cost savings, improving efficiencies and providing the leadership necessary to support top and bottom line growth in CPG companies both large and small. She has been in the sports nutrition industry since 2010 when she started at Glanbia Performance Nutrition, formerly Optimum Nutrition. During her time there she held many different roles including Interim COO and SVP Supply Chain. Formerly the Chief Supply Chain Officer for Bauer Hockey, she was instrumental in marketing and selling the company to PE out of bankruptcy. Prior to Glanbia Jennifer’s first position in operations was as VP of Supply Chain at Electrolux Floorcare. She was there for 7 years establishing best in class supply chain team and helping turn that company around and position it for success in the global floor care market. Prior to Electrolux Jennifer started her career at Quaker Oats Corporation in their corporate finance team and then proceeded to spend the next 10 years of her career holding many different accounting/finance positions such as controller in other CPG companies including Whirlpool and Illinova Energy Partners before making the move to operations. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and her Executive MBA from the University of Notre Dame. As the current leader of BPI Sports, she has made an immediate impact growing the business under her leadership. With a true understanding of the retailers, industry, and market as a whole, Jennifer has provided BPI Sports with the competitive edge that has them positioned to truly embody their tagline in the coming years. Simply put, BPI Sports will be better and stronger with Jennifer at the helm. To stay active she likes to take Barre classes, play golf, snowboard and walk her dog, Julia.

Daniel Hamburger most recently served as CEO of Renaissance, the leading learning analytics company. From 2006-2016 he served as President and CEO of Adtalem Global Education (formerly DeVry Education Group), a global provider of educational services. Prior, he served as Chairman and CEO of Indeliq, a SaaS-based education company backed by Accenture Technology Ventures, and President of WW Grainger Internet Commerce. He started his career in consulting at Accenture and then at Bain & Co. Hamburger earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and his bachelor's and master's degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan.