2016 Speakers

DESIGN BLOGGERS CONFERENCE

OPENING KEYNOTE: CYNTHIA ROWLEY

Fashion Designer and Owner Cynthia Rowley Boutiques
cynthiarowley.com

Brimming with energy, Cynthia Rowley imbues a sense of adventure in all of her design projects, be it wetsuits or her ready-to-wear. This fall Cynthia successfully launched her first home furniture collection at High Point market, a range that includes 140 pieces.

Cynthia Rowley is a leading global lifestyle brand sold in over 60-freestanding collection boutiques, as well as in department, specialty, and online stores worldwide.

While attending the Art Institute of Chicago (where she had every intention of becoming a painter), Rowley fell into fashion when a local department store buyer discovered her on the train. That initial interest gave Cynthia the confidence to move to NYC where she went on to win the CFDA award for best new talent, became a best-selling author and has appeared on TV shows such as Project Runway, Letterman, The Today Show, and Celebrity Jeopardy.

She was named Designer of the Year at the American Image Awards this past April, and continues to bring innovative design concepts to new categories that extend beyond the realm of fashion from office products, to furniture, beauty, tech accessories, and a fully realized line of fitness clothing which launched this spring.

KEYNOTE: INDIA HICKS

Author, model, entrepreneur, TV personality and daughter of famed designer David Hicks, India comes from both British and design royalty. Her Godfather is the Prince of Wales and India was a bridesmaid at his wedding to Lady Diana.

Living with her young family on a small island in the Bahamas, she has shared and documented her multidimensional and unpredictable life through social media, lifestyle books and her website; www.indiahicks.com. India is connected to a broad spectrum of tastemakers and is established as an influencer amongst modern, strong, entrepreneurial women.

Unencumbered by tradition, India has made bold life choices that inspire women to join her in the pursuit of an extraordinary life.

After a successful career designing collections of bath & beauty products, bedding and jewelry in partnership with others the time for change arrived. With two strong business minded partners she launched a lifestyle brand: India Hicks. These collections are sold through entrepreneurial women at home, online, or one-to-one. This is more than a trunk show business, it’s about building more than a company, it’s about building a community.

KEYNOTE: MARY MCDONALD

Mary McDonald is an award winning, internationally published Los Angeles-based interior designer. She is the one of the stars of Bravo TV’s “Million DollarDecorators” & “Property Envy” series and is consistently ranked as one of House Beautiful’s Top 100 Designers. She is the author of “Interiors: The Allure of Style” from Rizzoli publishing and has been honored as one of the top 25 designers by Veranda Magazine. Her licensed product lines include two acclaimed fabric collections for F. Schumacher & Company, lighting for Robert Abbey, rugs for Patterson, Flynn and Martin, and furniture for Chaddock Home.

KEYNOTE: NATHAN TURNER

As a fourth-generation Californian, Nathan Turner grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, surrounded by a large, extended family. Deeply rooted in California’s heritage, Nathan’s childhood took him to many of the state’s most quintessential environments: From weekends family spent at his family’s Northern California ranch where they would ride horses, raise cattle and cook farm-to-table meals (decades before it became a cultural obsession) to long afternoons in the family sailboat, exploring every nook of San Francisco’s TK Bay, to summers spent in La Jolla and Laguna Beach.

Nathan’s upbringing also took him beyond his beloved home state at a young age. He learned the value of travel early in life, and now has traveled to every continent. And it’s both Nathan’s passion for traveling the world and his intimate familiarity with California’s design heritage that has informed his own aesthetic. Whether inspiration comes in the form of his take on English/Bohemian style, or from some of his favorite places such as Istanbul and Mexico city, Nathan draws upon this broad range of aesthetic influences to give his work a distinct cultural layering that is as once global in scope and highly personal to each client.

Upon moving to Los Angeles, Nathan successfully merged his greatest passions- design, travel and food-into his eponymous shop. Nathan’s store has become an expression of his years traveling, his love of simply prepared, elegant food, and a commitment to exploring his ever-evolving sense of interior design. As a faithful source for the country’s leading interior decorators, as well as some of the most stylish individuals from coast to coast, Nathan’s shop has become an iconic part of the Los Angeles design landscape. The consummate host, Nathan has become known for his stylish and entertaining parties. Having played host to the likes of Carolina Herrera, India Hicks, Carolyne Roehm, Anya Hindmarch, Chris Benz and Soledad Twombly to name a few, Nathan is known for creating highly elegant affairs that nevertheless maintain an accessible friendliness that epitomizes his version of the well-lived life.

