2012 Closets Conference Speakers
NOTE: We are in the process of collecting information from 2012 CLOSETS CONFERENCE speakers. More to come soon.
Denise Butchko
Owner, Butchko & Co.
Denise Butchko is a marketing and design consultant who's been in and out of closets for more than 10 years. In addition to designing custom storage solutions, she is passionate about teaching people not only the benefits, but the ins and outs of social media applications.
Denise is a former winner of CLOSETS Top Shelf Design Awards and currently serves as a judge for the competition. She is also a regular contributor to CLOSETS magazine.
Rich Christianson
Associate Publisher, CLOSETS magazine
Rich Christianson is Associate Publisher and Editor at Large of Woodworking Network and ClosetsDaily. During his 25 covering the wood products industry, Rich has toured hundreds of manufacturing plants throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His reporting has covered everything from the state of the industry and impact of wood imports to technology and environmental issues. In his current capacity he is responsible for editing the daily Woodworking Network Update newsletter and coordinating events including the annual Closets & Home Organization Conference & Expo and the Canada’s biennial Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo.
Vincent Gatti
Co-Founder, A-Jax Social Media
Ajax Social Media Co-Founder Vincent Gatti is a 20-year sales veteran. For the past 14 years, he worked at CDW, where he was in the top 1/10th of 1 percent of more than 3,000 sales performers and the only person to earn a spot on the company's President's Trip 12 years in a row. Vincent provided formal training for more than 150 of his peers; three of his mentees are still Top 10 producers.
Vincent is professional member of the National Speakers Association. His first book, co-authored with Jason Seiden, is "Beyond Social: Transforming Your LinkedIn Strategy to Convey Credibility, Connect with Resources, and Get Things Done" (expected publishing date in 2012).
Liza Hausman
Vice President, Marketing of Houzz.com
Liza Hausman is Vice President, Marketing at Houzz, the revolutionary platform for residential remodeling and design. She earned her degree in Rhetoric from U.C. Berkeley and her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of management, Ms. Hausman has experience spaning Advertising, Strategy Consulting, Marketing and Social Strategy for Fortune 500 brands from Clorox, AT&T and Turner Networks to a host of innovative start-ups. Liza co-founded her first internet startup in 1998, a home improvement retailer eventually sold to Walmart.com. She's worked with contractors and designers to remodel every inch of her home in Palo Alto, CA, over the last 7 years - including her dream closet.
Derrek Holland
President, The Closet Doctor
Derrek Holland, President of The Closet Doctor and Vice President of The National Closet Group, has more than 15 years' experience in the closet industry. An early adopter of CAD for the design process, he has recently upgraded his shop to utilize the full benefits of CAD & CNC equipment, allowing his sales people to turn in designs that are ready to go “screen to machine.”
Andreas Messis & Stuart Reisch
Co-Founders, transFORM
transFORM, co-founded by Andreas Messis and Stuart Reisch, is one of the largest independent closet and storage solution companies in the nation. The company has provided custom storage solutions to more than 15,000 customers in New York City and the surrounding areas. The focus for transFORM is to provide the highest quality designs matched with unsurpassed product and service. transFORM currently has two showrooms, more than 20 designers and a state of the art 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. transFORM specializes in producing custom stained and painted units. Despite the significant downturn in the economy, transFORM has thrived by diversifying and expanding its product line. transFORM is one of the founding companies of ACSP and both Andreas and Stuart have served on the board of directors.
Sue Tinker
Master Designer, Closet Works
Sue Tinker says she knew she found her calling the day she walked into a closet showroom and saw the jewelry drawer. Organization had always appealed to her, so helping others get organized would be great. That was over 20 years ago. Sue has been with Closet Works for 13-plus years and takes pride in seeing the company grow to be the largest, most successful home organization company in the Chicago area.
Sue's design experience includes award-winning residential closets the size of a boutique up to large scale projects for nursing homes and university dorms at DePaul University and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). She has worked on office projects for medical offices, laboratories and store displays.
“I feel very fortunate to have found a career that has been so enjoyable and rewarding,” Tinker says. “I also love the challenge of maximizing a small space and seeing how even a simple design makes a huge impact.
Janet Valenza
Founder and Owner of Closet Revolution
Janet Valenza is Founder and Owner of Closet Revolution, providing space and storage planning, storage design and custom cabinet and closet installation. The company is based in Manhattan serving the New York metro area and was recently engaged to design a 2,000-square-foot closet showroom in Shanghai, China, for a client opening up a new division there. Featured frequently in CLOSETS magazine and recently in The Daily News, the company has worked with Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry in Manhattan on storage presentations for new brides.