Our team of former multichannel retailers and experts has hands-on experience from many years in eCommerce in over a hundred large and small online businesses:

• Managing $50m+ eCommerce P&L businesses
• Building multi-channel retail businesses from scratch
• Helping online retailers define and re-engineer business and technical processes
• Coaching online retailers in best practices and 'best fit' solutions
• Managing RFP and selection processes for web businesses
• Facilitating critical technology decisions in support of business objectives
• Managing the implementation of complex eCommerce systems
• Integrating new platforms and point solutions to legacy systems
• Guiding US online retailers in deploying international eCommerce businesses

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Our team comprises (links to profiles below):

• Bernardine Wu  Founder & CEO
• Mike Miller  VP, Business Development
• Mark Zembal  VP, Marketing
• AJ Leale  VP, Consulting
• Danielle Savin  VP, Multichannel Retail and Marketing
• John Coniglio  Sr. Consultant
• Jill Dvorak  Sr. Consultant
• Wendy Elman  Sr. Consultant
• Wens Gerdyman  Sr. Consultant
• Mark Hodes  Sr. Consultant
• Kerry Martin  Sr. Consultant
• Marty Schmid  Sr. Consultant
• Constantine Kipnis  CTO & VP, Product Management
• Cynthia Kounaris  VP, Program Management
• Brian Wu  Director of Design & Usability

Bernardine Wu  Founder & CEO

Bernardine Wu is the founder and CEO of FitForCommerce, a business which resulted from her many years of operational and strategic success in helping online retailers find solutions, re-launch eCommerce sites and increase online sales. She is a frequent speaker and writer for the eCommerce industry's leading resources including Internet Retailer, Shop.org and Online Market World.

Bernardine has extensive finance, technology and eCommerce experience rooted in Wall Street and a successful history working in the eCommerce industry for several leading companies. Bernardine co-founded SiteAcuity, a provider of online marketing and CRM software, and Venda, Inc., an outsourced eCommerce platform provider, where as president and COO, she was instrumental in Venda's launch and growth in North America. Clients included: Lands' End, Neiman Marcus, Crabtree & Evelyn, UnderArmour, Pokemon and DoItYourself.com.

Prior to entering online retail, Bernardine was an executive-level consultant on projects tied to increasing revenues, restructuring costs and maximizing organizational efficiency at a variety of financial institutions including the New York Stock Exchange. Before that, Bernardine managed the B2B eCommerce business unit at OptiMark, Inc., a provider of advanced matching engine and exchange technology. Bernardine also held senior technology and operations management positions at brokerage firms Salomon Brothers and Jefferies & Company and at Accenture.

Bernardine received her BA in English and Asian Studies at Dartmouth College.

Mike Miller  VP, Business Development

Mike Miller oversees all worldwide revenue generation and is directly responsible for sales, corporate strategy, partner programs, and strategic alliances.

Mike brings over a decade of Internet experience to clients and prospects seeking to improve their online businesses. Prior to FitForCommerce, he served as director of business development at Truition and at ATG, whereby Mike's understanding of the eCommerce marketplace, retailer's needs, and growth strategies made him an invaluable partner to his clients. Mike's direct, consultative approach has led to a distinguished track record of creating revenue generating, strategic relationships for his clients, partners, and employers. Mike's thorough appreciation for the market stems from having worked with both licensed and on-demand eCommerce providers and with large and SMB retailers, which also gives him a true understanding for the challenges faced by today's multichannel retailers.

Previously, Mike also worked at Ebay, Accenture, Rotech Consulting, and Ketera Technologies in both product management and business development roles.

Mike has a BS in Management and Finance from Purdue University.

Mark Zembal  VP, Marketing

Mark Zembal is responsible for strategy and execution of all marketing initiatives at FitForCommerce including brand development, awareness, lead generation, public relations and product marketing. Additionally, he manages the expansion and adoption of the FitBase eCommerce knowledge base.

Mark brings more than 18 years of marketing and advertising experience on both the client and agency side. Prior to FitForCommerce, Mark directed marketing efforts for Vcommerce helping to guide its successful merger with Channel Intelligence. Before that, Mark was a founder of Mindspace - one of the Southwest's most awarded integrated advertising agencies. Responsible for account planning, client strategies and creative development, Mark grew the agency from start-up to over $14M in capitalized billings over the course of five years. During that time, he helped B2B and B2C clients ranging from boutique multi-channel retailers like Urban Tea Loft to multi-national giants like Oracle and Avnet consistently achieve and exceed stated objectives.

