Sam Kliger — Founder & CEO
A true entrepreneur of the computer age, Sam quit formal schooling (in computer science and mathematics) to pursue his vision. In 1985, while standing on long lines at the local Benetton store, he saw an opportunity and offered to find a computerized system for the franchisee. But he soon realized there was no affordable, PC-based solution for specialty retailers; all the systems were mainframe with an average cost of $250,000. Sam went on to write a customized solution for the Benetton franchisee and, taking the ADP approach to outsourced payroll as his model, offered to operate the system for a monthly fee. Soon, other Benetton stores signed on for his software-with-service solution, and KWI was born.
Today, Sam continues to be an integral, hands-on leader with an obsession for excellence, who guides every aspect of KWI. Married, with four children, he is deeply committed to his family and active in charitable foundations.
Stuart Levine — President, Loss Prevention
Stuart is CEO of The Zellman Group, LLC, and long-standing LP partner with KWI. Stuart co-founded his company in 1997. The Zellman Group has over 40 employees and provides nationwide services with regional expertise. Four of the top ten retailers in the US are clients.
The company is a member of RILA and the NRF. Stuart leads a highly experienced team of specialists who are skilled in all areas of Loss Prevention. He has an MBA from the University of Miami School of Business, and is an accomplished interviewer with certifications CFI, W-Z, LSI and ASAS. His professional memberships include IAFCI and ASIS.
David Drucker, President, KWI Merchant Services
David joined KWI in 2007, extending our capabilities into Merchant Services. Throughout his financial services career, David has spearheaded a number of high-profile business development programs and has worked on the advisory councils of many lending institutions including: Norwest Funding, Chase Manhattan Bank, Chemical Bank, The Dime Savings Bank and Prudential Home Mortgage Corp.
His skills at leading cross-functional teams and his ethical, transparent approach to business enable us to provide KWI clients with the richest possible Merchant Services functionality at the most competitive rates.
Robert Schildkraut, Chief Financial Officer
With more than 30 years of financial management and operations experience at small- and middle-market private and public companies, Robert is an excellent fit with the KWI business sector. Previously, he served as CFO for Antares Information Technologies, and as VP of Operations for IntraSource/PricewaterhouseCoopers in Portland, OR. Robert holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and a BBA from Hofstra School of Business. As KWI's CFO, in addition to providing Financial/HR and Administration oversight, he utilizes his strong operational skills to analyze and implement changes across all departments, strengthening our business processes.
A motorcycling enthusiast, Robert enjoys family life with his wife Linda and children Sam, Emma and Ben.
Rob Schaffer, Vice President, Client Services
Rob brings exceptional "client-side" knowledge to Client Services. He worked at Estee Lauder for 23 years, starting as Financial Systems Analyst. When Lauder launched its own stores, Rob's passion for retail systems netted him oversight of the entire project, and eventually earned him the title of VP, Global Retail Technology and Financial Systems. At KWI, Rob's extensive retailer experience gives him unique insights, with responsibility for our entire suite of technology and service solutions. He excels at working with diverse retailers to analyze their special needs and establish best practices within each operation.
Rob holds a BS from St. John's University. A resident of Long Island, he and his wife Susanne and sons Alex and Zachary enjoy fishing and boating.
Gary Brill, Vice President, Business Development
Gary is an industry veteran with more than 30 years in retail information systems, including 19 years as North American Director of Sales at STS. He has worked with dozens of top tier retailers in the US, including Liz Claiborne, Jones New York, Donna Karen, Tommy Hilfiger, Yankee Candle, Urban Outfitters, Saks Fifth Avenue and Ann Taylor. He joined KWI in 2005 to lead the charge in marketing, sales and business development.
Gary is passionate about developing new business and assisting existing clients. He works closely with our staff to educate the entire KWI team about the companies we partner with -- so that we can fully understand the unique aspects of each client's operation and know how to best serve them.
Evan Rubin, Vice President, KWI CRM
Evan heads the Customer Relationship Management division for KWI. He is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of Retail experience. During the past 12 years, Evan has implemented, designed and maintained CRM programs for various retailers such as New York & Company, Fortunoff, and Loehmann's. These programs have included Multi-Tier Loyalty Programs, Email, Direct Mail, Credit Card and Text Message Marketing while managing large database and reporting systems.
As VP of KWI CRM Evan will strategically identify best practices and institute them throughout the team and client environments including driving the design, testing and delivery of all new CRM system functionality and enhancements.
Avrum Weinberger, Software Development Director
Avrum Weinberger is a seasoned professional with over ten years software development experience at KWI. As Software Development Director, Avrum is responsible for supervising all aspects of systems development at KWI including design, software development, quality assurance, and store systems development. Avrum has evolved along with KWI and is utilizing his knowledge of the system and experience to lead his teams by example and take KWI to the next level of Software as a Service excellence.
Avrum lives in Brooklyn with his wife Chaya and five children Joseph, Aaron, Yehuda, Volvi and Raizy.
James Barbas, Vice President of Technology and Infrastructure
James Barbas, with more than two decades as a professional, brings us valuable expertise in data storage, backup/recovery, ITILv3 process management, information security and disaster recovery (DR). Our clients benefit from his strong focus on architecting and implementing highly available enterprise solutions.
His skills in development, architecture and operations were honed at Merrill Lynch, in software development and systems support; at JPMorgan Chase, where he managed global storage and backup; and as a client-aligned architect designing mission critical systems for JPMorgan Chase's Investment Banking division. Just prior to joining KWI, James managed storage, backup and recovery for Computer Sciences Corporation, supporting Estee Lauder globally.
KWI employs more than 125 technology and service professionals, all working together at the corporate headquarters. Our unity contributes to seamless service, innovative thinking and rapid response to all our clients' needs.
Our senior management reflects strong expertise in serving the specialty retail community. Together, our leaders bring you over 200 years of experience in delivering powerful retail solutions and growing our clients' success.