KOVAL WILLIAMSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Costco Executive of Operations
Alan is a Northwest native that joined the Koval Williamson team in 2006. He has had the opportunity to work in multiple capacities and has enjoyed working closely with KW staff throughout the company.
The majority of Alan's time is spent calling on Costco and leading our Costco operations. With over thirteen years of selling and supporting projects for Costco, Alan's knowledge of club sales is unmeasurable and spans several departments including hardware, housewares, sporting goods, regional pet and international. He is an excellent guide to those new to Costco business and provides insight to team members and sales managers already experienced in club sales. In addition, Alan is involved in selling to PriceSmart and Sur La Table and supports Koval Williamson operations.
Job Titles:
- WA Sales / Accounting Assistant
A native of Los Angeles, Allison moved to WA in2017. In 2019 she received her BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Western Washington University and joined the Koval Williamson team soon afterward. She manages the customer service desk and assists in daily bookkeeping.
In her free time, Allison can be found reading, spending time outdoors, and rooting for her Los Angeles Dodgers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Koval
- WA Sales Executive
Bianca Bryant has been a valued member of the Koval Williamson sales team since 2005 working with e-commerce and grocery accounts in all categories of trade. She has over thirteen years experience in the telecommunications field performing product design, development, and application. Additionally, her background includes vast knowledge in business development, management, administration, sales and marketing.
Bobbye Day has worked in the Manufacturers Rep Industry for thirty-three years.
Bobbye's background is diverse and includes administrative and sales support, advertising, accounting, and sales. In 1999, she entered into the role of sales, pioneering new vendors and establishing business with retailers on the West Coast, including Alaska and Hawaii. Bobbye is now calling on Major West Coast Retailers, Distributors and divisions of Costco Wholesale and has been a valued member of the Koval Williamson team since 1983.
Brad joined Koval Williamson in 2007 after spending over 17 years in the grocery business working for Safeway as a Store Manager /Director where he developed outstanding organizational, management, merchandising and people skills. Brad's retail background has allowed him to become a valuable resource, as he understands the demands and the rapidly changing environment in the retail sector. In 2016 Brad relocated from Northern California to the Oregon office where he successfully sells to and maintains Food & Drug, General Merchandise, Hardware, and e-commerce accounts in Northern California, Idaho, and Oregon.
Brad enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife of 25 years Claudell, his five children and three grandchildren. As a native Wisconsinite Brad has been a lifelong fan of the 13-time world champion Green Bay Packer.
Brady came to Koval Williamson in 2011 and manages our Emery Jensen business. Over the years Brady has worn many hats throughout his career. He spent eight years in the construction industry including both commercial and residential which covered building, painting, electrical and fire-proofing. His experience in sales goes from retail sales varying from selling S.C.U.B.A. diving equipment (6 years) as well as working his way up to the assistant diving instructor and Master repair technician working on both recreational and commercial diving equipment. He spent two years in the retail arena Ernst Home Improvement Centers, was a wagon jobber in the automotive sector and sold machine cutting tools to machine shops. He spent over ten years in the service rep industry with management duties covering the Western U.S. (everything west of El Paso, TX, including AK and HI).
Brady's interests outside of work include golfing, fishing, hunting, woodworking and a host of other outdoor activities
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Sales Representative
- VP - CFO
Brandi Williamson is the Chief Financial Officer and a Costco Sales Representative for Koval Williamson since 1999. Brandi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Psychology from Portland State University. She has also worked for and with the non-profit sector for many years. Her experience in administration and sales helps her fulfill the needs of accounts and manufacturers alike.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Sales Assistant
- ID & CA Sales Assistant
Carissa is an executive sales assistant at Koval Williamson working out of our Boise, Idaho office. She came to us in 2015 after spending over 25 years working for Albertsons. Her retail background started at the store level as a General Merchandise Manager. At Koval Williamson she works with customers such as Albertsons and WinCo Foods.
Carissa has two sons and two dogs, a Great Dane and a Dachshund. She lives in Boise Idaho and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Chris began his illustrious career with Koval Williamson way back in the early days of his teenage youth, assisting the warehouse manager in the Oregon office. Since then, he's climbed the ranks of Koval Williamson, touching nearly every position from warehouse assistant to administration, service to sales and team management. He's spent the last couple decades honing his expertise in the field calling on independent accounts, co-ops, distributors, Amazon.com and Costco.
Dedicated to creating solutions and opportunities for our partners and territory accounts, Chris has immersed himself in learning from the best in the business, understanding the evolving landscape of our industry, and using that knowledge to guide our partners into consistent sales growth, enhanced brand exposure, and multi-channel successes.
Chuck Williamson started his career working retail in Seattle with an emphasis on chasing shoplifters. Chuck joined Roy Koval in 1982 leading to the formation of Koval Marketing. From 1984 until 1999 Chuck managed our Oregon office, working primarily with Fred Meyer, Bi Mart, and Payless. In addition, he worked nationally with K-Mart and Rite Aid. It was in 1999 that Chuck and his wife Brandi moved to Seattle to help Roy oversee the day to day business of Koval Williamson.
Chuck has over thirty years of sales and marketing experience that he shares with all that he is associated with. This experience and knowledge helps his associates, manufacturers and retailers formulate programs and products to maximize sales and profitability. Much of his time is dedicated to working with brands to develop products and packaging for Costco from start to finish.
Craig started with Koval Williamson in 2006 after spending the previous ten years with another Representative Agency in Southern California. He began his career in the early 80's with a West Coast Distributor and has been associated with the Distribution channel for over 38 years. Craig is currently the SR. V.P. Of Sales for California and works closely with his other Key Sales Executives covering the entire state. Over the years he has been responsible for many and most categories; however, currently, he focuses on Seasonal, Lawn & Garden and the Hardware channels.
His outside interests consist of golfing, the great outdoors, including fishing & camping in the Eastern Sierras. Whenever possible, he enjoys spending time with his two sons, Matt and Ryan, along with a daughter-in-law Lisa, and granddaughter Payton.
Job Titles:
- or Sales Assistant - Kroger Analyst
Erin is a Pacific Northwest native with over 40 years of retail experience. She has worked in every aspect of retail including sales management, corporate accounting management, and Information Technology. After joining Koval Williamson in 2009 she filled the role of the office analyst within the Kroger corporate office in Portland, forging strong relationships while in turn securing knowledge of the buying process. Today Erin serves as the in-house Kroger specialist at Koval Williamson with an emphasis on required applications including Global Data Synchronization (GDSN), Market6 and Apollo for creating planograms for resets.
Gina worked in the Printing Industry for over 25 years and dealt directly with the print manufacturers to ensure that the customers received the best product and pricing in the time frame required. She also worked for a Home Infusion company, supported the VP of Nursing and various teams by creating and formatting documents. Now Gina is back in an industry where she can work with the sales reps to achieve customer satisfaction. She has certificates in Administrative Assistant and Word Processing.
Gina is a native of So. California moved to WA in 2015 and has been with KW since September 2017. Even though Seahawks surround her, she loves to support her Cowboys.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Executive Assistant - Amazon Team
Gretchen became a member of the Koval Williamson team in 2007 and is a Corporate Executive Assistant on our Amazon Team. Over the years she has worked in many capacities in her work career which include: Book Keeping, Office Manager, Returns Specialist and Mathematics Tudor to name a few.
She joined the Amazon Team in 2008 and has been an integral part of our team, and her focus is to support the Amazon team by working with our Manufacturers to ensure that they receive the best service possible. The in-depth knowledge of Amazon Vendor Central System allows her to excel at her specialties which include recouping Amazon Shortage claims/chargebacks, resolving shipping, routing and non-compliance issues as well as in-depth training to our Manufacturers in regards to navigating the Amazon system. The ongoing changes at Amazon require our team to stay current on all policies, procedures, rules and non-compliance penalties, Gretchen is our point person to investigate and implement these changes within our team as well as work with our clients to implement these changes.