Previously, Mark worked with Carmichael Lynch Advertising and Carlson Marketing Group on accounts including Rollerblade, Budget Rent A Car, United Health Care, Visa/Visa International and AirTouch Cellular (Verizon). Additional client-side insights were gained while working at Northwest Airlines (NWWV/MLT) and Cyclone Commerce (Axway).

Mark graduated cum laude with a BA in Marketing from University of St. Thomas.

AJ Leale  VP, Consulting

AJ Leale is VP of Consulting at FitForCommerce and manages several sales and operations initiatives. With over 14 years of eCommerce experience, AJ's expertise includes industry best practices and trends, detailed understanding of existing web applications and services, application architecture, development and management of live webstores and Internet applications.

AJ's has an extensive history in architecting and implementing small to large scale eCommerce applications. His roles have ranged from presales engineering, solution architecting, integration design, website development, management of project and technical implementation teams and account management. As director of web development at WebCollage, AJ was responsible for over 35 customer projects (including HP, Kodak, Lenovo, Olympus, Microsoft, Sony, Symantec) through a team of US based project managers and offshore developers in Israel and Russia. As an early pioneer in ecommerce at platform providers InterWorld and Venda, AJ managed the design and implementation of some of the earliest e-retailers (Ann Taylor, Burlington Coat Factory, Pet Smart, Speedo, Nike, Toys R Us, Jockey, Educational Resources, Lillian Vernon, L'Oreal, Lancome, and Maybelline) and recently some of the most complex webstores, including the international site for premiere retailer Lands' End.

Additional Internet expertise comes from developing Salesforce.com application add-ons for Bluewolf, Inc. and development of one of the first NYC restaurant guide in the mid-90's handling online ordering of meals for over 3000 restaurants.

AJ has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Danielle Savin  VP, Multichannel Retail and Marketing

Danielle Savin is a Multichannel Retail and Marketing Specialist for FitForCommerce, providing eCommerce marketing consulting and implementation coaching. As a former multichannel retailer, Danielle's hands-on experiences in design, usability, all forms of eMarketing, eMerchandising, technology, organization, and outsourcing positions her as one of the most seasoned consultants in the industry.

In a career spanning more than 15 years in the industries of eCommerce, direct marketing, and traditional and brand marketing, Danielle has launched multiple eCommerce sites for nationally renowned retailers. In every launch endeavor, she orchestrated all phases of production from design interface to actual launch. Danielle combines experience, vision and talent to assess business needs, develop strategy, and implement and monitor deployment so that e-retailing clients are able to successfully compete across all channels.

Danielle has served as divisional vice president for both Playboy Enterprises and Fredericks of Hollywood, where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of eCommerce business strategies, marketing initiatives, technology requirements, website performance, and the creative execution of online and print advertising materials. Danielle Savin also has several years of traditional brand marketing experience with Mail Boxes Etc, Scripps Memorial Hospitals, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Playboy Enterprises and others.

Danielle received her BA in English/Writing Emphasis from the University of California San Diego.

John Coniglio  Sr. Consultant

John Coniglio is a senior consultant at FitForCommerce, providing business and technical expertise to multichannel retailers who are selecting eCommerce technology solutions.

John has over 20 years of experience building and managing technology and operations, and over 10 years experience in retail and eCommerce. John implemented and managed Linens ‘n Things eCommerce from the very start and continually strengthened it's position in the marketplace by making strategic improvements such as in-store pickup and gift registry. As CIO of a leading costume eCommerce website, John was responsible for the vendor selection and implementation of virtually all business critical systems; from webstore software and hosting to back-end systems such as order management, warehouse management and shipping. John directed the integration with several industry leading companies such as Amazon, Mercent, Omniture, and made tactical changes of web content to improve SEO rankings.

Throughout his career, John has a proven track record of strategic decision making resulting in the implementation of technologies and processes that not only support, but improve efficiencies and profitability in all areas of the business.

Jill Dvorak  Senior Consultant

Jill Dvorak brings a seasoned retail approach to FitForCommerce. During her career at Discovery Channel, Encyclopedia Britannica and National Geographic, she worked with more than 30 different solution providers in the consumer space. Most recently, Jill was the Director of Consumer eCommerce for North America at Encyclopedia Britannica where she led their Consumer eCommerce arm. Her main responsibilities were a complete ecommerce re-platforming, including a re-brand and re-design, and development of a new merchandising strategy. She was also responsible for all online and offline consumer eCommerce marketing efforts.

