MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Drew Barto
Director of Marketing
@Energy Swing Windows & Total Basement Finishing

As the Director of Marketing for award-winning Energy Swing Windows since 2009, Drew has helped this family-owned business become a primetime player in the Pittsburgh market by outsmarting the national brands with bigger budgets. He has achieved this by mastering a mix of old media (direct mail & radio) and new media (Facebook advertising) with laser-focused targeted audience selection. By analyzing customer data, Drew knows who to reach and how to reach them with the most cost effective methods. Applying this approach to Facebook advertising has resulted in generating appointments and list building opportunities with previously unmined prospects.

Ricky Deakyne
National Marketing Manager
@DreamMaker Bath and Kitchenl

Ricky's core marketing competency is discovering truths about DreamMaker's clients to deliver memorable experiences through each stage of the funnel. He leads DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen's marketing team, focusing on establishing greater brand resonance using qualitative and quantitative data and national marketing programs.

Dawn Dewey
Senior VP, Marketing & Business Development
@Dreamstyle Remodeling

As the Senior VP of Marketing and Business Development for Dreamstyle Remodeling, Dawn and her team are responsible for driving leads across the six states that Dreamstyle services. They are on track to deliver more than 35,000 issued leads this year from a wide variety of sources ranging from digital to print to TV.

Grant Farnsworth
Director of Business Strategy
@The Farnsworth Group

For over 15 years, Grant has consulted on qualitative and quantitative research projects for a variety of manufacturing and retail customers in the home building and home improvement industry. He also manages The Farnsworth Group's business strategy to continue developing the market position it established 30 years ago. Grant continues to accumulate industry knowledge through ongoing efforts with organizations like Harvard's Joint Center for Housing and the Home Improvement Research Institute. The Farnsworth Group is the managing firm for HIRI, and Grant provides oversight and recommendations on objectives to achieve the organization's mission. A long-time drummer, Grant still plays and his creativity is an often-utilized resource both in his company and with clients.

Brian Gottlieb
Owner
@Tundraland Home Improvements

Brian Gottlieb is an inspirational business owner who founded his home improvement company Tundraland in 2009, with an initial investment of only $3,000. Brian has grown the company into one of the largest home improvement companies in Wisconsin. Tundraland is deeply embedded in the community it serves. Brian believes that while Tundraland is a home improvement company, he's really in the business of developing people and building a culture where employees are part of something greater than themselves. His company is proof a business can succeed financially while also doing tremendous good for the community.

Cassi Hallam
VP of Marketing
@System Pavers

Cassi Hallam is the VP of Marketing for System Pavers, the #1 Outdoor Remodeling Company in the US. Before joining System Pavers, she was the Director of Marketing for Jacuzzi Group Worldwide, and earned her MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth. She is no stranger to Home Improvement and its unique challenges, as she began her career in this industry over 15 years ago. Cassi and her team are experts at strategically utilizing brand and digital marketing to deliver the leads that support their sales team and overall business while never losing focus on efficiency, creativity, or profitability.

Vince Nardo
President
@Reborn Cabinets

Vince Nardo is President of a family-owned 35-plus year old kitchen and bath remodeling firm located in Orange County, California. Winner of many industry awards, Reborn has been recognized as a Top Workplace by Inc. Magazine's fastest-growing companies in America, and winner of the Better Business Bureau's Torch Award for Ethics. Vince and his family have grown Reborn to over 400 team members with six locations throughout California and Nevada, completing over 4,000 kitchen and bath remodels each year.

Amy Rahn
Marketing Director
@NewSouth Window Solutions

Amy Rahn is a partner, co-founder, and marketing director of Florida based NewSouth Window Solutions, Florida's fastest growing factory direct window and door company. Currently operating in six (soon to be seven) markets, Amy has built the NewSouth brand and handled marketing and advertising since the company's inception—resulting in growth from $0 to almost $77 million in 8 years. With a background in broadcast media and advertising, the role of marketing director was a natural one within the company. Prior to NewSouth, Rahn worked in broadcast radio in Cincinnati and in television production for the Emmy-winning season of the Joan Rivers Show in New York.

George Schaub
Director of Marketing
@Thompson Creek Window Company

George Schaub came to the home improvement industry in 2005, as Director of Marketing for Thompson Creek Window Company. Since that time, he increased the prominence of the company and imprinted the Thompson Creek "Home Sweet Home" jingle on the minds of millions of Mid-Atlantic homeowners.  He helped to develop a marketing strategy to grow revenues from $12 million to $86 million. Schaub holds B.S in Business Management from Penn State University. He lives in Annapolis, MD and in his downtime can be found at local hockey rinks cheering on his two teenage sons.

Adam Shampaine
CEO
@Homefix Custom Remodeling

Shampaine came to Homefix Custom Remodeling in 2005 after completing five years on Capitol Hill with the House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Environment Technology and Standards. He graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2001 with a Degree in Economics. Shampaine started at HCR in the sales department. He quickly rose through the organization and served as the operations manager in New Jersey and then Virginia where he honed his business philosophy: focus on customer experience as the foundation for growth. In 2014 he was named the CEO of HCR to unify the company under this ideology, ensuring that HCR remains a customer service company first and foremost. Adam now ranks number 40 out of 50 on the 2019 list of Glassdoor's Top CEOs, US SMB list with a 97% approval rating from his employees.

BJ Werzyn
Owner
@West Shore Home

BJ Werzyn is the owner of industry powerhouse West Shore Home with 13 locations in six states. Founded in 2006, West Shore is projecting revenues of $350 million in 2020. Part of the company's success is through organic growth—more than 35% year-over-year. Another engine behind West Shore's meteoric rise is the purchase of other home improvement firms, with three new acquisitions in 2019 alone. West Shore sells and installs windows, doors, and bathroom updates, focusing on straightforward projects that can be completed quickly. This allows for tighter job costing and the ability to reinvest more of the profits back into marketing. Werzyn holds a B.S. from Penn State University.

Rick Wuest
President & CEO
@Thompson Creek Window Company

Rick Wuest is President and CEO of Thompson Creek Window Company in Lanham, (Lan-am) Maryland. Rick's family opened a small window manufacturing company named, Mid-Lantic Corp. in Annapolis, MD in 1980. They manufactured energy efficient windows selling to contractors and builders. Rick's first job was sweeping the factory floor after school. In 1997, the company relocated from Annapolis to Kent Island, Maryland. In 2001, Rick became President and CEO and changed the company name to Thompson Creek Window Company with a new business model structured to manufacture and sell directly to homeowners. Thompson Creek has won numerous awards for the quality products they manufacture and services which they provide. Rick has been personally recognized with many leadership awards including Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year. In 2018, the Washington Post recognized Rick as the Top CEO of Mid-sized companies in the DC area. In 2011, during the great recession, President of the United States Barak Obama visited Thompson Creek Window Co. In the live event, televised nationally President of the United States recognized Thompson Creek for growth and job creation in a time of economic uncertainty. Under Rick's leadership, The Thompson Creek Companies have grown from annual revenues of less than 1 million per year to over 100 million.