On a personal note, Gretchen enjoys vacationing at the beach, travel, gardening, movies, crochet and spending time with her family, daughter Alexis, and son, Tony.
Job Titles:
- WA Sales Assistant - Amazon Team
Jeff Knops graduated from Wisconsin in 1992 and has worked for companies both small and large including a National Sales Manager for Libbey, a Sales Director for Newell Rubbermaid, and VP of sales for two electric bike companies. Jeff has also been involved in three separate entrepreneurial ventures with extensive sourcing experience and spanning multiple categories and channels. Jeff joined Koval Williamson in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Executive Assistant
Jenn Wisbeck manages projects on the Costco Team at Koval Williamson, working with new and existing non foods Costco vendors. She guides suppliers in the processes needed to accurately present items, complete documents, item agreements and manage project timelines. Jenn works with CostcoUS, Costco.com, Costco Mexico, and Costco International regions.
She has been with Koval Williamson since 2011.
Job Titles:
- Sales Executive
- or Sales Executive
Kayla Sakraida-Arent is a Sales Executive working out of our Oregon office. She joined Koval Williamson in 2014 after spending nearly a decade in the auto industry where she started her career as an Executive Assistant to the CEO and moved into the position of General Sales Manager. Kayla works with several different retailers and distributors with her primary emphasis being on Housewares, Home Décor, and Tabletop. She enjoys building and cultivating long-term relationships with buyers and vendors.
Kayla graduated with honors from Oregon State University with a degree in Speech and Media Communications. She is passionate about her family which includes her husband Derek and two young daughters, traveling, and her two horses.
Lisa is a native Oregonian and has been with Koval Williamson since 1994. She started as an administrative assistant and then moved into sales and is now the VP of Kroger Enterprise. She also calls on Bi-Mart. Lisa has helped build successful programs at her retail accounts and dives in to create a plan that works for both the retailer and the manufacturer. Those that know and work with Lisa comment on her positive attitude and detailed follow up.
Lisa loves spending time with her husband, three grown children, and friends. She loves playing golf and has recently started painting.
Lydia moved to the Portland area from a small town in Southern Oregon in 1988 where she started her 30-year career with Kroger/FredMeyer where she worked as a General Clerk, Department Lead, and a Shipping and Receiving Clerk. In 2007 she moved to the Kroger buying office as an Administrative Assistant in Electrical and Plumbing then moved to the Garden area.
Lydia loves spending time in the outdoors either working in the yard or just hanging out with the local wildlife.
Mark is from Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Miami University in Ohio. He has been in the Hardware industry since 1986, with the first ten years of his career being with Black & Decker, working with all of their west coast accounts. He followed up from his time with B & D by working with Weslock and Cooper Tools. Mark has been an independent representative since 2000, starting with Koval Williamson early in 2005. He manages the Hardware and Toy categories for KovalWilliamson. Mark works with various departments in Costco including Hardware, Seasonal, Housewares and Electronics. He also manages the accounts in the state of Alaska including General Hardware Distributors, Northern Sales, Spenard Builder Supply, and VF Grace.
Mark has five children, and is an avid hiker, cyclist, golfer and live music concert goer. Mark is also Bruce Springsteen's biggest fan, and has seen him over 20 times in concert, singing with him on stage on his 50th birthday.
Job Titles:
- VP - Kroger and Special Projects
Mark Brown started his career with the Fred Meyer Division of The Kroger Company in 1989. He held many positions during his time from General Clerk, Assistant Manager in the Home Department, Manager Home Department, Regional Supervisor, Assistant Garden Buyer and finally Garden Buyer in 2001. In 2004 he moved to Iwasaki Bros. as Sales Manager of one of the largest bedding plant, poinsettia and greenery producers in Oregon. Primary customers were Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart and other regional accounts. In 2006 he moved to Koval Williamson with primary responsibility for Fred Meyer/Kroger. In his 35 years of being on both sides of the desk, he has learned how to treat people with respect and get results.
