Overview:

Chief Creative Optimist John Jacobs created Jake, the company’s optimistic icon, and the three simple words beneath that became the company’s name – Life is good® – in 1994. Since then he and his brother Bert have been spreading the power of optimism, growing their brand into one of the hottest and best recognized in the apparel industry.

BIO:

John Jacobs, Co-founder and Chief Creative Optimist, Life is good

In 1989, John Jacobs, along with his brother Bert, designed their first tee shirt. They knew nothing about the business. For five years, the brothers hawked tee shirts in the streets of Boston and traveled the East Coast, selling door-to-door in college dormitories, and sleeping in their van. By the Fall of 1994, heading home from a long, less-than-fruitful road trip, Bert and John were desperately searching for answers to keep the dream alive. Little did they know, the only answer they needed was back in Boston, hanging up on their apartment wall. A dozen years later, their business, Life is good, has reached sales of over $100 million a year, with products sold in nearly 5,000 retailers nationwide and in 29 countries. The Jacobs brothers and the business they built offer strong lessons for entrepreneurs everywhere, a fact that Inc. Magazine recognized when it featured the brothers as its cover story in October, 2006. Bert and John are adept at drawing lessons from his first-hand story that can inspire and guide organizations of all sizes.

Overview:

Following shoppers on a rollicking ride to the future

BIO:

Wendy Liebmann is recognized as one of the innovators of shopper insights. In 1986, Wendy founded WSL/STRATEGIC RETAIL to "get marketers out of their ivory towers to meet shoppers on the selling floor” – whether that floor is real or virtual.

As retail strategists and shopping futurists, WSL/STRATEGIC RETAIL consults with global clients to develop retail strategies based on understanding how people shop. Clients call on WSL/SR to help them develop new distribution strategy, develop and expand categories, create innovative marketing strategies -- in general, bring more shoppers to buy everyday.

One of the pillars of understanding shoppers is WSL’s syndicated How America Shops® research. This ongoing nationwide survey tracks shoppers’ mood, mindset and behavior. It has successfully predicted where retail is headed since 1989. Recent studies include “Where Did the Walmart Shopper Go?” and “From Buzz to Buy, the Impact of Social Media on Shopping & Buying.”

Wendy has extensive global experience in marketing, retailing and research, first in her native Australia where she learned to be a passionate shopper, then globally.

Wendy is noted for her boldness in predicting and strategizing the future of retail, stemming from global shopping expertise and practical viewpoint. She holds a degree in business and psychology from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

She is frequently called upon by the media to provide insight into the state of retail, and is recognized speaker, regularly addressing business organizations around the world.

WSL/STRATEGIC RETAIL consults to such industries as retail, beauty, food, beverages, health, home, personal care, entertainment, fashion, publishing, and financial services. Clients include: Bath & Body Works, Boots The Chemist, CVS/Caremark, General Mills, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Walt Disney Co.

Overview:

Tim Schulz will share his perspective on the status and future of mobile commerce, including Google's visions of mobile wallet.

BIO:

Tim Schulz is a member of the Google Commerce Team, where he manages business development and strategic partnerships for Google Wallet and other mobile-commerce initiatives directed at multi-channel retailers and grocers.

Prior to joining Google, Tim was Senior Manager of Product & Business Development at e-Commerce startup Magento, where he managed three business units and built new product initiatives in the US and Europe, including Magento Mobile, the company's mobile-commerce platform, and Magento Connect, the open-source developer "app store" for Magento extensions.

Before Magento, Tim was Senior Manager of Product Strategy at MySpace, where he focused on growing MySpace's social products across Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as managed a 30-person product team.

Before joining MySpace, Tim was a consultant to various Fortune-500 clients within Sapient's Retail and eCommerce Strategy practice. He has also served on the Board of Directors at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.