ABOUT US

50+ Years of Combined Industry Experience

OUR COMPANY

AWM SMART SHELF Leadership has 50+ years of combined industry experience that affords thoughtful leadership, retail expertise and ability to execute at scale. For many years, AWM’s Leadership has pushed the envelope in development of facial recognition software, globally scalable content management software, and the optimization of large format video player programming and controllers. AWM’s latest offerings are the culmination of these disciplines – offering a solution that increases operational efficiencies, creates intimate customer experiences, generates new revenue streams for retailers and brands, and increases sales.

Our Leaders

KEVIN

B. HOWARD

Founder, CEO

khoward@smartshelf.com

Kevin B. Howard

Founder, CEO

Kevin launched AWM utilizing AI and deep learning with the intent of making Smart Shelf the go-to retail platform for customer engagement and shopper behavior/store operations analytics. As CEO he is responsible for AWM's long-term vision and global strategy. Prior to AWM, Kevin was the CEO of ICG, a full-service digital media firm. Under his leadership, ICG grew from a shared office with two desks to a digital format leader serving globally known Fortune 500 brands, college and professional sports venues and even government agencies. Prior to this, Kevin was an executive at Wells Fargo, UBS Financial, and Smith Barney, specializing in technology, asset management, capital raises and corporate guidance. Kevin has also owned businesses in a wide spectrum of sectors ranging from alternative energy to a professional motocross team.

EMAD

MIRGOLI

Founder, Executive VP

Emad Mirgoli

Founder, Executive VP

Emad Mirgoli’s primary responsibility is overseeing and managing AWM’s daily operations and finance activities. Mr. Mirgoli’s duties include working with other AWM executives on a daily basis to ensure AWM meets the daily operational requirements, financial targets and contractual obligations with both customer and partner relationships. Mr. Mirgoli brings over twenty years of experience from the financial services arena and corporate management. Prior to his engagement with AWM, Mr. Mirgoli was an active partner in a firm that specialized in investing in and restructuring defaulted land secured municipal bonds which included the ownership and management of large scale real estate projects throughout the United States. Mirgoli’s other professional experiences include working in both energy trading and investment banking at firms such as Koch Energy, Sempra Energy, UBS Securities, Stone & Youngberg and RBC Capital Markets.

KURTIS

VAN HORN JR.

Founder, Senior VP

Logistics, Implementation and Support

kvanhorn@smartshelf.com

Kurtis Van Horn Jr.

Founder, Senior VP

As Senior VP of Logistics, Implementation and Support, Kurtis is responsible for the delivery, execution and support of AWM’s Smart Shelf. He oversees the company’s internal operations team as well as key manufacturing, logistics and implementation relationships which support the global scalability of AWM’s solutions. Previously, Kurtis was a Co-Founder and Executive at ICG, and over the past 20 years, has shared numerous business interests with Kevin Howard. They have developed a strong working relationship during this time while working in the digital media, technology, and corporate financial services arenas. Kurtis can be considered somewhat of a “generalist”, having served in a wide range of roles while overseeing and advising in the growth of several start-up and mid-sized companies. He is a proud Southern California native and enjoys spending time outdoors whenever possible.

LEO

TSOURIDES

Head of Science

Leo Tsourides

Head of Science

Leo is an Artificial Intelligence expert and Vision scientist. He has studied computational and human vision at MIT and later moved to Caltech to focus his PhD in Neuromorphic computation. Leo brings over 9 years of experience with numerous publications. Up to date, he has advised or worked with many companies including Facebook, Netflix, Apple, as well as trading finance companies, the health industry, other startups and the intelligence community.

MIHIR

PATEL

VP, Data

Mihir Patel

VP, Data

As a Vice President of Data technology, Mihir manages AWM’s data group and works closely with software developers to design, develop, and implement business solutions as well as develop database solutions, implement data models, and prepare big data. Mihir brings over 20 years of broad based experience in Data Analytics and Reporting, Database Development, Software Development, and programming. He holds a master’s degree in computer science. Prior to joining AWM Mihir worked as BI/BW manager at Monster Energy.

