MARK DEAN
CEO & OWNER

As founder and CEO, Mark Dean is the heart and soul of BDS. Drawing on more than 30 years of marketing and management experience, he channels this knowledge into an organization that prizes innovation and teamwork to achieve their clients' marketing goals. Noted as an inspirational leader, Mark has an innate talent for bringing out the best in people and accepts nothing less. Mark is responsible for ensuring that BDS is a well-managed, profitable agency that is an employer of choice in Orange County. His responsibilities also include providing senior level strategy and consultation to the agency's vast client base.

Ken Kress
PRESIDENT, BDSmktg

With his more than 20 year tenure at BDS, Ken is an invaluable pillar of the agency. Ken has held many significant positions at BDS and has vast experience driving programs for Fortune 100 clients. As the president, Ken oversees a broad portion of the agency. He provides strategic oversight for key BDS account including Best Buy, Canon, Dell, Jawbone and Motorola. Our Human Resources and Recruiting teams also report directly to Ken and are guided by his vision. Ken has a passion for building lasting relationships with clients and making process improvements aimed at maximizing account efficiency.

Mike Britton
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

As an Executive Vice President of BDS, Mike is President of the Channel Partners and RMSe divisions. He is responsible for driving growth within these divisions and providing strategic direction. Prior to joining BDS, Mike was a BDS Board Member for three years. He brings vast industry expertise and strategic insight to the team, having held many executive-level positions, including President of CIM, the largest sales and merchandising company in Canada, General Manager at Blockbuster where he led the emerging DVD vending business, President of Mosaic InfoForce, which was a joint venture with IRI providing analytics and market tracking data, and Executive Vice President at Mosaic Sales Solutions, where he led the successful acquisition and evolution of several key clients.

Kristen Cook
MANAGING PARTNER, STRATEGIC SERVICES

At BDS, Kristen oversees the Business Intelligence, Learning Services, and Information Technology departments. She is focused on driving service innovation to bring increased value to BDS’ clients. She also acts as the management lead on key accounts such as Walmart, Sam's Club, Toshiba, Cisco and BDS’ Energy Portfolio. Kristen has been an active Board member of the Consumer Electronics Accessories Division and Communication Committee since 2005. She has shared her extensive expertise at a variety of events, including CEA Webcasts, PROMO Expo and Experiential Marketing. In 2012 Kristen was honored with a Legacy Award by the Women in CE organization.

Mike Skinner
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

Mike Skinner serves as Chief Information Officer for BDS. With over 15 years of experience in retail data analysis and reporting systems, Mike knows how to stay on the forefront of the latest in technology advancements. He is responsible for delivering cutting edge technology to our client programs and drives the continuous evolution of our proprietary data capture and reporting system. Additionally, Mike works closely with the Managing Partners to ensure BDS’ technologies are aligned with the company’s strategic objectives.

Mark Heidel
SVP, CLIENT SERVICES

As Senior Vice President of Client Services for Channel Partners, Mark leads the Client Development team and provides strategic oversight for Channel Partners clients. Mark has over 26 years of extensive retail sales and marketing experience, having led retail marketing teams for major brands such as Pepsi-Cola and Handleman Music Company. His impressive retail background and strong skills in national account sales, operations/field sales, and supply chain management, provides valuable program direction for clients. At Channel Partners, Mark is key in driving programs for clients including: Staples, Walmart, TTI Floorcare, Oreck, Keds, Levi, and VF.

Randy Schrock
SVP, STRATEGIC SERVICES

As Senior Vice President of Strategic Services, Randy thrives on developing multi-faceted operational strategies that align with client goals and are actualized on the retail floor. In his role, Randy leads the BDS Business Intelligence team which provides strategic analytics and research services to impact client success at virtually every stage of the sales process. With 17 years at BDS, Randy has held various positions in Client Service and Operations, and his drive has continuously delivered results for the agency. Prior to BDS, Randy’s experience includes positions as Senior Research Analyst at Frost and Sullivan and a consultant with Datapro.

Dave Tranberg
VP, CLIENT DEVELOPMENT

Dave serves as the Vice President of Client Development at BDS, overseeing the Lead Generation and Business Development functions. He is responsible for client acquisition and relationship development in the Consumer Electronics industry. Dave is focused on building client relationships based on trust, open communication and integrity. With over 13 years of executive level agency experience, Dave has spent the past six years with BDS. His client portfolio includes Best Buy, Dell, Jawbone, Toshiba, and Cisco. He is also a member of several industry organizations and groups, including the Consumer Electronics Association and Retail Marketing Executives.

