AtAuction Updated Pics and Bios 08-25-11

1. AtAuction Updated Pics and Bios08-25-11

2. John House, CEO John is the founder of At Auction and serves as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He is considered one of the foremost authorities and an early pioneer of online B2C auctions. In 2001, John founded Always At Market, Inc,. Using his knowledge and experience of the Internet auction space he partnered with the leading B2C auction marketplaces, developing their non-core auction categories. As Always at Market’s business shifted to more private label auction sites and managed services, the company repositioned and re-branded itself in 2008 to At Auction, a total solutions provider of B2C Internet auction managed services and technology. John received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984 from the University of California at Berkley where he was a four-year letterman on the Golden Bear baseball team. John received his Jurist Doctorate degree from the University of Santa Clara in 1987. John is a member of the Society of International Business Fellows and a major supporter of youth athletics in the Dallas area. John and his wife Nikki have two sons, Cole and Kevin.

3. John Walker, CFO John joined At Auction in 2007, and oversees the company’s accounting, finance, HR, and operations. He is a seasoned financial executive with over 23 years of financial management experience in the consumer products industry including merger and acquisitions, private financing, turnaround, equity and debt financing, as well as general operations management. Prior to joining At Auction, John served as the Chief Financial Officer for Fitz & Floyd, Inc., internationally-known for their high-end home décor and collectibles. John joined Fitz & Floyd in 1987, and after serving in several positions such as Controller, Treasurer and Vice President of Finance, he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 1996. While at Fitz & Floyd, he worked with numerous private equity investors and investment groups, in addition to lenders such as the Thomas H. Lee Company, Bear Sterns, Credit Suisse First Boston, the CIT Group, Fleet Capital Corporation and Bank of America Business Capital. John is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and received his public accountant license in 1985.

4. Mike Coming, CTO Mike joined AtAuction in 2010 and is responsible for the company's information technology and the development of the company’s auction platform.  Mike has been leading software development teams for over twenty years in industries as diverse as defense, supply chain, and industrial automation. 

5. Jeff Bruneau, Vice President Jeff joined At Auction in 2010, and is responsible for the company’s Watch and Memorabilia categories.  He is a senior level executive with almost 20 years of successful leadership in direct to consumer marketing, consumer packaged goods, product development, social media, brand building, strategic and tactical planning.  Most recently, Jeff served as Sr. Director of Marketing, at Mattel, Inc. where he was responsible for the strategic planning and day-to-day marketing of the Radica electronic game division . Under Jeff’s leadership, Mattel entered into social media, and digital based products and marketing efforts. He worked with licensors such as Warner Bros, Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, D.C., and Marvel. Prior to Mattel, Jeff spent 13 years at Fossil, Inc. in their Product Development Group managing several Fossil watch lines, and working with high profile brands such as Emporio Armani, Zodiac, DKNY, Diesel, Philippe Starck and Michael Kors. He was also directly responsible for the Wrist Instruments division, which formed strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Palm, and Sony Ericsson.

6. Sonali Shah, Vice President Sonali joined At Auction in 2011, and is responsible for the company’s Jewelry category.  She is a senior level executive with over 16 years of successful leadership in merchandise buying, product development, international sourcing, assortment and inventory planning.  She has strong operational background in the apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, home and craft industries. Most recently, Sonali served as Senior Manager of J C Penney.com, Apparel division, where she was responsible for leading teams in several divisions as a planning manager, sourcing production manager, and inventory planner over the last 9 years. She successfully launched private brands with annual revenue totaling $300 million. Prior to J C Penney, Sonali spent 2 years at Michaels Arts and Crafts developing their internal financial and inventory planning systems. Sonali has a Master’s in Science degree in Retail Merchandising from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX.

7. Paul Gardner, Vice President Paul Gardner is a seasoned retail channel executive with over 25 years of  IT and consumer products industry experience.  He has worked in all retail channels and understands the marketing efforts required to make the best businesses better. Prior to AtAuction, Paul was the Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) for Consumer Electronics at Radio Shack where he helped lead the product development and broadened the market reach of the company’s franchise and online business. Paul honed his skills at Montgomery Ward- Electric Avenue as a Buyer, and Managing Vendor.  He leveraged those skills to become a primary contributor to the growth and eventual IPOs of uBid and eCost. 

8. Tony Ramos, Creative Director Photographer Tony Ramos joined AtAuction in 2010. Tony brings almost 20 years’ experience to our company. He currently manages the creative styling, presentation, and photography of products. His team brings marketing ideas to fruition, adding a unique styling and expertise. Tony brings to AtAuctionamazing creativity, technical know-how, and attention to detail. Most recently, Tony served as Studio Manager and Lead Photographer for Vertis, a national Pre-media, Printing, and Marketing Solutions Company. At Vertis, his client accounts included Office Max, Radio Shack, Waccamaw Pottery, and Homeplace. Prior to that Tony worked at retailers such as May Co., Filene’s, and G. Fox. Tony’s responsibilities there included overseeing photography, pre-press, and imaging for those client organizations, as well as managing his own creative team. Tony studied at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Bridgeport.

9. Yvonne Gonzalez, Operations Manager Yvonne Gonzalez has been working with AtAuction since August of 2001. Starting as an inventory manager for the Memorabilia department at AtAuction, she has honed her skills in several areas from inventory management to genuine and effective customer service and now supervises the entire company’s inventory control and customer service departments. Yvonne’s current responsibilities include the management of eight employees, entering records of received inventory into our proprietary software, reconciling all inventory against corresponding invoices, and tracking all new merchandise samples. All customer orders are pulled, tracked, and shipped under her supervision. In tandem with her warehouse management, Yvonne is involved in our Customer Service Department, where she has created a system that greatly reduces the amount of time needed to process and resolve issues and requests.

10. Jason Baxa, Logistics Manager With 20 years of experience under his belt, seasoned Distribution Manager Jason Baxa is a multi-faceted warehouse and logistical professional who has been with At Auction almost since its inception. Jason manages inventory receiving and control, inbound and outbound shipping, order processing, and negotiating supplies, while heading up refurbishment in our Inventory Asset Recovery Program. He is responsible for negotiation of all freight services and shipping rates to our clients. With his guidance, the warehouse team and category schedulers conduct our inventory process, ensuring that the contents of our warehouse meet the current market demand.

11. Advisors

12. John “Jack” Stieber

13. David L. Johnston David L. Johnston has extensive experience with both public and private real estate companies. He recently served as CEO, President and Advisory Board Member of Archon Residential, a Goldman Sachs subsidiary company with over $2 billion in assets and 1,000 employees. During his career Mr. Johnston has served as CEO, President and Trustee of Automotive Realty Trust of America; Division President, Director and Managing Partner of the Trammell Crow Residential Companies; and as an Executive officer of United Dominion Realty Trust. In addition, he is a former member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for American Federal Savings Bank; and a past Director of the National Multihousing Council. Mr. Johnston has a MBA from Southern Methodist University. Currently he is on the Board of Directors of the Society of International Business Fellows, American Cancer Society, and the Frontier of Flight Museum.