BUSINESS EXPERIENCE OF DIRECTORS AND NOMINEES DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS
MS. KATHRYN VAN NESS was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and
President of the Company in June, 1997. Ms. Van Ness was previously with Authentic Fitness Corporation (NYSE:ASM) where she served as President of the designer Speedo swimwear and activewear wholesale apparel divisions whose major brands include: Speedo, Anne Cole, Catalina, Cole of California, and Oscar de la Renta swimwear. Ms. Van Ness has also held various other positions, including General Manager/Vice President of Jantzen, Inc., a men's and women's swimwear/activewear company which is part of V.F. Corporation
(NYSE:VFC) and also President of White Stag Sportswear, a Warnaco (NYSE:WAC) division. Ms. Van Ness also has an extensive retail background, having spent over 15 years in various merchandising and marketing positions for Federated Department Stores (NYSE:FED). Ms. Van Ness served on the Board as President of the Princeton Ethics Committee Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.
WILLIAM P. CONLIN is a retired president and chief executive officer of CalComp Incorporated where he served in that position for 10 years until 1996. CalComp is a premier computer graphic and computer distribution company. Prior to joining CalComp, Mr. Conlin spent 23 years with Burroughs Corporation (now UNISYS). While with Burroughs, he held a variety of marketing and general management positions, including General Manager, National Accounts Region; President, International Group; Senior Vice President, Corporate Product Management; and President, Industry Systems Group. Mr. Conlin also serves on the Board of Directors of Syntellect, Inc., a publicly traded interactive communications company. Mr. Conlin has been listed in Who's Who in America since 1990 and is highly active in various community and industry volunteer positions. Mr. Conlin received his BBA from the University of Massachusetts and his MBA in Finance from the University of California in Berkeley.
SAMUEL S. GUZIK is a corporate and securities attorney practicing for over 19 years. Mr. Guzik is the founder and principal of Guzik & Associates, a Los Angeles, California law practice concentrating in general business, corporate finance, corporate securities transactions and securities litigation. Organizations represented by Mr. Guzik range from entrepreneurs and closely held companies to larger publicly traded companies.Mr. Guzik received his B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and his J.D. Law Degree at Stanford University. He is a member of the California and New York Bar.
C. DOUGLAS PLANK is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Pepperdine University, Malibu, California and has served in that capacity since 1993. He is the Senior Development Officer for the University's $300 million "Challenged to Lead" capital campaign. Mr. Plank received his
BA Organizational Communications from Pepperdine University.
MANAGEMENT
SUSAN WEINSTOCK, 35, was appointed as Vice President of Susan Burrowes, Ltd, a subsidiary of the Company, in June, 1997, immediately following its acquisition by the Company. Ms. Weinstock served in various executive positions at Susan Burrowes, Ltd. prior to its acquisition by the Company. Ms. Weinstock has extensive experience in all aspects of the apparel business including sales, management, manufacturing and administration.
CHRISTOPHER D. KELLY, 50, has served as President of Sierra Fixture and Design, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, since its formation in 1995. From 1987 to February 1995, Mr. Kelly served as a Vice-President of Mesa Verde Fixture and Design, Inc.
WILLIAM GRIER, 50, has served as the President of The Digital Group, Inc. ("The Digital Group") since its acquisition by the Company in September 1997. Mr. Grier has more than 25 years of experience in the digital printing industry, including executive management, cross-functional product development, marketing and research. From 1994 to 1997 he served as Chief Executive Officer of CACTUS, which developed the first application laboratory for digital printing and introduced the first commercial fabric digital printing system. From 1990 to 1994 he served as the Product Manager for CalComp, a division of Lockheed, where he headed the team that developed wide format printing and film imaging equipment and software.
WALTER WILHELM, 58, has served as the Executive Vice President of The Digital Group since its acquisition by the Company in September 1997. Mr. Wilhelm is an experts in the application of Quick Response (QR) in the apparel and footwear industries and has experience in startup operations and the marketing of high tech digital apparel production equipment in both domestic and international markets. From 1995 to 1997 he was a partner at Wilhelm and Leslie Consulting, a systems and management consulting firm, primarily for sewn goods. Mr. Wilhelm also obtained broad technology experience at Microdynamics, Inc., where he served as a Senior Vice President and Director from 1980 to 1995. Mr. Wilhelm was General Manager, Industrial Automation Systems, at Hughes Aircraft Company. While at Hughes he adapted and sold the Hughes AM-1 CAD System and a range of lasercutters to the apparel and footwear industries.
ROGER WILSON, 59, has served as the Executive Vice President of The Digital Group since its acquisition by the Company in September 1997. Prior to joining the Digital Group, he was the Chairman and CEO of Bula, Inc., from 1995 to 1997, and was its Vice Chairman since 1993. Bula is best known for its global ski accessories and ski headwear. |
