Bios
Andrew Shure, CEO
Andrew’s career began in consumer products when he moved to Hong Kong to open the first overseas office for the oldest continuous United States toy manufacturer, Strombecker Corp. As Managing Director of Strombecker Hong Kong, Andrew developed new suppliers in the Pacific Rim and pioneered new clients and markets in Australia, Japan, South Africa and Europe…
Read MoreAndrew led the development of the direct import business designed for the largest U.S. retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club and Toys “R” Us. Andrew then returned stateside to become Director of Operations for Larami, a private equity owned toy company. At Larami, Andrew participated in the initial inventor meetings with Lonnie Johnson when the NASA physicist presented the Super Soaker and was part of the leadership team on the early sourcing exercise in Hong Kong. The Super Soaker, now a part of the Hasbro family of brands, has become one of the best selling consumer products of all time with aggregate sales into the billions of dollars. COMBI, the largest juvenile manufacturer in Japan, then recruited Andrew to be Director of their U.S. Toy Division. Andrew was responsible for all facets of the toy division including sales, marketing and production. At COMBI, Andrew interfaced with Hall of Fame Toy Industry inventor and future chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad. Andrew then co- founded Shure Products with his brother Tom. Shure Products was an innovator in the emerging educational toy market, and sold to private equity owned Bendon Publishing, the premier publisher of children’s activity books and educational materials. Andrew went on to found Shure Pets, a direct seller of Pet products. Shure Pets was the category innovator and market leader in direct selling and party plan. Andrew developed a unique product line focused on organic, naturally made U.S. materials . Shure Pets Attracted over 5,000 independent consultants to sell these proprietary products through home parties. Andrew attracted significant media attention with news outlets to the business and parties as ‘Puppeware.’ Shure Pets was featured in CNN, NBC, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Washington Post, USA Weekend, NY Post and many other leading publications domestically and internationally. Andrew is a graduate of the Kogod School of Business at American University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
Wade Opland, Advisor
Wade Opland has over 30 years of retail operational excellence with premium brands. Most recently he was the SVP Head of Global Retail, Commercial Sales, and Customer Service at America Girl a division of Mattel. During his time at American Girl he grew the retail channel from 2 stores to 21 domestically and 13 stores internationally in Canada, Mexico, Bahrain, and the UAE. He grew the retail business from $80m to over $400m…
Read MoreWade also led the commercial sales team taking the business from $25m to $75 million with key accounts such as Costco, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, and Toys”R”Us. He was responsible for all aspects of customer service which included 2 call centers which managed order processing, social media, global service training, returns, and doll hospital. Wade was responsible for over 2500 employees. Prior to American Girl Wade was the General Manager of Marshall Field’s flagship in Minneapolis, MN a division of Target Corporation. He started in the executive training program out of college and advanced rapidly through the organization. As the flagship general manager he grew the store to $145M in sales with over 1500 employees and 800k square feet in luxury retailing. The store had 7 restaurants, 8 franchise businesses, and over 25 departments. The store was the number 2 revenue generating in the chain. Wade has a BA from Augustana University in Business and Communications. He is proficient in all aspects of retail operations, customer service, visual merchandising, human resources, logistics, loss prevention, P&l management, design/build, lease negotiations, and leadership development. Wade is also media trained from Weber Shandwick.
Steve Wolff, CFO
Steve Wolff has spent more than 25 years as CFO, CEO, and advisor with public, private, and private equity-owned companies with revenues ranging from start-up to $30 billion. He has led over 20 transformation, turnaround, and M&A initiatives, and has held board chairmanships, finance and investment committee seats, and served as interim CEO and country general manager.
Read MoreSteve’s industry experience includes healthcare, SaaS, construction, professional services, manufacturing, financial services, human services, and non-profits. He has extensive experience in more than 40 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Areas of expertise include CEO and board advice, mergers, acquisitions and integration, global business expansion, strategic planning, finance transformations (systems and people), and FP&A. He is proficient in Russian and Spanish.