George Manlove

Chairman, PRO Group Board of Directors

CEO and President of Vann's
George brings more than 25 years of retail and high technology experience to his position, including more than 20 years at Vann’s. Before joining Vann’s, Mr. Manlove worked for Apple Computer during that company’s early and high-growth years. He is recognized nationally for his vision and integrating national e-commerce into a successful Montana retail company. Mr. Manlove oversees all Vann’s daily operations, internet strategy and all new business development.

During his tenure at Vann’s, he has led the company to unprecedented growth. Since he took over as President and CEO in 2000, the company’s total sales have increased three and a half times. Mr. Manlove also serves as Chairman of the Progressive Retailers Organization (PRO), which is dedicated to keeping the independent retailer and wholesaler relationship thriving. He is a graduate of the School of Business Administration at the University of Washington in Seattle and is currently pursuing an MBA degree at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Walt Stinson

Secretary/Treasurer, PRO Group Board of Directors

President, Listen Up
Walt Stinson co-founded ListenUp in 1972 along with his college friend Steven Weiner. Their purpose was to provide the very best in sound reproduction and over the years that goal has expanded to include categories such as high-definition video and total control of all a home’s electronics. Today, ListenUp enjoys a reputation as one of the most influential independent dealers in the country, and Walt has been referred to as "the dean of A/V specialty retailers." He was inducted to the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in October, 2009.

Walt helped form the Professional Audio-Video Retailers Association (PARA) in 1979 and served as PARA's first vice-president and then as president from 1980-83. He also served as PARA's chairman from 1983-85 and as general advisor to the board from 1996-2002. He received the inaugural PARA Founders Award in 1999.
In 1984, Walt co-founded Assured Systems, a dealer-owned distribution and marketing company. Assured merged with AudioVideo Independent Dealers (AVID) in 2002 to create Home Entertainment Source (HES), a division of the $4 billion AVB/Brand Source buying group.

Walt earned his MBA from the University of Colorado and since 2004 he has served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Progressive Retailers Organization (PRO Group) Board of Directors.

Mike Temiz

President/CEO, Sixth Avenue Electronics
Mike Temiz first assumed the position of CEO for Sixth Avenue Electronics in 2003.  As a founder of the once single store on Sixth Avenue in New York City in 1984, his vision of a high-end retail chain fueled the company’s growth and expansion. Now, in 2009, he has achieved his goal, having grown the company to fourteen stores, and a highly visible e-commerce website.  It was not without a sense of intellect, intuition of future trends, and responsiveness to market conditions that has allowed Mr. Temiz to sustain the growth of Sixth Avenue Electronics in the extremely competitive New York Metro market.  Today, Sixth Avenue Electronics is infallibly a trusted household name in its market.

Mr. Temiz has a very hands-on style, and along with his responsibilities as the CEO of Sixth Avenue Electronics he keeps up-to-date with market and generational trends by staying involved with purchasing and merchandising for the company’s audio/video department.  He works very closely with the company’s vendor partners, and by having his finger on the pulse of the business, he is able to deliver relevant market information to manufactures in order to promote best practices for the entire consumer electronics industry.

His insight and dedication to Sixth Avenue Electronics has won him the Audio/Video Retailer of the Year Award six years in a row and countless manufacturer accolades and awards over the past 22 years.  An avid fisherman, Mike Temiz cast out his line 22 years ago and has managed to reel in success.

 

Murray Huppin

President, Huppins/OneCall
Murray K. Huppin grew up working in the family business founded by his great-grandfather in 1908. Murray attended Business School at the University of Washington graduating in 1982. He began his career as an account representative with Proctor and Gamble in Los Angeles, CA. Murray came back to Spokane and re-joined the family business in 1984. He led the team in the establishment of the OneCall division in 1994, positioning the company for long-term growth and profitability. He became President and CEO in 1997.

Murray serves as a member of the PRO Group Board of Directors and is an active member of Spokane Rotary Club 21. He is a hands-on leader and enjoys working shoulder-to-shoulder with his staff every day.