Nathan starred in Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators, a show focusing on the lives of successful Los Angeles based designers as they navigate the high-pressured design world. In 2008 Nathan Turner for Elite Leather was launched and can be found in Bloomingdale’s stores across the country. In 2012, Abrams published Nathan Turner’s American Style, a lifestyle book authored by Turner. Nathan is a regular entertaining expert on The Today Show, and has appeared on Extra, CBS The Early Show, TBS’s Movie and a Makeover, CW Now, Good Day LA, and Good Day NY. Nathan’s designs, parties and products have been featured in major national and regional publications including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Vogue, Veranda, Domino, Vogue Living, Town & Country, House Beautiful, Details, Food & Wine, and C magazine.

JUSTINA BLAKENEY

Obsessed with color, plants, travel, creative reuse and thrifting, Justina Blakeney is a designer and design blogger with a bohemian heart.

Domino Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, Marie Claire Magazine and Refinery29 all agree that Justina’s blog is one of the best design blogs on the web! Harper’s Bazaar recently named Justina a top designer to follow on Instagram and Justina is one of the world’s leading curators on Pinterest with over 1 million followers. She has worked with brands such as Anthropologie, 1st Dibs, OneKingsLane, eBay, CB2, AirBnB and Joss & Main.

Justina’s bohemian aesthetic emerged out of her multicultural upbringing in Berkeley, California. The convergence of cultures in her childhood home gave her an appreciation for mixing things up when it came to home décor. Her degree from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, as well as extensive international travels also informed her aesthetic. It was this creative spirit and a love of sharing that compelled her to start a design blog when she returned to the US after living and designing in Italy for seven years. For Justina, decorating is about feeling free, having fun and getting a little bit wild.

Justina currently lives in Los Angeles in her ‘jungalow’ with her husband and young daughter, Ida.

ADAM JAPKO

Adam is CEO and Founder/Owner of Esteem Media, Inc, Design Bloggers Conference and the Home Digital Design Marketing Summit. Leading up to founding Esteem Media, Adam launched DesignSherpa and then served as President of DigitalSherpa, a high growth SMB social media and internet discovery business offering content, social media, reputation management, local listings, lead generation, web business intelligence, and other internet marketing programs. The company served over 4,000 SMBs.

These experiences, along with the success of his wine blog, WineZag, reaffirmed a deep belief that community engagement, quality content, and in-person networking are lethal tools for transforming brands and businesses in meaningful ways.

Prior to DigitalSherpa, Adam built a large network of regional luxury shelter media properties for Network Communications, Inc (NCI). While President there, he acquired or launched all of the properties that now make up Esteem Media, Inc.’s portfolio.

Earlier, Japko spent 14 years at PennWell Corporation, a privately held business-to-business information provider serving the global Technology, Energy, and Municipal Services markets as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Advanced Technology Division and member of the company’s board of directors. His background in the publishing, online, and event management industry also includes management positions at Media Networks, Inc. a 3M Company specializing in local networks of national magazines including Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Business Week, Sunday Magazine Network, and various B2B media companies including BMT, Gralla, and Miller Freeman (United Newspapers).

CHRISTI TASKER

For more than 10 years, Christi Tasker was a nationally acclaimed award-winning retailer and interior designer. While she treasured and nurtured her gift boutique and interior design company, Ambiance Interiors & Gifts, Inc., Christi found the time and opportunity to discover her true-life passion –MARKETING and BRANDING!

With an eye for detail that only comes from a unique designer, Christi created a clear concise brand − unmistakable and unforgettable, that stood out from the rest of the crowd − it was “spot on”. From her experience as a retailer, Christi was well aware of the struggle experienced by small businesses with marketing, so she began to help various companies with their own online branding and marketing campaigns. In early 2009, Christi began traveling nationally as a Social Media Expert Speaker for various brands and businesses, and today has developed into a successful and renowned social media keynote speaker, educating such key brands and businesses as Trollbeads, World Market Center Las Vegas, AmericasMart Atlanta, and attendees of various global design conferences.