Khalid Kakish
VP, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS

As Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, Khalid is responsible for implementing and directing the company’s Financial Strategies, Budgets, and various other Financial Projections. He is also responsible for establishing global and departmental key performance metrics that ensure the company’s required financial results are achieved. During his eight years at BDS, Khalid has proven to be an integral member of the leadership team, even earning the Employee of the Year award in 2007.

Sean Wargo
SR. DIRECTOR, BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Sean is responsible for ensuring that all analytics and reporting maintains the highest data integrity, and delivers rich insights to clients. Leveraging his years of expertise and research knowledge, Sean guides all BDS methodology and research design, and serves as a subject matter expert for all account analysts. Throughout his 15 years in the technology research sector Sean has served in a variety of roles including managing data production, statistical analysis, and directing quantitative and qualitative research projects. Sean has held positions previously at CEA as Director of Industry Analysis and NPD as a Senior Analyst.

Jon Garcia
SR. DIRECTOR, CLIENT SERVICES

Jon joined BDS in 2010 to lead one of BDS’ largest client programs in a head to head test against a competitor. By the early summer 2011, BDS won the head to head test and absorbed the competitor’s employees. Under Jon’s leadership, this program continues to grow year over year and deliver increasing ROI. Jon has 20 years of Wireless Carrier experience with a majority of that time leading indirect distribution channels. Prior to BDS, Jon has held positions at LA Cellular (BellSouth), PacTel Cellular, Cingular (SBC / BellSouth), and Verizon Wireless.

Keri Murphy
DIRECTOR, CLIENT SERVICES

As Client Services Director at BDS, Keri is responsible for bringing her clients’ visions to life at retail. Keri has 10 years of experience in the retail marketing industry, designing and implementing assisted and dedicated sales programs for BDS’ consumer electronics clients such as Cisco, Comp USA, Sharp, Canon, Jawbone, and Toshiba. Keri also has extensive experience outside of BDS in event marketing, most notably executing mobile marketing tours across the US for consumer packaged goods clients.

Keith Jackson
DIRECTOR, SAM'S CLUB

Keith is the Client Service Director for Sam's Club and is based on-site at their corporate office in Bentonville, Arkansas. In his role, Keith works closely with Sam’s Club stakeholders to ensure that BDS is delivering an impactful training program for Sam’s Club technology Sales Associates. With over 20 years of experience in Marketing and Product Management, Keith has a long history in the industry. Previously, Keith held the role of Account Manager for the Walmart private label packaging business with Sun Branding Solutions and has worked for Mars Advertising and SaatchiX, where he was responsible for strategic brand creative and design implementation of Shopper Marketing campaigns.

Melanie Omar
DIRECTOR, BEST BUY

As the Client Service Director for Best Buy, Melanie is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the Best Buy corporate office. In her role, Melanie works closely with key stakeholders at Best Buy to develop solutions that are in the best interests of Best Buy and acts as a direct liaison for BDS’ client initiatives. Melanie also ensures that BDS is implementing Best Buy initiatives and shares retailer best practices across the account teams. Melanie has a broad retail background, previously representing Coca-Cola at Target and working in the merchandising industry.

Petra Fetters
DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES

With over 14 years of experience in Human Resources, Petra has spent the past eight with BDS’ Human Resources team. Petra has worked her way up to Director of Human Resources and is responsible for the employment lifecycle functions for BDS; including Workforce Planning, Recruitment, Employee Relations, Employment Law & Compliance, Benefits, Compensation, Employee Communications and Internal Training. A key part of Petra’s role is to develop a talent management strategy that empowers BDS employees to successfully live and lead the BDS values. She is the driving force behind BDS’ relationship-based employment platform that is focused on Performance Engagement between employees and managers in order to capitalize on individual strengths and opportunities.

Scot Maurath
DIRECTOR, LEARNING SERVICES

As Director of Learning Services, Scot designs learning strategies and tactics for clients in a variety of industries, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. In his 8 years at BDS, Scot formalized a training and sales service set for the automotive industry, oversaw the development and launch of an online learning platform for a leading industry trade association, and has played a key role in driving the evolution of BDS’ Learning Services department. Scot has also worked with Sam’s Club since 2008 and currently oversees the content development for their regional and in-club training programs. Scot is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and has been a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) since 2010.