Mike is responsible for setting strategy and leading the global organization of more than 25,000 merchandisers across 8 countries and 4 continents.
He brings more than 30 years of retail, services, technology and leadership experience to the business and a track record of driving growth, increasing profitability and creating shareholder value.
As a proven Fortune 150 retail executive and strategic leader, Mike has a deep, practical understanding of the day-to-day issues facing SPAR’s retail, consumer goods and distribution clients. He has also been recognized as a successful entrepreneur, technology executive and thought leader who has been quoted and published across media platforms and is sought after for speaking at industry events around the world.
Prior to joining SPAR, Mike served as the Chief Administrative Officer for Dollar Tree and Family Dollar Stores, Chief Executive Officer for The Parker Avery Group, Vice President, Strategy and Operations at Manhattan Associates and Vice President, Product & Operations and Managing Director, Europe for Evant. He serves on a number of charitable organization boards and when he is not spending time with his wife of 25 years and three children, he can be found on the tennis court.
Ron leads SPAR’s global business development, and is responsible for global branding and marketing, as well as the business in Japan and Canada.
Ron has built a 35-year executive career guiding Fortune 100 companies and private organizations in the retail customer experience space. He led organizations through transformational growth, business solution strategies, brand and market expansion. Throughout his career Ron has held executive responsibilities in the areas of business development, experience design, strategic growth, marketing, omni-channel deployment, international expansion, and acquisitions. He has a track record of developing solutions from strategy to execution which delivered increased customer engagement, strategic relationships, and improved profitability.
Prior to joining SPAR, Ron was consulting as an International strategic retail advisor working with organizations in Japan developing customer experience strategies. Previously, he served as the Chief Client Officer at Miller Zell, a leading retail services and solutions company; responsible for business development, marketing, digital solutions, and project management. Earlier in his career, Ron served as a Vice President with Lowe’s Companies, where he led the deployment of an omni-channel customer experience solution across 2,000+ North American retail store locations. In addition, he had responsibility for new store deployment in emerging markets, and store renovations across US, Canada, and Mexico.
Ron has been published in numerous industry media platforms and has enjoyed the opportunity to provide insights as an international speaker. He currently serves on several industry and organizational boards.
When out of the office, he is an avid reader, focused on fitness, enjoys golf, a wine enthusiast, and a proud grandfather to five boys.
Kori serves as the Global Chief Operating Officer of SPAR Group, Inc. Prior to that she served as the Chief Operating Officer since 2004, having been with the company since 1992.
Throughout her years at SPAR, she has been instrumental to the growth and success of the business. Kori has been a leader in the areas of Client Service, Field Operations and Sales & Marketing, providing a high level of focus on strategic client relationships to drive success and growth for all customers. She has streamlined processes and developed efficiencies that allow the company to focus on the needs and growth of its customers. Throughout her career at SPAR, she has led the successful integration of multiple acquisitions domestically and internationally that have provided SPAR’s customers with increased services and added value.
As Global Chief Operating Officer, she is responsible for creating global synergies, processes and driving operating efficiencies that improve individual country performance that provide the highest levels of customer experience and results to our clients worldwide.
To SPAR’s clients, Kori is a pillar of confidence that their business is being executed to the highest standards and providing maximum return on investment.
Kori is a graduate of the University of Kansas and is an avid sports fan with a particular focus on Jayhawks basketball.
William leads group strategy and is responsible for developing new markets, acquisitions, expanding global programs, executing the technology strategy, and growing the Store Remodel and the Assembly businesses.
William has, over his 25-year career, highly relevant US and International experience. He has successfully delivered shareholder value by leading strategic change, driving operational excellence, and growing the top line across different businesses and markets. He has held leadership positions in iconic and well-known retailers, including Tesco in the UK and Ireland, and Sears and Kmart in the US; with accountabilities in the areas of Strategy, Merchandising, Finance, M&A, Vendor management and negotiation, Operations, Inventory management, Marketing, Digital, Data, and International markets.
Most recently, William was the CEO of a successful advisory and investment firm focused on M&A and retail restructurings. Prior to that, Mr. Linnane was President of Kmart’s Pharmacy, Drugstore and Grocery businesses in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Chief Merchant at a leading book retailer in Europe, and led the Beverage, Candy and Snacks business for Tesco in the UK, working with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Mars, Mondelez and others to drive branded growth opportunities via merchandising and other initiatives, including digital strategies. Mr. Linnane is a qualified accountant and started his career in finance working in the UK and Ireland at Kingfisher PLC and Tesco PLC. Mr. Linnane holds an MA in Economics from Trinity College, University of Dublin.