Christi is now teaming with the remarkable Henry Weinacker to contribute her experience and knowledge about Pinterest. Together. Christi & Henry have co-authored “The Power of Pinterest,” an e-book packed with tips, strategies, and case studies to help businesses market on Pinterest.

JULIANNE TAYLOR

Julianne Taylor has quickly emerged as one of the home décor industry’s most prominent female entrepreneurs. Taylor Burke Home’s bold, unexpected and sophisticated designs are highly sought after by premiere interior designers across the nation. A designer by trade, Julianne gains much of her inspiration from her many years spent living abroad. Julianne is the author of DesignHER, available next Spring. Julianne carries a B.F.A. in Interior Design from the University of Georgia and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from the University of South Carolina. Design headquarters for Taylor Burke Home are located in Charleston, South Carolina.

COURTNEY OF FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE

Courtney believes in the power of patina, that fresh flowers and a chandelier belong in every room and that the mix of rustic & refined is perfection. When she isn’t behind the computer blogging- she works freelance as a photographer and stylist for magazines, loves to travel and you might also find her sitting on the beach with her toes in the sand and a beach bag filled with peonies. Courtney writes the blog French Country Cottage where she shares lifestyle, design, DIY & the ongoing renovations of her 1940’s cottage. With a style that is a little bit shabby, French country, and a touch of cottage mixed in- she loves the mix of rustic & refined and doesn’t like to follow all those design rules (except for the one about decorating with what you love). She thinks if it makes you happy when you walk in a room- it is perfect. www.frenchcountrycottage.net.

ROBIN CATALANO

Robin Catalano is the managing editor and senior copywriter for The Annie Selke Companies. She has worked as a professional journalist, copywriter, and book and magazine editor for nearly 20 years, with articles appearing in Gourmet, Culinary Trends, Berkshire Magazine, Stage Directions, Let’s Live, and Berkshire Living, among others. She has edited more than three hundred fiction and nonfiction titles for publishing companies such as Penguin Putnam, Simon & Schuster, The Harvard Common Press, Workman, and Inner Traditions International. Robin lives in upstate New York.

NATASHA MURPHY

Natasha describes herself as just a good girl who likes design and computers. Natasha has ten+ years of front-end development experience and is a big fan of clean, responsive web design. Design, development, and online marketing all fall into her firm’s, Nicely Built, wheelhouse. From e-commerce, professional websites or personal blogs, Natasha is dedicated to WordPress for good reason.

ADRIENNE BROWN

Adrienne Brown is a Digital Strategist and founder of Adrienne J Media, a digital marketing firm. Adrienne has an extensive background in B2B, consumer and lead generation marketing and advertising. As a self proclaimed digital media maven, Adrienne is obsessed with all things digital and committed to helping brands become their “digital best.”

Adrienne J Media is a boutique agency, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that specializes in digital media solutions. From social media management to digital media consulting, we are dedicated to helping your business reach its digital best.

CONNOR DWYER

Connor lives in Atlanta and is getting his masters in graphic design at SCAD Atlanta. He is graphic designer and photographer who also comes up with business ideas and help make brands. He published a comic in college newspapers.. He likes to call himself a creative type but also likes to work for people who are looking for a creative type. He has amassed 76.4k followers on Instagram with his amazing photography.

KELLY FALLIS

Kelly Fallis is the founder and CEO of Remote Stylist, the online furniture platform with 350+brands, $1 shipping duties included in Canada/USA and free Stylist sourcing help. Kelly loves sharing her story to help others expedite their journeys. She is a leading authority on entrepreneurial life, bootstrapping, startups, small business, technology and automation as well as being regularly quoted as an expert on home decor trends.

Starting in banking Kelly quickly shifted to sales & trading where her entrepreneurial spirit grew. Desks didn’t jive with her mindset and she founded a home staging outfit, helping 750+ time-starved families maximize the return on the sale of their home over 5 years. After that, with the Internet on the rise and no shortage of new households her latest online business, Remote Stylist, was born.

She won Canada’s Business News Network ‘Best Pitch of 2012’ on the show ‘The Pitch’, and has had feature stories in the New York Times, Crains NY, Inc. Magazine, The National Post, Toronto Star, Canada.com, Wish Magazine, HGTV, too many blogs to rhyme off, and even coverage in overseas publications from China, Dubai and Australia. Follow her on Twitter @kellyfallis

COREY PADVEEN

Corey is the Director of Global Social Business Strategy at t2 Marketing International, and Google AdWords Certified, Google Analytics Certified, as well as a Certified Inbound Marketer. He is also one of the founding theorists on the concepts of Social Equity and Responsive Branding, as well as a keynote speaker featured at marketing and digital business summits around the world. On the personal side, he loves cooking, making wine and, as all good Canadians, is a big hockey fan.

