Advisors
Richard E. Last
Considered an expert in all aspects of retail; Richard E. Last leads the Digital Retailing Program at the University of North Texas and is Chairman of the Board of Shop.org. Rich began his career with JCPenney Catalog in 1974 holding a variety of positions. In 1990 he became the Manager of New Business Development, then was promoted to Vice President and Director of New Business Development for JCP.com and the new Digital Ventures
organization.
Rich was also responsible for managing the international expansion of JCPenney Catalog and for Electronic Retailing; he led the launch of a series of Catalogs in the UK, Japan, Mexico, and Chile. By the mid 90’s focus shifted to the World Wide Web where under his
leadership, JCPenney began selling merchandise via the Web as he founded the jcp.com shopping site. In1999, JCP Internet Commerce Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
JCPenney, was formed and Rich was appointed Executive Vice President, growing
jcp.com to a highly profitable $1.5 billion business. In 2005, Rich was named
President of JCP Ecommerce L.P.
An early adopter of technology, with a deep understanding of the value of consumer data, Rich now shares his wealth of retail and techinical expertise, as well as his vast network, with the sales team of Abundant Closet.
organization.
Rich was also responsible for managing the international expansion of JCPenney Catalog and for Electronic Retailing; he led the launch of a series of Catalogs in the UK, Japan, Mexico, and Chile. By the mid 90’s focus shifted to the World Wide Web where under his
leadership, JCPenney began selling merchandise via the Web as he founded the jcp.com shopping site. In1999, JCP Internet Commerce Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
JCPenney, was formed and Rich was appointed Executive Vice President, growing
jcp.com to a highly profitable $1.5 billion business. In 2005, Rich was named
President of JCP Ecommerce L.P.
An early adopter of technology, with a deep understanding of the value of consumer data, Rich now shares his wealth of retail and techinical expertise, as well as his vast network, with the sales team of Abundant Closet.
Steven Adler
A serial entrepreneur in his own right, Steve has served as CFO for a variety of companies including: The InfoPro, Inc., an IT research company producing detailed studies to distribute to vendors, investors and large companies utilizing technology; AST Solutions, a business automation solution for service companies; Service Channel, a software solution enabling facility managers to manage service relationships; EdgeTrade, Inc, a software company specializing in trading algorithms; and Portaga, Inc., a travel booking company. Steve is a graduate of Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and is a licensed CPA.
Joe Fiveash
A 12 year veteran of The Weather Channel leadership team and currently serving as President of Vertical Acuity, Joe provides operational guidance to Abundant Closet. His significant experience managing the businesses of weather.com, and before that the auction site CarScene.com, give him a broad perspective on running interactive businesses.
Joan Lyman
An expert on the subject of founders economics, Joan brings a wealth of experience related to the founding and management of technology start ups. Joan herself co-founded and served as Chairman of SecureWorks, the first MSSP that built an IDS/IPS solution in open source called the iSensor. SecureWorks is the largest private MSSP in North America, and was recently acquired by Dell. Joan then founded nMotion, a patch management solution for the software industry, where she served as CEO. Joan is a passionate supporter of start-ups, and serves as an advisor and/or board member at a number of promising companies. Abundant Closet is delighted to be counted among them.
Karen Robinson-Cope
Serving as a mentor to Abundant Closet during our participation in the Georgia Tech ATDC CapVenture program during the fall of 2009, Karen accepted a formal board position after observing the company's progress during the following 15 months. A self proclaimed serial entrepreneur, Karen has been building businesses for 20 years; her guidance on positioning and fund raising has helped us to view our business through the eyes of the investment community.
A serial entrepreneur in his own right, Steve has served as CFO for a variety of companies including: The InfoPro, Inc., an IT research company producing detailed studies to distribute to vendors, investors and large companies utilizing technology; AST Solutions, a business automation solution for service companies; Service Channel, a software solution enabling facility managers to manage service relationships; EdgeTrade, Inc, a software company specializing in trading algorithms; and Portaga, Inc., a travel booking company. Steve is a graduate of Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and is a licensed CPA.
Joe Fiveash
A 12 year veteran of The Weather Channel leadership team and currently serving as President of Vertical Acuity, Joe provides operational guidance to Abundant Closet. His significant experience managing the businesses of weather.com, and before that the auction site CarScene.com, give him a broad perspective on running interactive businesses.
Joan Lyman
An expert on the subject of founders economics, Joan brings a wealth of experience related to the founding and management of technology start ups. Joan herself co-founded and served as Chairman of SecureWorks, the first MSSP that built an IDS/IPS solution in open source called the iSensor. SecureWorks is the largest private MSSP in North America, and was recently acquired by Dell. Joan then founded nMotion, a patch management solution for the software industry, where she served as CEO. Joan is a passionate supporter of start-ups, and serves as an advisor and/or board member at a number of promising companies. Abundant Closet is delighted to be counted among them.
Karen Robinson-Cope
Serving as a mentor to Abundant Closet during our participation in the Georgia Tech ATDC CapVenture program during the fall of 2009, Karen accepted a formal board position after observing the company's progress during the following 15 months. A self proclaimed serial entrepreneur, Karen has been building businesses for 20 years; her guidance on positioning and fund raising has helped us to view our business through the eyes of the investment community.
Consulting Team
Mike Siavage
Mike, who is the Managing Member of Siavage Law Group, brings a broad and varied legal background to his current practice, focused on emerging technology firms. His early years in public service, as counsel to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, were followed by the role of General Counsel at several firms, including Cunard Line, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey and the American Ship Building Company. Since 1997, he has focused his considerable talents on aiding emerging growth and technology firms, and Abundant Closet is fortunate to be one of his newest clients.