When out of the office, he loves to read, and to spend time with his wife and three daughters.
Antonio brings extensive experience in finance, accounting, treasury, tax, compliance, credit collections, legal, and operations to SPAR. With his industry background in Consumer Goods (FMCG and CPG), Footwear and Apparel, Logistics, Transportation, Shipping, and Professional Services, Antonio has held leadership roles in five countries on two continents. He has expertise in corporate finance, accounting and reporting, financial planning and analysis, treasury and cash management, ERP implementation, corporate restructurings, Mergers & Acquisitions, tax and transfer pricing compliance, risk management, contract management, and inventory management. Antonio is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
Before joining our team, Antonio held various leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer at Earth Shoes and Tax Manager EMEA at CEMEX. He's also worked for Chiquita Brands International, PWC, and PLMJ as a Senior Advisor and Tax Attorney, respectively. Antonio's accomplishments include stabilizing company finances, fine-tuning ERP and reporting, implementing significant cost reductions, and building and streamlining departments. He also participated in the turnaround of a multi-billion dollar multinational company from near bankruptcy to steady profitability and has extensive participation in PMI.
When he's not busy crunching numbers, Antonio loves spending time with his wife and two boys, reading, being outdoors, and paddleboarding. We're lucky to have him on our team!
Husam joined SPAR Group in 2000 as a Software Developer and in 2019 was promoted to Chief Information Officer.
Husam has been a part of SPAR’s digital journey in different capacities. During which, he led multiple IT teams through different initiatives to design, streamline, and modernize the overall systems’ capabilities and efficiencies. Husam’s leadership and dedication have been a cornerstone of SPAR’s global expansion over the past two decades, including North America, and Asia-Pacific. As Chief Information Officer, Husam is responsible for advancing SPAR’s digital strategy and enhancing SPAR’s global market leadership.Husam graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Electrical Engineering from SUNY New Paltz.
In his spare time, Husam enjoys the outdoors and traveling. He is also a fitness enthusiast and enjoys learning about emerging technologies.
Lisa Cona is a Human Resource professional with two decades of experience working within the intricacies of people management. She excelled in her position as the Vice President of Human Resources and, within her third year, was promoted to Sr. Vice President of People and Talent at SPAR.
Over the years, she has held various positions within the Human Resources department with progressively increasing responsibilities. These positions include Human Resource Administrator, Sr. Human Resource Generalist, Director of Human Resource, and Vice President of Human Resource. She has extensive experience in delivering business results and implementing human resources strategies. She has worked with privately-held companies along with publicly traded companies. She works with others to translate business strategies into HR actions that drive business results. Her passion is people. She is someone who promotes a team-oriented and open-door environment conducive to a successful staff. Lisa is making a significant impact on our business by enabling a people-centric organization that celebrates individuals, recognizes talent, and gives back to our communities.
Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her free time. She enjoys working out and helping in her community.
Todd Bryce joined SPAR, Group Inc. in 2006 as the Senior Vice President of Customer and Retail Operations and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations.
Todd is responsible for National Services, one of the largest Divisions of SPAR Group, Inc. Todd is also responsible for creating our Centralized Recruiting department and oversees the Distribution team, Customer service and Call center, and Travel teams.
Todd has over 32 years in the retail services sector, and before joining SPAR Group, Inc., he held a wide range of increasingly responsible managerial positions, including serving as president of MCG Retail in Chalfont, PA; Business Services Executive at RGIS; Midwest division vice president of Merchandising Advantage Plus in Oak Lawn, IL; and various positions over ten years with Acosta Sales & Marketing in Lombard, IL.
Todd shares three grown children with his wife of 32 years, and when Todd is not working, he enjoys yard work, maintaining the 1.5-acre piece of land he finds therapeutic.
As SPAR’s VP of Sales-Insights & Analytics, Sonja-Rose Cowen collaborates with clients to develop strategies incorporating creative design, consumer insights, and analytical analysis. In addition, she is responsible for deployment strategies incorporating the latest technologies and trends to ensure the most effective and efficient processes for execution deployment.