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MONICA DODI

Monica is an international, multilingual new media entrepreneur with a proven track record in creating, launching and building highly successful global brand. She is Board Director of Decorist.com, a next generation B2C interactive home design platform. A visionary on the cutting edge of the high-tech landscape, she has founded four highly successful companies, spearheaded rapid turnarounds and negotiated numerous licensing deals with Fortune 500 companies. She continues to be a sought-after advisor to and angel investor in new ventures spanning Internet innovations, content creation and data technologies, mobile applications, and social media

As co-founder of MTV Europe and head of Business Development, Monica’s marketing expertise, operations and negotiating skills led to MTV becoming the fastest growing channel on the continent covering 16 countries. She then joined Walt Disney where, as head of Consumer Products Europe/Africa, she was responsible for the successful turnaround of their Consumer Products business. Returning to the U.S. to help Warner Bros. roll out television channels worldwide, Monica was then recruited to be CEO and founder of AOL’s Entertainment Asylum the fastest growing entertainment destination on the web with 4 million daily users and reaching breakeven in less than a year.

Critical to this success was her belief in following the ever-changing habits of enterprises and consumers in adapting to the new media landscape. Subsequently, at Softbank Technology Ventures, Monica focused on new media investments and served as the Fund’s Entrepreneur in Residence.

As Managing Director and Co-founder of the Women’s Venture Capital Fund, she spearheaded its formation focused on investments in new companies with gender diversity, an overlooked yet high potential for growth sector in venture capital. Monica is a member of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a Board member of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, and a former semi-pro soccer player for the New York Budweiser Eagles. She earned her BS in International Economics from Georgetown University and MBA from Harvard

GRETCHEN HANSEN

Gretchen founded Decorist and serves as it’s CEO. Gretchen has spent her career successfully developing and launching innovative products in the consumer products arena. Prior to Decorist, she held marketing leadership positions at numerous consumer-focused companies, including Clorox, Del Monte and PeoplePC. At Clorox, Gretchen launched Tilex Fresh Shower, one of the most successful new product launches in company history. At Epicurean International, she launched Simply Asia, a pan Asian food brand that was a key driver in the later sale to McCormick for $100 million. Gretchen was also an early employee at PeoplePC, an early group buying startup that raised $120 million and IPO’d at a $1 billion valuation. At PeoplePC, she was responsible for developing key partnerships, including a deal with Ford Motor Company to sell its bundled PC product to 300,000 Ford employees. A Harvard MBA, Gretchen is passionate about understanding consumers and creating products that meet their needs.

LIZA HAUSMAN

Liza Hausman is Vice President of Industry Marketing at Houzz, an innovative residential remodeling and design platform and community. Ms. Hausman has experience spanning advertising, consulting, marketing and social strategy for Fortune 500 brands to a host of innovative startups. Liza co-founded her first internet startup in 1998, a home improvement retailer eventually sold to Walmart. Over the last seven years she’s worked with interior designers, architects, contractors and landscape designers to remodel and decorate nearly every inch of her home in Palo Alto, CA.

JAIME DERRINGER

Jaime Derringer is Founder and Executive Editor of modern design blog Design Milk, which quickly became the “go-to” site for unique modern interiors, home furnishings, art & architecture and is now one of the most popular design blogs reaching millions of readers across the globe through various channels. Design Milk has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, San Francisco Chronicle, Singapore Home & Decor magazine, and Real Simple magazine, and was one of the Google Engineers’ Staff Picks and is a Twitter influencer in Art & Design and a Google+ Partner. Inspired by her love for dogs, in 2010 Jaime launched modern design blog Dog Milk to expose dog lovers to pet design that fits their uniquely modern sense of style. Her most recent venture, Adorn Milk, is an online shop devoted to architectural and statement jewelry.

ANNA BROCKWAY

Anna Brockway is the President and Co-Founder of Chairish, a San Francisco-based online marketplace for vintage furniture and decor. Anna conceived of Chairish as a way to make buying and selling fabulous, gently-used decor easier for everyone. Prior to founding Chairish, Anna was the Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Levi Strauss & Co. She has appeared as a guest on the NBC’s “TODAY” show. Anna graduated from Columbia University of New York City and now resides with her family in San Francisco.

