Experts

Jeff O’Neill is a wine and spirits industry veteran, entrepreneur and CEO of family-owned and operated O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, a certified B Corporation. O’Neill’s commitment to sustainability translates across all aspects of the business, from encouraging sustainable winegrowing, to operating the county’s largest worm-powered wastewater treatment system, to testing the effects of regenerative farming in Paso Robles. All of this while producing high-quality, consumer-driven wines at scale. As a leader in environmental stewardship for over 20 years, Jeff is deeply committed to building a better and more sustainable future for the wine business and was recognized as Wine Enthusiast’s Person of the Year in 2022.

Jeff Call serves as Managing Partner of Bennett Thrasher. He specializes in wealth transfer/estate planning, investment, tax and financial planning for high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, family business owners and executives. He has significant experience providing financial counsel on income tax, estate and gift tax, investment, insurance, charitable and retirement planning matters. Additionally, Jeff has experience in individual, partnership, S corporation and fiduciary taxation.Prior to joining Bennett Thrasher in 2002, Jeff worked for Arthur Andersen as a Manager in the Private Client Services practice. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and has also earned the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation. Additionally, Jeff has passed the Series 65 Uniform Registered Investment Adviser Examination.Jeff has been named to the prestigious Atlanta Magazine Five Star Wealth Manager list for metro Atlanta for eight years. He is a frequent speaker and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle, BankRate.com and Accounting Today, and he has written articles for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Business to Business Magazine, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Vistage View and Tax Advisor magazine.

Jamie is a Brand Manager at O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, focused on two of the most innovative and exciting brands in the portfolio, Rabble and FitVine. She leads everything from strategy and planning to activation and partnerships, specifically focusing on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, Life Time, run clubs and more, with the ultimate goal of making FitVine a true lifestyle brand that people love beyond the wine in the bottle. Jamie graduated with a marketing degree from the University of Southern California, and has since gained her WSET Level II certification in wine. She is a lover of all things travel and food, and is a professional soccer referee, working in the top leagues across the US.

A natural born creative, textile designer Jalene Kanani began her creative expression through hula, beginning at the age of 3, and within 3 years she was a regular keiki performer in Don Ho's iconic Waikīkī show. As a teenager she became a governor’s model who traveled the United States promoting Hawai'i as well as an international hula dancer for Tihati Productions. Her experience as a hula dancer provided a steadfast foundation to ignite her cultural curiosities while defining herself as an ambassador of aloha.Creativity was not only encouraged but modeled for Jalene, whose mother owned and designed Hawaiian fashion label Wailani Originals: Hula Girl Creations, a line of t-shirts and bags sold at Liberty House and McInerny in the early 1970s and became her first foray into design.Determined to develop her business acumen to complement her creative impulses, she earned a B.A. in Political Science which led her to a corporate job in furniture flooring and equipment supply. Working with textile manufacturers afforded her the unique opportunity to forge important relationships within the industry as well as realize the niche markets that had yet to be developed in Hawai'i and beyond. Her designs were well-received, and she began licensing designs to international manufacturers such as Duralee and Durkan.In 2008, she established Jalene Kanani Inc., designing commercial carpeting and flooring through ProSPEC contract fabric, where she continued to hone her skills and develop her unique brand aesthetic. Her experience inspired her to parlay her tribal prints into a collection of home goods in unexplored areas of Hawaiʻi's interior industry.In 2019, she launched NOHO HOME with a line of bedding featuring her distinguished patterns. With dreams of new textiles and product development on the horizon, Jalene's success in the world of coastal home decor has only just begun.

A 25-years-in serial entrepreneur, I’ve built, launched, and scaled nearly 70 brands in the last 5ish years as the Chief Builder at JC+CO growth accelerants. Most recently, I acquired the Canadian ethically sustainable kids’ DTC brand, mini mioche, and formalized its position as the best kids clothes on - and for - the planet. We have done this through building partnerships with 1% for the Planet and Climate Neutral Certified, launching our resale marketplace, and producing with true sustainability - not greenwashed sustainability - at the forefront of everything we do.With a methodical approach to hunting for market gaps, I’m delighted by everything from detailed data digging to precise pixel placement, and have a pretty crazy capacity for work. I am all about the pace, and dig the extraordinary magic of making something from nothing. I started my first business at nineteen and sold my second at twenty. I’ve run ventures in consumer products, entertainment, consulting, publishing and advertising, and have always been digitally driven. My award history is heavy with marketing fumes, but I’m most exhilarated by actually doing the work of scaling exceptional, innovative consumer product brands, with the heart of a bootstrappy entrepreneur.I’ve been a business and innovation contributor to numerous publications, and a keynote speaker and panelist at events throughout North America. I’m religious about the Oxford comma, always up for a dark comedy, and still wondering when fetch is going to happen.