Job Titles:
- or Sales Assistant - Kroger Analyst
Michael started his professional career in 2000 onsite at Fred Meyer locations as a Data Analyst for Information Resources Inc (IRI). After nearly a decade of specialized market share reporting for Kroger West, Michael moved on to work for two of the major brokers as a "Vendor Supplied Analyst" championing the Planogram process from new item meetings to POG finalization for hundreds of categories over the years.
Most recently he worked as the "Our brands" manager for Kroger GM and for the Fred Meyer Grocery/HBC team working closely with Category Management, Procurement, PID and Magic teams, amongst others, to champion Our Brands.
Michael has two sons and a daughter, and has been happily married for 17+ years. The Stadler's love hiking, camping and scouts.
Job Titles:
- WA Sales Assistant - Amazon Team
Patrick started working at Koval Williamson in 2014 assisting with various teams until permanently moving to our Amazon team in 2016. Patrick has developed an in-depth knowledge of Vendor Central as well as Seller Central. Besides his Amazon duties, Patrick has been helpful in supporting the local office and reps with their IT needs.
When away from his desk, Patrick loves spending time with his wife and newborn son. When sleep and schedule allow, he often reads or enjoys a long run.
Job Titles:
- VP Idaho Division GMM for Costco Food / Pet / Sundries
Ray Koval grew up in Everett, Washington and graduated from Central Washington University. After graduating from college, he worked for Jabil Circuit in their quality assurance department and trained incoming employees on ISO certifications and traceability for their clients like HP, Nokia, and Cisco Systems. He started his career at KW working out of our Boise, Idaho office and works with customers such as Costco, Albertsons and WinCo Foods. As the manager of our Boise division, Ray has found enjoyment with developing relationships with several manufacturing clients ranging from grocery to general merchandise.
Ray currently lives outside of Boise with his wife, son, and daughter
Job Titles:
- WA Sales Assistant - Amazon Team
Riley joined Koval Williamson in 2018 and is a member of our Amazon Team, assisting with Vendor Central, Seller Central, inventory control, content consultation, and data analytics.
A Washington native, Riley was born, raised and lives in Lynnwood. Riley earned an Associate of Arts degree at Edmonds Community College. She was a student-athlete in both high school and college playing volleyball. She has coached volleyball for several different teams over the last five years. In her spare time, she has a passion for photography, enjoys spending time with her two dogs Buddy and Nahla, and spending time outdoors.
Ryan is from Portland, Oregon and graduated from Southern Oregon University where he studied Business Management with a minor in Economics. Ryan started his professional career in Telecommunication in Cost Analytics, and after a brief stint in Banking, Ryan found a home with the Koval Williamson team as a Sales Executive. Ryan works on the Bi-mart team as well as other areas.
Ryan is an avid golfer and snowboarder, and loves football & sports.
Ryan started with Koval Williamson in 2006 as a Service Representative & Sales Executive in the California market for many of our Home Center & Hardware accounts. In 2011,Ryan moved north to our Oregon office where he became a part of our Bi-Mart& Kroger teams. Although moving to Oregon was an adjustment from a weather standpoint, he considers the move one of the best decisions he has ever made. His second biggest adjustment was playing a higher-lofted driver since roll doesn't exist in the PNW.
Over the years, Ryan has touched many of the categories that Koval Williamson embraces. BBQ's, Patio Furniture, Garden Hardlines, Garden Chemicals, Hardware, and Pet. He is excited to see what the future brings in the way of new products that we can successfully bring to our market in efforts of helping our customers & vendors achieve their overall goals and successes.
Today, Ryan is our Executive Vice President where he is surrounded by many skilled individuals that he considers himself lucky to be around on a regular basis.
Job Titles:
- Costco Executive Assistant
Samie has been with Koval Williamson since 2017 starting as an administrative customer service gatekeeper and now works alongside many sales representatives in the Washington Office. She enjoys spending time getting to know her fellow Koval Williamson teammates and working with our factory contacts.
Samie was born and raised in Western Washington and resides in Snohomish County. A 2006 graduate of Monroe High School, she holds an Associate's Degree in Project Human Services Management. She enjoys playing darts, hiking, camping, and spending time with family and friends.