Sonja-Rose has a long track record of excellent client relationships and industry expertise, leveraging insights and data to enable transformation for businesses, providing another opportunity for SPAR clients to grow and prosper. Before joining SPAR, Sonja-Rose was Vice President of U.S. Sales and Business Operations at Grenade USA, LLC, a global health and wellness brand, and Vice President of Partner Strategy and Development at BodyBuilding.com, a leader in e-commerce.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family. Sonja-Rose is based in beautiful Boise, Idaho, where she enjoys time with her husband and two children. On the weekends, you can find her at various kids' sporting events or hiking in the Boise foothills. She is also an avid tennis player and loves to travel internationally. As huge live music fans, Sonja-Rose, and her husband attend concerts often.
Michael Florkowski has served as the Senior Vice President of Operations and Business Development for the SPAR Assembly/Installation and Distribution Center Services of SPAR Group, Inc., since December 2009.
Michael oversees all field operations for SPAR Assembly/Installation and Distribution Services and created the remote call center that delivers world-class metrics serving in-home customers.
Before joining SPAR, Michael served as the Vice President of Operations for Impact Resource Group and Senior Vice President of Operations for National Assembly Services. Michael graduated from Thomas Jefferson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.
When he is not working, Michael is a Level 4 USA Hockey Coach currently coaching at the high school level. He is an avid collector of vinyl records, with over 3000 journals in his collection from 1940 through the current day.
Niana is the General Manager of SPAR Canada. Niana leads and oversees more than 900 employees, 20 large multi-national clients and more than 40 individual brands. In her role, Niana leads all fiscal management, strategy, new business, client experience and Human Resources.
With more than 20 years in retail merchandising and marketing experience, and her undying belief in her team and their potential, Niana has relentlessly kept SPAR Canada at the forefront of business expansion, customer relationships and team productivity. Niana continually drives her team to find new and innovative solutions to offer their client partners. She has proven her ability to drive positive results and process improvement, even during the toughest of economic markets.
Collaboration, growth mindset and goal setting are some of Niana’s hallmark leadership traits that allow her to continually build meaningful and long-standing business relationships with her colleagues, clients, partners and vendors alike.
Although Niana loves the high-energy and fast-paced environment of retail marketing, she also enjoys recharging on the weekends with a good book or on the ski hill in Collingwood, Ontario, with her husband and two children.
As COO & President of SPAR FM JAPAN, Inc., Shu Kaneko is responsible for managing the company’s overall operations in merchandising and marketing services across Japan. He has demonstrated strong leadership to guide his Japan Team of more than 300 staff members for success.
Starting a career with a major Japanese wholesaler in 2002, Shu played a key role in establishing SPAR Japan Team and took a leadership position of the Team in 2018.
Shu is an industry-leading expert with deep knowledge and experience across the spectrum from Japanese distribution markets, marketing, sales strategy, technology trends to labor management. Also, he has been active in creating new operations for business growth. Well-versed in German philosophy and innovative in way of thinking, he has gained high recognition and strong trust with clients through consistent high performance.
On his days off, Shu is strolling around the streets to keep an eye on new promotions and innovations rolled out in downtown Tokyo.
Sandeep is the Director & CEO of SPAR Group’s Indian joint venture companies SPAR KROGNOS Marketing Services Private Limited and Preceptor Marketing Services Private Limited. Starting from scratch in 2004, Sandeep now oversees one of India’s largest retail focused field marketing and in-store sales setups with over 2,000 employees covering 400+ cities.
Sandeep has extensive retail oriented sales and brand management experience. He is recognized for domain expertise in designing, implementing, and managing complex systems in unstructured environments. Sandeep is sought after in the industry for his ability to recommend practical solutions based on deep understanding of retail and trade dynamics, consumer insights, and human behavior.
Prior to this role, Sandeep was General Manager (Marketing) at Godfrey Phillips India Limited and earlier with The UB Group.
Sandeep is an engineer from IIT Roorkee and MBA from FMS, Delhi University. He is married to Dr Vibha, a practicing homoeopath. Outside of work, Sandeep’s interests are in governance reforms and comparative religion.
Jorge is the CEO of SPAR Mexico, responsible for consolidating the company as the region's leader in marketing and promotion services.
As an Industrial Engineer and leveraging his experience in Marketing, Sales, and Finance, he leads and motivates his team to operate services with the highest quality and efficiency, ensuring that clients perceive the commitment to help them obtain the maximum return on investment.
Convinced that technology is the best ally to achieve great results, Jorge is always looking for the most innovative tools that can be applied and offered to clients.
He is passionate about sports, and on weekends he takes the opportunity to play soccer or grill for his family and friends while watching a sports event.