ELIZABETH BROWN

Elizabeth is Chief Executive of Viyet, a New York-based ecommerce startup in the interior design space specializing in consignment services for pre-owned designer furniture and accessories. Prior to Viyet, Elizabeth was Director of Corporate Development for design-focused office furniture and supplies retailer Poppin. Before Poppin, Elizabeth led Business Intelligence at Lot18, an e-commerce destination for wine and gourmet food. Elizabeth began her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse. Elizabeth holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY

Christopher Kennedy has quickly and not­so­quietly emerged as one of the nation’s freshest voices in home furnishings and interior design. Working from his studio and shop in Palm Springs, his name is quickly becoming synonymous with Jet Set modern luxury and vibrant California glamour. Christopher’s work and products have captured the attention of such leading publications as Architectural Digest, Dwell Magazine, Elle Décor, Luxe Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times.

In 2010, Christopher launched his own line of luxury furnishings, which is sold in to­the­trade showrooms across the country. The following year saw the expansion of his brand into candles, home décor, and outdoor furnishings. His first book, California Modern, was released in 2015.

Each year, in conjunction with Modernism Week, Christopher organizes and produces the first Decorator Show in Palm Springs, featuring rooms by today’s biggest names in design. The Christopher Kennedy Compound attracts over 4,000 guests in 10 days, and grosses nearly $100,000 for Modernism Week’s education and preservation efforts.

Born in San Francisco and raised on California’s Central Coast, Christopher brings a synthesis of big­city style and relaxed resort living to his work. Easy elegance and casual sophistication are hallmarks of Christopher’s style.www.christopherkennedy.com

DREW MCGUKIN

Drew McGukin tackles the interior design world with a unique level of energy, great pace and integrity. He is known for a touch of the ‘unexpected,’ combined with beautiful textures and bold patterns that vibrate with the perfect amount of sophistication, warmth, innovation, style and approachability.

Drew graduated from The New York School of Interior Design in May 2010, and kicked off as lead designer in his own New York-based firm in October 2010. He served on the Board of Directors for ASID NY Metro from 2009-2011, while simultaneously sitting on the 2011 Student Advisory Council for ASID National. Soon after graduation, Drew was selected by The New York Design Center as one of 30 founding designers set to launch Access to Design™—a concierge service providing accessibility for consumers to the industry’s top design talents and product offerings through NYDC. The New York Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association [IFDA] named Drew a ‘Rising Star’ in 2012; Departures Magazine has included Drew as a member of its Home Design Council since 2014; and Houzz.com, the leading online platform for home remodeling and design, continues to honor Drew with its “Best of Houzz” distinction in design for driving extraordinary online traffic through his online portfolio. Drew McGukin Interiors participated in the “Project Design” collaboration with Kravet Inc. and The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island encompassing a two-phase renovation of the facility from the Spring 2013 to Fall 2014. Most recently, Drew was selected by Sunbrella as one of five designers across the US to design a complete room showcasing the breadth and style of Sunbrella’s interior fabric lines. These designs were unveiled in New York in October 2014, and again Feburary 2015 in Atlanta at the 2015 Design Blogger’s Conference. Drew is one of five notable designers selected to represent Cosentino as a 2015 Silestone Trendsetter.

Drew McGukin Interiors is established as a professional firm delivering a level of expertise that is not only innovative, but also classically trained. His offices are located in Chelsea and the team is currently working on projects in and around Manhattan, the Hamptons, North Carolina and the west coast.

ERIC HAYDEL

A Native of South Louisiana, Eric M. Haydel, Allied ASID, masterfully blends the warmth of Southern Hospitality with the sensibilities of New England. Eric holds a B.A. in communications from Nicholls State University and studied in the Master of Interior Design program at the Boston Architectural College. He serves at the President of the Board of Directors for ASID New England Chapter and has chaired the ASIDNE Fall Business Conference. Eric also serves as a board member with the Massachusetts Interior Design Coalition. His work has graced the pages of New England Home Magazine, Design New England Magazine, Boston Common Magazine, and many more.

