Essendant Virtual Customer Event and Trade Show

Ryan Estis has more than 20 years of experience as a top-performing sales professional and leader. As the former chief strategy officer for the McCann Worldgroup advertising agency NAS, he brings a fresh perspective to business events. As a keynote speaker, Ryan is known for his innovative ideas on leading change, improving sales effectiveness and preparing for the future of work. He was recently recognized as one of “the best keynote speakers ever heard” by Meetings & Conventions magazine alongside Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Mike Ditka.

Ryan delivers keynote speeches, courses and online learning with an emphasis on actionable content designed to elevate business performance. His curriculum emphasizes emerging trends influencing leadership effectiveness, sales performance and customer experience. Ryan helps participants prepare to thrive in today’s ultra-competitive, hyper-connected business environment.

He is a faculty member for the Institute of Management Studies, a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board and a certified Human Capital Strategist.

Ryan and his team publish original research featuring client case studies to expand the live event experience. He is also the author of a popular blog on business performance. His writing has been featured in Inc., Forbes, Entrepreneur, FastCompany, SmartBrief, Business News Network, Crain’s Business, and Yahoo Business.

Ryan is an Ohio University graduate who resides in downtown Minneapolis. When he’s not traveling to speaking engagements around the world, Ryan enjoys downtime with family and friends, practicing yoga and cheering on his beloved Minnesota Timberwolves.

Harry Dochelli is the President & CEO of Essendant, a role he was appointed to in 2019 to drive the company’s growth strategy, deliver an exceptional customer experience and foster a winning culture that delivers strong results. His career spans nearly 30 years at distribution and wholesale companies in office and industrial product categories serving independent resellers, big box retailers and B2B customers. Prior to joining Essendant, Dochelli held a variety of leadership roles at Boise Cascade Corporation (known today as OfficeMax/Office Depot, Inc.) and Lawson Products. Dochelli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ursinus College and participated in the Executive MBA program at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. He is a member of the National Business Products Council for the City of Hope and a board member of ISSA.

As Sr. Vice President of Sales, Renee is responsible for Essendant’s wide range of sales channels, including JanSan, Office Products and Foodservice IDC, Etail, Retail, MRO and Healthcare. Exiting the pandemic, she led a holistic effort to change how Essendant organized customers, taking into account opportunity and service needs. From there, she developed a new sales organization model to more effectively serve Essendant’s customer base and capture new sales. She serves on ISSA’s Hygieia Network Council and is the Chair of their Recruitment and Onboarding Committee. Before joining Essendant in 2015, she spent 15 years with Newell Brands, taking on increasing responsibilities in finance, marketing and sales. Renee earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Akron.

Jeff leads Essendant’s Merchandising team with responsibility for cultivating Essendant’s assortment across its broad product line to meet the changing needs of our diverse customer base. Jeff joined Essendant in 2013 (then United Stationers) after spending time with US Foods and Solo Cup Company, in addition to consulting. His wide-ranging experience in distribution, manufacturing and consulting, covering merchandising as well as domestic and international sourcing, allows Jeff to bring a unique perspective to Essendant’s leadership team. Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Illinois.

Tim is responsible for inventory management across 35+ distribution centers and is the liaison to Staples’ supply chain operations. With over a decade of experience in the field, he brings operations and distribution expertise to his role at Essendant. Additionally, Tim is Executive in Residence and lecturer at Elmhurst University where he teaches courses in the Supply Chain Master’s and MBA programs. Tim received his Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from Elmhurst University, his Bachelor of Science in Transportation and Physical Distribution from Western Illinois University and was selected as Distinguished Graduate Alumnus from Elmhurst University.

Mark Brohan is senior vice president of B2B and market research at Digital Commerce 360, covering B2B ecommerce trends. Prior to his current role, Mark was vice president of research for Digital Commerce 360 and editor of Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide, Top500Guide.com and related research publications. Mark’s previous experience includes leading new print and web product business development for Faulkner & Gray as web publisher and editorial director for DM Review magazine and its two websites: DMReview.com and dataWarehouse.com. He was also the founding editor of various Faulkner & Gray technology magazines, including Internet Retailer. Mark earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and history from Western Michigan University and a master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University.

Jen Burdess has 15+ years of experience in retail and customer services. She worked in customer service where she maintained client relationships that were already in place and built new ones. Jen started at LeadJen in 2005 in Data Development and Market Research where she assisted in the preparation of clients’ leads. In 2009, Jen began working as an Inside Sales rep where she was quickly promoted in January 2010 to Manager of Human Resources and Administration. Jen now manages every part of the Inside Sales team as well as managing the hiring and training processes.