Scott joined Koval Williamson in January of 1991. In the early part of his career, he called on many different accounts including Drug Emporium, Eagle Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot and Costco. In 1999 he shifted his sole focus to Amazon.com as they were emerging into a retailer selling more than just books. He now manages our Amazon team for Koval Williamson. Over the many years, Scott and his team have enjoyed much success at Amazon while helping our customers to outpace organic growth and to thrive at this challenging account.
In his spare time, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife Shannon and his son Duke. He also volunteers his time coaching youth sports and likes to sneak in a round of golf occasionally.
Scott is in his second stretch with Koval Williamson. After initially being here from 1999 to 2006, he rejoined the KW Team in 2017. He has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience including working as a sales representative, as a national sales manager for a gift product manufacturer, as well as in the retail market selling barbecues, sporting goods, and fireplace products.
When not at work, Scott's favorite thing to do is spend time with his wife, Lisa. They love to golf (although neither of them has quite figured it out yet), bowl and spend time with their three grown children and their dog Kylie (a chocolate lab/whippet mix).
Job Titles:
- Corporate Sales Administrator
Sharon works on the Fred Meyer/ Kroger team
Sharon joined the Koval Williamson team with 30 years of experience in the Retail industry. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, a graduate of Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising.
Sharon's retail background includes stores sales and management. In 2002, after moving to Portland, OR she began her 20-year career with Fred Meyer/ The Kroger Company in their Apparel Buying office. Roles included Assistant Buyer and the Apparel Department Administrative Assistant to the Sr. Director of Apparel Merchandising, and Product Development.
Currently working with our Fred Meyer/ Kroger team. She's focused on building collaborative partnerships to reach our common goals.
Although she has strong family ties in the Midwest, she has embraced Portland, OR as home. When not working, she loves to spend time with her family, enjoying their home, gardening, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Executive Assistant
Sheila joined Koval Williamson in 1995 and is a master of several roles. Currently, as Corporate Executive Assistant, she is the principal Weber specialist for the Oregon Office and the KrogerEnterprise Supplier Hub Facilitator. Her other areas of expertise include working with local Hardware Co-ops, Weber Alliance Dealers, and Kroger, seasonal coordination for each of their events.
From 1983 Stephanie worked in the retail arena for a major department store in Los Angeles, which lead to several buying positions with different retailers and distributors. In 2003 she became a member of the KW Team working in the Southern California territory. She has a vast knowledge of categories, such as Housewares, Hardware, Sporting Goods and Food Products with a variety of retailers.
She has two daughters and enjoys having family time along with great travel adventures. Stephanie graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Business.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Commission Analyst
Suzette has been with Koval Williamson since 1994
Born and raised in Washington, Suzette started her administration career in 1980 working for a regional retail automotive chain that was purchased by Paccar Automotive. She spent the next 14 years working with vendors and accounts at the automotive distributor level. Hired as our Washington office manager in 1994, she is now our Executive Vice President assisting with policies & procedures, financials, and overall company business. Suzette has put factories and customer satisfaction first by ensuring all products represented are marketed professionally through her attention to detail.
Tim has 20+ years of sales and marketing experience.
Tim joined the Koval Williamson sales team in 1999. A big believer in customer service, Tim looks after all aspects of his accounts, including sales, merchandising, and product knowledge. Tim has 20+ years of sales and marketing experience and began his career in the grocery industry, which included management, buying, merchandising and customer service. By diligently listening to his customer's needs, Tim helps them achieve their goals.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Director of Digital Marketing
Zach is an digital advertising guru with thorough knowledge of the opportunities and limitations that arise with ecomm.
Zach Bacik joined KWA in 2006, and has become an expert in the world of e-commerce. He began his digital advertising journey through Amazon Advertising, working with clients to create promotional strategies to increase exposure of their products. As KWA's Director of Digital Marketing, he expanded this skillset to overseeing cross-channel advertising efforts across all ecommerce accounts. He consults with clients to learn their goals, develops marketing plans, implements campaigns and follows their trajectory, optimizing with machine learning to refine customer targeting and maximize return on advertising spend.