JESSICA ROMM

Jessica Romm is domino‘s Editorial Director with over a decade of experience working for prominent media properties and brands identifying and driving trends in design, home decor, fashion and style. Talented in writing and packaging fresh editorial content, leveraging a lifestyle vision that draws inspiration from decor, fashion, travel, entertaining, design, and art. Recognized as a style expert for national and local media outlets. Jessica has written and edited for many publications including GQ, Elle Decor, Elle, Conde Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, Wall Street Journal and most recently worked on strategy and concept for a new Estee Lauder media property.

BETH FUCHS BRENNER

Beth Fuchs Brenner is domino‘s Chief Revenue Officer, Beth Brenner, served as the founding Vice President and Publisher of domino from its launch in 2005, until its close in 2009. Her effective leadership resulted in numerous industry honors including Adweek’s “Hot List” and Advertising Age’s 2005 “Launch of the Year.” Brenner’s Condé Nast experience also included eleven years as Vice President and Publisher of Self Magazine, from 1994 to 2004.

In April 2010, Beth joined Meredith Corporation as publisher of Traditional Home, a position she held until she returned to re-launch domino in September of 2013. Under Brenner’s leadership, Traditional Home led all shelter titles in advertising growth in 2012 and was named to Advertising Age’s A List and Media Industry Newsletter’s Top 10 Ad Performers.

DANIEL R. MCCARTHY

Daniel R. McCarthy is President & CEO of Taunton Press, a leading specialty media company. Taunton operates a sophisticated direct-to-consumer model that leverages high-quality content and deep connections with its customers to generate long-lasting relationships. Taunton’s leading brands include Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, Fine Cooking, Fine Gardening, Threads and Green Building Advisor.

Dan is also the Principal of Gallarus Ventures, LLC, a unique business advisory and strategy firm that works with a wide array of companies and entrepreneurs to identify new paths for growth and increase enterprise value. He has a successful record in transforming media and information companies to adapt to new business realities.

AFIF KHOURY

Afif Khoury, Founder and CEO of SOCi, Inc., has been at the forefront of technology for 20 years. From his early contribution to the Human Genome Project, a career as a high tech M&A attorney, a manager of two successful Venture Capitalist funds and Founder & CEO of two successful startups, Afif has made a career out of following the data.

KELLY FALLIS

Kelly is the founder and CEO of the online furniture platform with 350+brands, $1 shipping duties included in Canada/USA and free Stylist sourcing help. A true pioneer in the online furniture world, she can dazzle you with stories journeying her trials and tribulations when it comes to import/export, logistics, custom development, marketing, brand management, web development, ecommerce, big data and real estate matters. Follow her on Twitter @kellyfallis

Kelly’s journey spans 8 distinctly different industries including real estate, finance, furniture design, shipping, customs, data and ecommerce. Run hard and fail fast define Kelly’s approach for most in her 15+ years as an entrepreneur. Couple that with a keen eye for beautiful and well-organized spaces and an addiction for building businesses and you get Remote Stylist.

Kelly loves sharing her story to help others expedite their journies. She is a leading authority on entrepreneurial life, bootstrapping, startups, small business, technology and automation as well as being regularly quoted as an expert on home decor trends. She won Canada’s Business News Network ‘Best Pitch of 2012’ on the show ‘The Pitch’, and has had feature stories in the New York Times, Crains NY, Inc. Magazine, The National Post, Toronto Star, Canada.com, Wish Magazine, HGTV, too many blogs to rhyme off, and even coverage in overseas publications from China, Dubai and Australia.

Starting in banking Kelly quickly shifted to sales & trading where her entrepreneurial spirit grew. Desks didn’t jive with her mindset and she founded a home staging outfit, helping 750+ time-starved families maximize the return on the sale of their home over 5 years. After that, with the Internet on the rise and no shortage of new households her latest online business, Remote Stylist, was born.

Follow her on Twitter @kellyfallis

CRAIG VODNIK

Craig is a co-founder of cleverbridge, the market leading global subscription billing platform for relationship focused online businesses. Craig started the business with 3 co-founders in 2005 and bootstrapped the company to profitability in two years. Today, the company has over 300 employees and offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Cologne, Germany and Tokyo, Japan. Before cleverbridge, Craig worked at companies in the financial services, e-commerce, banking and publishing industries, starting with his first job as the webmaster at the Chicago Tribune, where he led the technical efforts to launch the newspaper online in 1996.