Spark Plug

Jason Byer leads marketing and partnerships for Crowdspring. He has reviewed thousands of sites providing feedback on their visual brands and has a robust background in retail, digital marketing, sales, and business development.Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audioSpark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use ...

Dean Jones founded Encore Chocolates and Teas nine years ago because he and his wife were "bored being semi-retired." After 60 years of working in all aspects of the retail industry, Dean and his wife decided to channel their love for chocolates and teas into this new retail adventure.Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audioSpark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagem...

Josh Hagquist has been in the retail and hospitality industries for many years. He has worked in many retail establishments from a small bookstore to Starbucks and then transitioned to managing multiple stores for Stone Brewing Company. Now in his current position as Manager of Retail with prAna, he's learned two main things that he holds onto: To build a space that gives the customer an amazing in-store experience and to build high-performing retail teams that are supported and respected. In...

Dan Berthiaume, Senior Technology Editor of Chain Store Age, is a recognized expert on retail technology, having covered the space since 1998. Dan is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer, writes the award-winning weekly Retail Insights blog, and has also served as a moderator and panelist at numerous industry events. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audioSpark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the lea...

Khrysta Hendricks is the President and Founder of The Love Juice Co. It's a new natural juice and smoothie shop on the south side of Chicago. She only began this venture in April of this year as a food truck, but her plan is to have the brand all over the city and eventually, nationally. The Love Juice Co. believes that a healthier lifestyle should be accessible to everyone, so she began her journey aiming to do just that. She spent nine-plus years in retail and complex sales in different ind...

Cathy Hotka is a Principal at her own company, Cathy Hotka & Associates, working as a high-value networking contact in the retail community. After starting her career at the White House and on Capitol Hill, Cathy began to focus on association work. While working for 7 years at the National Retail Federation, she created the NRF CIO Council and NRFtech. This ultimately led to the creation of Cathy Hotka & Associates as not only a networking company but also as a connection in the retai...

Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retailing, and pharmaceuticals. He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Among t...

Toby Pickard is the Head of Insight, Retail, and Innovation at IGD (or, the Institute of Grocery Distribution), a trading company that utilizes high-level commercial understanding to uncover rich insights and data. With over 15 years of experience in research, trends, and eCommerce in the food and grocery industry, Toby truly understands how to create innovative solutions for big challenges. Toby has been named Retail Technology Innovation Hub (RTIH)’s Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers fo...

Alejandra Crites is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Casa de la Luna, a retail marketplace that focuses on feminine hygiene, intimacy, and care down there. She’s on a mission to combine her customer-focused mindset with business development in the retail industry, with a particular focus on beauty, fragrance and feminine wellness. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audioSpark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of...

Ian Johnston is the Founder and Creative Director at Quinine, a world-leading retail experience consultancy that recently won a DBA Design Effectiveness Award. With over 20 years of experience on both the design and retail sides of the business, Ian is well-versed in delivering impactful and meaningful brand experiences. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audioSpark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the l...