David Howitt is President and founder of The Meriwether Group, Inc. and Meriwether Capital Partners, LLC – firms that specialize in strategic business acceleration and venture funding for dynamic and disruptive brands and companies. Prior to founding The Meriwether Group, David was the Director of Licensing and Business Development for adidas America. While at adidas, David oversaw and grew a $250 million dollar business unit and David and his team grew licensing revenue by over 100 percent during a four year period. David also served for several years as Corporate Counsel for adidas.

David also worked closely with his wife Heather on the founding, growth and the ultimate sale of Oregon Chai. Oregon Chai was a category leader – growing to sales of over $30 million and ultimately selling very successfully to Kerry Foods PLC. Prior to joining adidas, David was an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt. David earned a BA from Denison University and a JD from the Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law. Mr. Howitt currently serves on the Board of Directors for several public and private companies as well as several non-for-profits.

David has made several successful investments in early stage companies over 5 years. He is a husband to Heather and the father of two beautiful children.

Heather Howitt was the founder and CEO of Oregon Chai. Heather discovered Chai while trekking in the Himalayas and brewed her first batch of Oregon Chai in her kitchen in 1994. With a team of 35 people and distribution in all 50 states, Canada and Europe, Heather grew Oregon Chai to over 35 million in sales.

Oregon Chai was successfully sold in 2004 for $75 million. Heather has been featured in numerous national business publications, including Forbes and Inc. Oregon Chai was consistently featured as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S., capturing over 80 percent of the Chai category and topping the list as the fastest growing company in the tea category. Heather currently sits on the Board of Advisors of several natural product companies and investment funds. Heather's daily run consists of a two-hour circuit of Forest Park in Portland.

Bill is a partner The Meriwether Group, Inc. and Meriwether Capital Partners, LLC – firms that specialize in strategic business acceleration and venture funding for dynamic and disruptive brands and companies. A serial entrepreneur, Bill founded, co-founded or served as the CEO, COO or managing partner for over a dozen successful businesses, in a wide range of fields. Bill has experience in lean manufacturing, bio-mass energy, sporting goods, franchising, licensing, retail sales and service, residential and commercial construction and development, and advertising.

In addition, Bill was an attorney in private practice with the Ball Janik law firm. Bill earned a BA from Carleton College and a JD from the Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law and clerked at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Bill has also served on the board of several non-profit organizations.

Curt Mudd has 25+ years of professional experience leading and developing a proven and tested system of talent management strategies and Human Resource solutions. These strategies and solutions support the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations, build and refine cultures, and create environments that attract and retain critical talent. Working with HR Leaders, Multi-Functional and Sales Channel Leadership Teams, CEOs and Board of Directors, Curt can identify, define and execute the critical connections between employee satisfaction, productivity, business success and profitability. From startups to Fortune 500 companies, he has a high degree of expertise in a variety of wholesale and retail industry segments that include consumer products, personal care and beauty, natural and organic foods, software, non-profits and professional services. This includes significant international experience and success with major markets in Asia and Europe.

Curt’s professional experience includes having served as the SVP Talent Management at The Limited Brands. Curt and his team were responsible for organizational design and change management, strategic planning, employee relations, recruitment, selection, training and leadership development, HR operations, employee relations, performance management and human resource planning for an organization with 100,000+ employees.

Before joining The Limited Brands, Curt was the Global Director of Human Resources for Nike, Inc. He joined Nike as the Global Director of Human Resources for the vertical retail division of Nike and was responsible for leading the global expansion of Nike Retail from 500 to 5,000 employees in 14 countries. In partnership with the VP of Retail, Curt created headquarter and regional teams in the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia. The business grew from $50 million to $1.7 billion.

Curt is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Children’s Cancer Association and is the former Board Chairman for the Portland chapter of Inroads. The mission of Inroads is to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.

Joe Flannery is a business strategy, marketing, and consumer product leader. Over the course of 20 years, Joe has played leadership roles at global marquee brands including Nike, Adidas, and The North Face.

Working in Venture Capital after graduating with a Business/German degree from Miami University in 1993, Joe joined an investment company and quickly sold his first company to Nike-Bauer in 1995. His ensuing roles engaged throughout the business spectrum. He has been responsible for spearheading the ambitious goals of a sporting goods start-up; managing vast global product lines; supervising billion-dollar product divisions; and overseeing international marketing operations and global initiatives. The sum of his experience has afforded him a 360-degree perspective on business and, more specifically, the challenges of brand development in an increasingly crowded and competitive world.

Most recently, as Chief Marketing Officer at The North Face, Joe successfully brought together quantitative metrics, qualitative analysis, and the brand’s exclusive attributes to connect with consumers on a meaningful level. “The world’s most successful brands have a unique relationship with their consumers,” says Flannery. “Marketing is more than science—it is also emotional art.”

Personally, Joe is involved in a number of academic and philanthropic projects. He sits on the Board of two internet firms as well as the Board of Advisors for the Miami University Farmer School of Business. In his personal time Joe loves outdoor sports, travel, marathons, cooking and spending time with his family.

Bo Rinaldi is a Partner with The Meriwether Group, Inc. and Meriwether Accelerators, LLC – firms that specialize in strategic business acceleration, tactical execution and venture funding for dynamic and disruptive brands and companies desiring to lead their market sectors. Prior to joining The Meriwether Group, Bo has held executive positions in leading computer and consulting firms in the NW and Silicon Valley. As Executive VP of TTN, Bo helped grow and sell the firm to Spherion. A thought leader in the areas of technology, internet marketing and natural foods, Bo is an innovator who helps define the industries he is a part of. In Silicon Valley he was considered one of the creative forces behind many innovative products and companies, working directly with the founders of Apple, Oracle, Etrade, CommerceOne, Netflix and Finisar. Bo has a personal philosophy of bringing an open and enthusiastic style to all he does, and is recognized as being one of the creative drivers behind many modern technologies that are now industry standards, including acrobat, xml, quicktime and webobjects.

Bo is also the owner of the Blossoming Lotus restaurant, and a best selling author with his Vegan Fusion and Complete Idiot's Guide To Eating Raw books. A prolific writer and entrepreneur, he is considered a leader in social media and internet marketing and consults with buzztone, radioio, webcastr, xool, edison and many others, at the CEO level. Bo went to school at California State University Northridge where he studied Botany with William Emboden, doing his practicals in the Amazon. Bo is the key investor in Pure Prescriptions, a leading nutraceutical firm, Wild Divine, a brainwave entrainment company as well as select early stage endeavors. Bo sits on the Board and is active with Unexpected Development, creating sustainable communities in South America, and ScreenSpaces, a technology company that works closely with Yahoo, GM and Hallmark, as well as Edison Labs, industry leaders in advanced Mobile Phone technologies. Bo acts as an advisor and sits on the Board of many non-profit organizations and is also a sought after speaker in his areas of expertise regarding sustainability, natural healing, brand creation and next generation technologies. Bo is married to Star, and has two grown children, Gabe and Danielle.