Bob and Susan Negen have over 35 years of combined
"on the floor" business experience. Their complimentary skill
sets and diverse backgrounds give WhizBang! Training a one-two punch
of street-smart merchant and highly trained retail pro.
Bob Negen is the founder of the Mackinaw Kite Co., a
chain of specialty toy and kite shops. He opened his first store in 1981
out of a love for his product, but without all the basic retail skills
and systems necessary to effectively run a retail business. As President
of the company for twenty years he constantly strived to create the kind
of well-run business he knew was possible.
In the beginning, Bob and his partner successfully developed
some ideas, strategies, and systems on their own. However, as the business
grew the problems became more complex and the solutions less evident.
Profits and performance stalled; the company had hit a wall. Finally,
he realized that "reinventing the wheel" was not an effective
way to become a successful specialty retailer. The knowledge, skills and
systems he needed had already been developed and perfected by others over
many, many years.
Through attending seminars, cultivating relationships
with mentors, reading articles and books, and, most importantly, hiring
people with skills he did not possess, Bob learned the important skills
and systems necessary to run a successful, specialty store business. It
took him two decades to put all the bits and pieces of information into
a usable and effective structure. Bob founded WhizBang! Training with
his wife Susan so that other business people do not have to spend that
same amount of time reinventing the wheel.
Susan Negen began her retail career at large department
stores. She held a number of positions at Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdale's,
and Macy's California including department manager, buyer, and group sales
manager. Her experience at these large firms has given her an extensive
background in all aspects of retail management. Susan's areas of expertise
include in-store operations, purchasing, inventory management, and employee
management.
After joining the Mackinaw Kite Co. as a store manager
and later as director of merchandising, she was able to transfer her acquired
skills to the specialty retail environment. The problems of running a
multibillion dollar retail company and the problems of the specialty retailer
are not that much different! In addition, she is a certified teacher with
well developed skills in packaging and delivering information.
Both Bob and Susan are enthusiastic speakers and accomplished
trainers. Their workshops are fun, interactive and challenging. Bob's
street-smart marketing ideas, expert salesmanship, and leadership abilities
combined with Susan's sophisticated technical retail skills bring you
an unparalleled opportunity to get all the information you need from just
one source - WhizBang! Training.
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