Liz has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, civil society and government decision-making, which informs her ability to counsel clients across a range of financial, social and political issues.

As a Partner leading ESG advisory for Brunswick, Liz has helped clients ranging from global financial institutions to Fortune 500 companies to pre-IPO companies to articulate their social value proposition, design sustainability strategies and chart roadmaps for ESG leadership. A stakeholder communications expert, Liz works with Boards and C-Suite executives to understand and respond to today’s sustainability challenges in order to ensure commercial leadership and mitigate business and reputational risks. Liz brings her clients unique perspectives on investor expectations from her years advising agenda-setting NGOs, as well as practical insights on how to meet the climate transition as a leader of Brunswick’s own net zero commitment.

She has an MBA from Wharton and a certificate in ESG and Sustainable Investing from the NYU Stern School of Business. Liz joined Brunswick from Albright Stonebridge Group, the strategic advisory firm led by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, where she spent considerable time on the ground in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, creating and implementing complex market entry and regulatory strategies for corporations in foreign markets. Her previous experience includes serving as a counselor to the UAE’s Ambassador to the UN, a senior advisor to the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Special Assistant to the Democratic Leader of the U.S. Senate, and Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Bank.

Dr. Jensen’s current research centers around the areas of web and mobile application development, DevOps and Cloud Computing. He has worked in the industry as a Vice President for Technology at Synergistic Networks, Inc., where he managed the concurrent activities of multiple project teams dedicated to the design and development of client-focused web applications, as well as overseeing the operation of the company’s internet data center.

Adam leads Essendant’s Sales Resource Center team with responsibility for Category Sales Development, Enterprise/Ecommerce Customer Development and Vertical Markets. Adam joined Essendant (then United Stationers) in 2004, during which time he has held roles in Customer Care, National Accounts and Sales Management. Adam and his team are dedicated to providing the programs, resources and support to drive growth with Essendant resellers across all categories and customer channels.

John Stamos is a principal in the Chicago office of Alexander Group International. John has experience working with companies within a variety of industries, including manufacturing, high-tech and consumer packaged goods. During his tenure at Alexander Group, John has had extensive experience leading large-scale sales transformation engagements, enterprise program build-outs, global compensation redesign efforts, as well as targeted solutions across the Revenue Growth Model™.

Prior to joining the Alexander Group, John was a product marketing manager for Cognex Corporation where he conducted market analysis for international serialization initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry and oversaw the development of its configuration software. Prior to this role, John had territory account responsibility at Cognex, selling automation solutions to assist with quality control and traceability in various industries. John has nine years of direct sales and distribution management experience.

John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a certified sales compensation professional (CSCP) with WorldatWork.

Doug is a Value of Wholesale Executive for Essendant. He has 40 years of distribution experience in executive roles at Fortune 14 and 400 companies. His roles included Sales and Operations Management and Turnaround Management. In his current role at Essendant, he assists distributors making buying decisions between direct and wholesale, measuring the cash value and trade-offs between the two strategies. Six Sigma Champion. MBA, University of Phoenix.

Jason is a Director of Vertical Markets with a focus on SLED and Cooperative business for Essendant. He has 25 years of Office Products experience in various sales and sales leadership roles with an emphasis on State Government and Cooperative contracts.  In his current role at Essendant, he has responsibility for the national SLED strategy, and partners with the IDC on new and existing business opportunities within the SLED vertical.

Ryon leads the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis teams and is responsible for overseeing and directing all financial activities of Essendant. Ryon joined Essendant in 2017 and has over 30 years of experience in accounting and finance. Having spent over 19 years at OfficeMax/Office Depot, he has extensive experience and knowledge in distribution and the office supply industry. Ryon earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Alabama.

As Sr. Vice President of both Customer Experience and Marketing, Allison is responsible for optimizing customer touchpoints across the enterprise and leading the company’s marketing and brand awareness efforts, while providing a world-class experience. Since joining the company in 2000 (then United Stationers), she has held various roles throughout the organization, primarily in Finance, before becoming Vice President of Customer Care and Sales Operations in 2017. In mid-2022, Allison assumed added responsibility for Essendant Marketing, reinforcing the importance of customer experience. In addition, she has served as President of the Essendant Charitable Foundation since 2021, which focuses on supporting local and industry charities that align with our associate culture. Allison earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Iowa.