Before joining Britannica, Jill was the Manager of Branded Merchandise at Discovery Communications, Inc. In addition to helping merchandise Discovery Channel Online and Mall Based stores, she also headed up the Branded Merchandise department, developing promotional products for the 16 networks under DCI (including TLC, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health, Science, Planet Green etc). Additionally, she was solely responsible for design, merchandising and operation of the World Headquarters Discovery Channel Store, a showcase and sales location for Discovery retail, licensed and premium products. Prior to Discovery Channel, Jill helped National Geographic in the Communications department where her responsibilities included creation and management of the company's first online media press room and positive press placements for business units of National Geographic, including the online store, content sites, television programming and feature films, and direct mail catalogs.

Jill holds an MBA in Strategy and Marketing from the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business and a BS Degree from Vanderbilt University in Human & Organizational Development.

Wendy Elman  Sr. Consultant

Wendy is a senior consultant and eCommerce practitioner with 17 years of launching online business ventures and managing integrated cross-channel marketing programs. First and foremost, Wendy is a coach - leveraging her hands-on experience to lead clients through FitForCommerce's eCommerce Diligence process, consulting on "must haves" vs. "should haves" and best practices.

Wendy previously founded Welman Digital Media, LLC, a boutique sales and marketing firm specializing in cross-platform marketing, eCommerce, and brand management servicing the retail, media, and entertainment sectors.

In the past, Wendy has held a number of senior management positions including VP of Global Marketing at The Economist and Senior Director of eCommerce and Consumer Marketing at Scholastic, where she developed and launched eCommerce businesses and managed customer acquisition and strategic partnerships to drive cross channel sales. Wendy has also served as Executive Director, Online Marketing at The Princeton Review overseeing online strategy and sales, and Random House as a senior member of the corporate team responsible for the company's new media strategy and Internet operations. Previous Client experience includes Babies-R-Us, HIT Entertainment, Fortunoff, HarperCollins Publishers, Discovery Channel, BarnesandNoble.com, LinkShare, and American Express.

Wens Gerdyman  Sr. Consultant

Wens Gerdyman is a veteran in both web and eCommerce from a product management discipline and leads FitForCommerce's product management consulting practice.

Wens' past work has covered all facets of product management including conception, strategy, planning and execution and across the marketing to technology spectrum. He has managed many products from concept to launch for large public companies such as eBay (Shopping.com) and Yahoo!, and venture-backed ones such as Escalate Retail and Optum Software. Additionally, he has managed established products with tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue, including enterprise applications and mass-market products.

Wens holds BS in Electrical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley. He is also Pragmatic Marketing trained and Scrum Master certified.

Mark Hodes  Sr. Consultant

Mark Hodes is a senior consultant at FitForCommerce having managed large-scale marketing and eCommerce businesses. He has served as Senior Vice President of Customer Marketing of TicketsNow.com until the sale of the company to Ticketmaster.

Mr. Hodes also served as Head of Customer Relationship Marketing for renowned travel Web site Orbitz. Prior to Orbitz, he served as a Senior Vice President of Digitas, where he ran CRM engagements for Fortune 50 clients. TNOW Entertainment Group Inc. is doing business as TicketsNow.com. Mr. Hodes served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of iXL and as a Vice President of Modem Media. He also served on the executive management team of Brightstreet, a Cupertino, Calif.-based Series A startup that was later acquired by e-Centives. Mr. Hodes served as a Managing Director and member of the Worldwide Operating Board for Ogilvy One. Mr. Hodes is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha.

Kerry Martin  Sr. Consultant

Kerry Martin is a senior consultant at FitForCommerce and has over 10 years experience in the software industry in the direct-to-consumer retail environment. She has implemented many eCommerce platforms and solutions on both the 'front-end' and 'back-end' side. Her specialties include the integration of eCommerce sites with back-end systems - the "behind the buy button" applications include order management, customer service, inventory and warehouse management, shipping, merchandising, marketing, and financials.

During her years at Micros, (formerly CommercialWare) Kerry was an early pioneer of the eCommerce implementation, working with catalog and brick-and-mortar companies to develop an online presence. She also was at the forefront of the multichannel and cross channel initiatives, helping clients create a seamless shopping experience for their customers. Kerry also served as Product Manager at OrderMotion, a SaaS order management provider, working to enhance the product to meet the demands of the industry and the current customer base She recently directed Strategic Development at a leading costume online retailer, working to optimize operations by focusing on process re-engineering and system implementation.