GREG

SCHUMACHER

VP of AI and Computer Vision

Greg Schumacher

VP of AI and Computer Vision

Greg has been involved in the technology / buildout of many of AWM's products such as Aii (Automated Inventory Intelligence), shopper detection and triggering, and others, with his current focus being AWM Frictionless® (AWM's checkout-free solution). Prior to joining AWM, he worked on a variety of projects for organizations including Cisco / Linksys, IMAX, Legendary Pictures, Toyota, and World Vision. Greg graduated cum laude in computer science from UC, Santa Barbara, and he has formal education in computer vision and holds vendor certifications in Java, MySQL, PHP, ASP.NET, and various Microsoft technologies. When asked about the importance of artificial intelligence, Greg's response is "AI has already made significant advances, but we've just scratched the surface of its potential. It may very well end up proving to be the single most transformative field across both our personal lives and how businesses operate and compete.

LUCAS

JOHNSON

VP of Worldwide Sales

ljohnson@smartshelf.com
949.633.0490

Lucas Johnson

VP of Worldwide Sales

As AWM’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Lucas Johnson oversees both direct and reseller sales channels globally. Lucas and his team work directly with brands and retailers to determine Smart Shelf design and deployment strategies. His team also supports customers post deployment to ensure they are getting maximum value from Smart Shelf. Prior to joining AWM, Lucas spent 12 years managing retail and wholesale channels in the financial and insurance industry.

ROBIN

KANG

Creative Director

Robin Kang

Creative Director

As a Creative Director, Robin Kang oversees all content designs for client accounts as well as in-house creative materials. She has over 10 years of experience in Web/Ecommerce Design, Art Direction, Information Architecture and UX Design. Prior to AWM, she has held leadership roles at various organizations in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Board of Directors

KEVIN B. HOWARD

KEVIN B. HOWARD

Chairman of the board

Kevin launched AWM utilizing AI and deep learning with the intent of making Smart Shelf the go-to retail platform for customer engagement and shopper behavior/store operations analytics. As CEO he is responsible for AWM's long-term vision and global strategy. Prior to AWM, Kevin was the CEO of ICG, a full-service digital media firm. Under his leadership, ICG grew from a shared office with two desks to a digital format leader serving globally known Fortune 500 brands, college and professional sports venues and even government agencies. Prior to this, Kevin was an executive at Wells Fargo, UBS Financial, and Smith Barney, specializing in technology, asset management, capital raises and corporate guidance. Kevin has also owned businesses in a wide spectrum of sectors ranging from alternative energy to a professional motocross team.

MICHAEL S. BEAUDOIN II

MICHAEL S. BEAUDOIN II

Michael Beaudoin currently invests in private equities, including providing venture capital, to rapidly growing early stage companies for Mark IV Capital; located in Newport Beach, CA. Prior to joining Mark IV Capital, Michael took part in AT&T’s Leadership Development Program where he created and operated AT&T’s Aspire Accelerator. This accelerator was focused on enhancing education by supporting and mentoring the most promising and innovative ed-tech companies that have the potential to help every student achieve a bright, successful future.


Michael began his career in investment and commercial banking at Merrill Lynch and later went on to serve as a Vice President at both JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank where he led teams focused on wealth management.


Michael graduated with a BS from Ball State University in 2001 and an MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business in 2011. His MBA degree included certificates in “Social, Ethical, & Environmental Responsibility” and “Dispute Resolution” from the Pepperdine University School of Law.


Michael is also the proud father of his twins Ty and Carson and happily married to his supportive wife Katelyn.

JOEL CONNER

JOEL CONNER

Mr. Conner, Executive Chairman of Bellisio Foods, Inc., has been with the Company since it was founded in 1990 leading the Company through family ownership and the $340MM, management/private-equity buyout in 2011. Doubling sales and profits in the next 5 years, resulted in the sale of the Company to Charoen Pokphand Foods of Bangkok, Thailand for $1.1 billion US in December of 2016. Mr. Conner now guides CP Foods' expansion objectives in North America.


