Jay Yanko
Director – Global Data Synchronization
Edgenet

Jay S. Yanko has over 17 years of information technology and business leadership experience in many diverse industries including Retail, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Consulting.

Most recently Mr. Yanko has held the position of Director for Global Data Synchronization at Edgenet, a leader in product data collection, aggregation and distribution. Mr. Yanko has been involved in GS1 Standards development since 2005 and has the privilege of being the Chairperson of the GDSN Architecture Committee, co-chair of the GDSN Modular Item Committee and a Member of the GSMP GDSN User Group and Data Pool Advisory Committees.

In addition to GS1 Standards Mr. Yanko has participated in discussion and development of standards in the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS) Association and the American Hardlines Manufacturers Association (AHMA).

Jonathan Ressler
Social Media Expert
Brand Noise Reduction Laboratory, Inc.

Jonathan Ressler is a serial entrepreneur who has started, grown and sold his own marketing firms, including The Ressler Group and Big Fat Promotions. He also owned nearly a dozen nightclubs in New York City (where he invented Human Bowling), provided sales and marketing training to top spirits companies, and served as a contributing writer to a wide variety of publications in that industry. He’s been an interview source for major national media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN and 60 Minutes. Jonathan’s past work has included projects for clients that include Nestle, Mazda, Nintendo, the NFL, MTV, Comedy Central, the NBA and Anheuser-Busch. His specialty is helping clients capitalize on the power of guerilla, stealth and entertainment marketing and social media (including blogging, Twitter and online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace).

At Brand Noise Reduction, he leads business development efforts and directs social media programs while entertaining the staff with one hand tied behind his back.

Steven Smith
President, CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder
Gcommerce, Inc.

Mr. Smith founded GCommerce in May 2000 to target a need for supply chain integration software in distribution based vertical markets. Today, GCommerce is the leading provider of internet based purchasing automation and procurement software in the North American automotive aftermarket, with more than 1000 suppliers, wholesalers and retailers processing Billion dollars in purchases through their Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) network platform, Internet Data Exchange™.

Prior to founding GCommerce, Mr. Smith worked as an executive for 15 years in market leading global sales and marketing organizations with businesses in more than 90 countries. Mr. Smith was responsible for building multi-channel, multi-lingual product merchandising strategies for CPG companies, who sell to venerable companies such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Carrefour and Macro on a worldwide basis. The best practices that Mr. Smith gleaned in global supply chain management working with Wal-Mart internationally for a period of 5 years formed the foundation for much of the innovation that drives GCommerce today. Mr. Smith is a unique blend of thought leader, technology innovator and visionary entrepreneur.

Max Buchanan
Director of Sales – Automotive, Heavy Duty & Industrial
Datalliance, Inc.

Datalliance is a leading provider of collaborative commerce services, and the world’s largest independent VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) service provider.

In his current position, Buchanan is responsible for working with 20+ suppliers and 50+ WD’s to help them understand the business value of VMI, determine which of their trading partners are most appropriate for a VMI relationship, and work with them to deliver the VMI benefits of improved inventory efficiency, reduced administrative costs and improved customer service.

Buchanan has been a frequent presenter/panelist at heavy duty industry events such as HDAW, CVSN, and HDX, and a regular participant in other industry events such as eForum, Vision Conference, Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium and the MIS Council Conference.

Prior to joining Datalliance in 2006, he held a regional sales position for IMAGINIT, a provider of engineering software solutions for manufacturers. He holds a BA Honors Business Studies from the University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland.