We’ve brought together some of the best, brightest, and most experienced operations executives to discuss where direct-to-customer operations is heading, and where you should be spending your time and money. As DTC operations become more and more important to your company’s success, attending this session is crucial for your company, and for your professional growth.
To open this session, we will welcome Operations Summit attendees and offer brief introductory remarks, including exclusive “state of the industry” trends and observations.
Moderator:
Bill Kuipers, Partner at Spaide, Kuipers & Co.
Panelists:
Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer, Gardener’s Supply Company
Jim Reid, VP of Distribution Operations, QVC
Chris Halkyard, Chief Supply Chain Officer & GM of Distribution Services, Gilt
David Kravetz, Co-Founder, Fairytale Brownies
Rick Duley, Director of Network Fulfillment, Belk
Power Panelists’ Bios:
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Bill Kuipers Partner Spaide, Kuipers & Co. |
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Bill Kuipers has 35 years of senior level operating experience in multichannel commerce – way before it was cool. With first-hand experience ranging from the loading dock to the board room, he brings a refreshingly practical perspective to operations management and distribution strategies. He is a recognized authority on all aspects of fulfillment, including distribution and warehouse management, information technology, order processing, customer service and inventory management. Spaide, Kuipers and Company is one of the most respected providers of operations management and information technology solutions for multichannel commerce. Bill is consistently one of our most popular speakers. |
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Cindy Turcot COO Gardener’s Supply Co. |
| Cindy has worked at Gardener’s Supply, a hard goods gardening company located in Burlington, Vermont, since its inception in 1983. She was the Chief Financial Officer responsible for Finance, HR and Administration and 12 years ago expanded her role to chief operating officer adding responsibility for the customer contact center, distribution center and manufacturing. Within the past three years, Cindy was very involved in a company-wide computer conversion and the moving of the distribution center into a new facility. |
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James Reid Vice President of Distribution QVC |
| Jim Reid joined QVC in the new position of vice president distribution operations in January 2013. In this role, Reid leads QVC’s evolving distribution network to deliver excellence in all aspects of the customer experience while realizing efficiency gains throughout the operation. Reid is responsible for executing strategies that better service QVC’s customers with greater speed and impact. |
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Chris Halkyard Chief Supply Chain Officer and GM of Distribution Services Gilt |
| Chris Halkyard serves as the Chief Supply Chain Officer and General Manager of Distribution Services for Gilt. In this role, he is responsible for global supply chain management, including international and domestic logistics, product distribution, international shipping, packaging supplies, as well as third-party distribution for select Gilt brand partners. Chris also steers vendor compliance, inventory control, and the purchasing program for the company. Chris joined Gilt in April 2010 as Vice President of Operations, bringing over 20 years of distribution, logistics, and supply chain experience. In this role, Chris streamlined the company’s global supply chain strategy, and quickly rose to his current position. |
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David Kravetz Co-Founder Fairytale Brownies |
| David Kravetz is the co-founder of Fairytale Brownies, a gourmet food catalog that started with a $14,000 investment and has grown to sales of over $11 million. He has run the company’s operations since its inception 22 years ago, gaining first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing a growing catalog business. After receiving an engineering degree from Stanford University, he designed consumer packaging at Procter & Gamble. He holds two U.S. patents and is interested in the design and ergonomics of everyday products. In 1992, he and a childhood friend started Fairytale Brownies with a family recipe. |
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Rick Duley Director of Network Fulfillment Belk |
| Rick Duley believes delivering excellent customer service begins with effective order management. For the last 10 years he has focused on upgrading order management systems, leading multi-channel order management platform implementations, and linking orchestration tools to orders captured from the web, mobile, and EDI. He recently joined Belk as the Director of Network Fulfillment focused on omnichannel. . He was previously the Director of Operations and Customer Service, the Vice President of Customer Supply Chains, and the Vice President of Enterprise Order Management with Carters/OshKosh B’ Gosh. |