In 2017 Mr. Conner was named E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Regis Corporation (NYSE:RGS) and for 24 years served on the Worldwide Board of Directors of ENACTUS. He is a past Chairman of Children’s HeartLink, on the Advisory Board of the Alan Page Education Foundation and an “Ambassador” for Mayo Clinic.


Mr. Conner earned a Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, and a Doctor of Law-Honorabilia, Flagler College.

VINCENT JACKSON

VINCENT JACKSON

Vincent is a partner at The Contrarian Group in Newport Beach, CA. He has responsibility for all technology related investments. He has held management positions at the largest IT training company as well as a major Internet marketing agency. Vincent has a degree from College of the Desert, he updates and maintains education through certifications at Princeton University, San Diego University and Rice University among others. Vincent and his wife live in Corona Del Mar, CA.

EMAD MIRGOLI

EMAD MIRGOLI

Emad Mirgoli’s primary responsibility is overseeing and managing AWM’s daily operations and finance activities. Mr. Mirgoli’s duties include working with other AWM executives on a daily basis to ensure AWM meets the daily operational requirements, financial targets and contractual obligations with both customer and partner relationships. Mr. Mirgoli brings over twenty years of experience from the financial services arena and corporate management. Prior to his engagement with AWM, Mr. Mirgoli was an active partner in a firm that specialized in investing in and restructuring defaulted land secured municipal bonds which included the ownership and management of large scale real estate projects throughout the United States. Mirgoli’s other professional experiences include working in both energy trading and investment banking at firms such as Koch Energy, Sempra Energy, UBS Securities, Stone & Youngberg and RBC Capital Markets.

KEVIN B. HOWARD

Chairman of the board

Kevin launched AWM utilizing AI and deep learning with the intent of making Smart Shelf the go-to retail platform for customer engagement and shopper behavior/store operations analytics. As CEO he is responsible for AWM's long-term vision and global strategy. Prior to AWM, Kevin was the CEO of ICG, a full-service digital media firm. Under his leadership, ICG grew from a shared office with two desks to a digital format leader serving globally known Fortune 500 brands, college and professional sports venues and even government agencies. Prior to this, Kevin was an executive at Wells Fargo, UBS Financial, and Smith Barney, specializing in technology, asset management, capital raises and corporate guidance. Kevin has also owned businesses in a wide spectrum of sectors ranging from alternative energy to a professional motocross team.

Our Investors

Mark IV Capital

Mark IV Capital is a privately held diversified investment firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Mark IV believes that its 35 professional asset management employees, who are led by an independent management team with a combined 75+ years of industry experience, are the driving force behind its success. Mark IV Capital has a long history of investing in private equities dating back to backing the world’s first water park in the 1970’s and has continued its opportunistic investment approach by diversifying its holdings into Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Real Estate. The employees of Mark IV consider themselves a steward of assets with the long-term goals of value creation and asset appreciation. In addition to Newport Beach, the company has staff and operational offices in Northern California, Austin, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada, Denver, Colorado, and Greater Phoenix, Arizona. Mark IV is built upon a foundation of integrity and excellent service. The company’s core values of integrity, creativity, accountability, team orientation, development, and community are integral to Mark IV’s success. Mark IV recognizes that it has a responsibility to provide unparalleled levels of service to its customers, long-term returns to its investors, and accountability to the communities in which it works.

Contrarian Group Inc.

The Contrarian Group Inc. (TCG) invests in a variety of companies including hardware, software, real estate, golf courses and medical technology among others.


TCG’s general partner is Mr. Peter Ueberroth who has been the Managing Director since 1989. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Company and the Chairman of Aircastle, Inc. a publicly traded Air Leasing Company. Mr. Ueberroth earned the distinction of Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1984 and is well known for his previous roles as President of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and his subsequent appointment as the sixth commissioner of Major League Baseball.

JOIN OUR TEAM

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