Co-founder Jacob Xi started SIJO alongside childhood friend Anni Stromfeld after reconnecting and bonding over their common interest in entrepreneurship and a desire to build an ethical and sustainable business in the health/wellness area. His vision was to transform the way consumers think and feel about the home. With a great deal of experience in marketing and the tech industry, known for having a quick pace and high stress, Jacob sought out to use his skills to build a brand alongside co-founder Anni. After working through concepts, the home space, and in particular, better, healthier sleep, felt like a natural direction. His passion allowed him (and Anni) to precisely identify the demands of the SIJO customers, using innovative fibers and materials to create the best possible products.Jacob, Anni and their team focus on creating sustainable, performance driven products that not only boast healthy benefits and unparalleled quality, but that have a simple, modern aesthetic that suits any home.

Hiro is Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer at FOTOFOTO, where his innovative approach to technology and design drives the look and feel of our revolutionary OM-1 cameras.A passionate advocate for green design, Hiro has dedicated his career to developing products and technologies that provide joy while also reducing emissions warming our planet.Prior to FOTOFOTO, Hiro founded Koa, a clean suncare brand. He graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he studied the intersection of science, technology and politics.

A native resident of the Connecticut shoreline & a first-born daughter with a lifelong affinity for clothes, Hayley Segar is a beach-loving problem solver...who always hated swimwear. "I always loved fashion, but hated swimsuits. I knew there was something wrong with it, but coudn't put my finger on the exact issue. I just sucked it up and wore subpar swimwear that dug and squeezed, year after year."That was, until April of 2019 when Segar had her lightbulb moment after trying on dozens of swimsuits. "I literally said out loud out of frustration, 'I just want a swimsuit that fits like my favorite no-show underwear does.' And it was in that moment that it hit me. I knew had to create it."Fast forward to November 2021 when Hayley launched her patent-pending swimsuit concept that is truly 'onewith' a wearer's body. Size-inclusive, edgeless, dig-free, and elastic-free, onewith is everything normal swimwear, as we know it, is not. Women wanting swimwear that fits like underwear is nothing new; onewith is simply the brand that brought it to life, filling a white space in an otherwise saturated industry. onewith consistently goes viral for this reason.Hayley is a graduate of the University of Connecticut. She is a self-described "cat-person convert," and resides in CT with her three beloved rescued cats.

Giuliana Schwab is Chief Creative Officer of GoSili Inc. She is the creative visionary of the brand giving voice and visual direction to all aspects of GoSili’s brand messaging and product line up. Giuliana’s long experience in design comes from her early days in New York where she studied at Pratt Institute and majored in Art Direction. She then worked at notable businesses such as; Scholastic Publishing and Time Inc. After several years in New York, she moved to the west coast and continued to pursue art direction in publishing. While living in Los Angeles, Giuliana landed at Conde Nast Publishing and worked as Art Director for Bon Appétit magazine where she was leading teams of photographers, illustrators and designers to create the visual branding for the magazine. In 2007, Giuliana teamed up with Stacey Feeley to start Silikids. Her experience as a designer and art director helped Silikids establish a solid foundation in product assortment, style and appeal. It is also her experience at Bon Appétit that introduced her to the world of silicone and its’ superiority as a household material. As Silikids grew into GoSili, Giuliana guided the brand along the way creating a bold, passionate collection with a voice and mission to reduce the excessive consumption of plastic waste by looking to silicone as a sustainable alternative. Giuliana, know as “G” to most, is knick named “the mad scientist” at GoSili, which illustrates her curiosity and constant pursuit to create things that offer a solution… always with style, function and purpose.

Gina DeSantis is the lead creator behind her brand Gina DeSantis Ceramics. Gina has worked with clay since 1999 but founded her business in 2013. She began her ceramic studies at her local community college and by 2006 earned her MFA from Kent State University. You may have seen her work in Uncommon Goods, Anthropologie, McGee & Co, Shoppe Amber Interiors and the Sundance catalog as well as over 400 retailers around the country. Ms. DeSantis can share her insight on fine craft, home decor, running a small business as a female entrepreneur and life as a working artist. Prior interviews for reference:https://medium.com/authority-magazine/gina-desantis-on-five-things-you-need-to-be-a-highly-effective-leader-during-uncertain-turbulent-ae3fa5b79bachttps://canvasrebel.com/meet-gina-desantis/

Fernanda Gomes is CEO & Co-founder of award-winning clean beauty nail and skin wellness brand: TERRA Beauty Bars & VIBES Beauty. She is a certified and licensed product formulator & cosmetic manufacturer with over a decade of strategic sales, marketing, operations, project management and Clean Beauty Manufacturing experience. Gomes is a motivator with a thorough understanding of goals, B2B / B2C channels and customer relationships, strategy and company metrics. A US Army Veteran that demonstrates competence and poise in any environment, Gomes is inspired by great work, positive social impact, moving the needle and forging great relationships.From beauty, hospitality, destination, technology to consumer goods, Gomes has successfully formulated, launched and managed brands and projects with an ultimate focus on innovation, meaningful connections, consumer engagement, digital and analog experiences.

Prior to creating Hast, Elliot worked as a consultant in marketing and branding for agencies and companies such as FutureBrand, Weber Shandwick & Nivea. Elliot has always had a passion for cooking, industrial design, material science, and engineering. Elliot is also a certified Les Mills instructor, a certified trainer, and a nutrition specialist.