Throughout her career, Kerry has worked with various clients in many different capacities, from business analysis to requirements gathering, in order to help them improve their businesses using software as a solution. In building a comprehensive and integrated solution for her clients, she has been exposed to and has experience with many leading software providers in the ecommerce industry.

Kerry has a BA from Villanova in French, with double minors in Economics and Education.

Marty Schmid  Sr. Consultant

Marty Schmid is a senior consultant at FitForCommerce and an eCommerce professional with over 15 years of hands-on experience in the creation and management of web-based businesses. As an entrepreneur, owner and practitioner of web and eCommerce ventures, Marty brings "real life" experience and knowledge to the clients he serves.

Previously, Marty owned and managed a boutique interactive agency which assisted a wide variety of businesses in the creation and development of their online brand identities. Marty also founded and ran a major online travel agency which he lead from startup to $42+ million in annual sales. Marty has managed all aspects of an online business including product strategy, development, brand positioning, marketing, technology and operations.

Marty also has extensive technical expertise in eCommerce software and has personally development large-scale transactional systems with multiple consumer and B2B touch points.

As a seasoned entrepreneur, Marty has experienced first-hand the challenges of growing businesses in hypercompetitive markets and he is able to effectively leverage that experience to benefit clients facing similar challenges.

Constantine Kipnis  CTO & VP, Product Management

Constantine Kipnis is a CTO and VP Product Management at FitForCommerce, responsible for the overall development of the FitBase application as part of the eCommerce Diligence(tm) process and toolkit.

Constantine has played a leading role in web application startups since 1994, including co-founder of intermedia.NET, Senior Web Architect at iManage (now Interwoven), Product Manager at Broadband Office and OnForce.com, as well as serving as a product and project management consultant for a broad range of high-profile clients.

Constantine has been active in e-commerce since the earliest days of the Web, having overseen the launch of first-generation Fortune 500 websites like healthychoice.com, landolakes.com, and other CPG brands from version 0.0 through maturity. In the late 1990s Constantine architected a cutting edge online small business shopping framework (precursor to solutions like Yahoo Shopping), p2p payment tools (precursor to PayPal), and Net3D advanced visual merchandising tools. More recently, At Photo File, Inc., Constantine was director of eCommerce, where he re-launched an e-retailer of MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL sports products. At Venda, Inc., Constantine managed the development and implementation of front-to-back eCommerce solutions for clients such as Crabtree & Evelyn, Danskin and Jurlique.

Constantine holds an MBA from U. of Florida, MA from U. of Pennsylvania, and BA from the U. of Minnesota.

Cynthia Kounaris  VP, Program Management

Cynthia Kounaris heads Program Management for FitForCommerce overseeing all aspects of eCommerce provider content and participation and leading other key initiatives. Cynthia is also vice president of the Las Olas Association in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where until recently, she owned a successful bridal retail store.

Previously, as general manager of internet start-up INS Greencard, she managed all aspects of the business, technology and organization. Prior to eCommerce and retail, Cynthia managed many departments and projects to develop complex trading systems as an executive with over 15 years in Wall Street technology at Deutche Bank, JP Morgan and Salomon Brothers.

Cynthia graduated from Bates College with a BA in French.

Brian Wu  Director of Usability & Design

Brian Wu serves as a Web Usability & Design Consultant to FitForCommerce clients. In addition to FitForCommerce engagements, Mr. Wu is a principal at Inside Out Design, a design company he founded in 1993, that has served clients such as Xerox, Union Pacific, Zagat Survey and many small and start-up companies. Mr. Wu has applied his expertise in information architecture, interaction design, information design, brand development, and graphic design to projects as varied as process control software, corporate annual reports, and food packaging.

Mr. Wu began his career at Chermayeff & Geismar Associates, where he developed corporate identity systems and corporate publications. Next, he served as the art director of Callaway Editions, a publisher of illustrated books, then as the design director at BAM! Software, where he developed user interfaces for educational and entertainment CD-ROM titles.

Mr. Wu has taught design technology classes at The Cooper Union School of Art, the School of Visual Arts and the Apple Computer Market Center and has presented his work at conferences on both coasts. Mr. Wu earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry and a Masters in Fine Arts degree in graphic design at Yale University.

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