 

Rick Souder

Executive VP, Crutchfield
Rick Souder joined the Crutchfield executive team in July of 2003. He is responsible for merchandising and takes a lead role in developing long-term growth strategies and continually reviewing the company's product offerings. Rick also serves as the company's Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining Crutchfield, Rick was Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Circuit City Stores, Inc., with overall responsibility for the company's $5 billion annual audio/video/mobile business.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Rick joined Circuit City in 1987 as a TV buyer and rose through the company's ranks to supervise all of the company's audio/video merchandising. He also has served as Director of Inventory Management and Planning for The Gap, a national clothing store chain, and as a merchandising executive with a women's apparel division of the U.S. Shoe Corporation.

Rick serves on the Board of the Progressive Retailer's Organization — a multi-billion dollar buying organization comprised of 18 of the nation’s top consumer electronics specialists. Rick is also a volunteer instructor and President of the Board of Directors of Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing (WAS). WAS teaches people with disabilities to ski and snowboard using specialized equipment and teaching techniques.

 

Bjorn Dybdahl

President, Bjorn's
Six years after he was born in Oslo, Norway in 1943, Bjorn Dybdahl moved with his family to Minneapolis. In 1962, he married his wife, Shari, and moved to San Antonio, Texas, as part of his tour of duty with the United States Air Force. After leaving the Air Force in December of 1968, Bjorn began what would be a lifelong career in the business of selling home audio and video products by working as a salesman in San Antonio.

In 1975, he started Bjorn’s Audio Video. Following the mantra of “We sell entertainment and fun, not equipment,” Bjorn has been able to grow his small, one-man, audio-only hi-fi shop into a 15,000 square foot retail store with more than 90 employees that also includes a service department and an installation department with 14 installation technicians plus support personnel.

Over the last 35 years, Bjorn has been recognized for his many pioneering efforts in the industry, including being an early member of PARA (Professional Audio/Video Retailers Association) and a founding member of CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) and recently, appointed as a Board member of the Progressive Retailers Organization (PRO Group). Bjorn has been extremely aggressive in educating the community about consumer electronics, especially HDTV.

Dave Workman

Executive Director/COO PRO Group
David Workman is currently Executive Director/COO at PRO Group since 2006. PRO buying group serves to coordinate merchandising, marketing and other business services for a group of independent retailers representing over $2 billion in consumer electronics sales annually.

Previously, he has served as President of Warrantech, a leading provider of extended warranty services to consumer electronics retailers and manufacturers.

Until February 2005, Dave served as President and CEO of Ultimate Electronics, having oversight of all facets of operations, sales, merchandising, marketing, and development on behalf of the then 65-unit chain in 14 states. At the time, the chain carried more than 130 brands and 4,000 products comprising all of the major categories within the consumer electronics industry. He spent more than 26 years with the company including serving as President and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President and General Manager.

Industry Awards: ADL Patricia Reinzi Legacy Award 2004; UJA Torch of Liberty Award 2001
 

 

 

Committee Chairs

Rob Standley

Chairman, PRO Group Video Committee

Director Marketing & Merchandising, Vann's
Rob has been in the CE industry for over 18 years by starting his career as a sales person at the Vann’s Helena, Montana location. Since then he has held three store management positions before moving into a buying role. He is now the Director of Sales and Merchandising for Vann’s, Inc.

Mr. Standley currently serves as the chairman of the PRO Group Video Committee and was voted one of Dealerscope’s Top 40 under 40 in 2000.

Rob is married with two daughters and enjoys rock music, karaoke and is an avid Steelers fan.

Tim Freeman

Chairman, PRO Group Audio Committee

Audio Merchandise Manager, Crutchfield
Tim Freeman is the Audio Merchandise Manager for Crutchfield and has been buying CE for 23+ years.  Tim has purchased various categories through the years including TV, video components, audio components, camera, camcorder, accessories, and car audio.  His current responsibilities include audio and DVD/Blu-ray.  Mr. Freeman has been with Crutchfield for over 22 years. 

Mr. Freeman is a native of Virginia, and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.   Tim is married with three children and his hobbies include sports (in particular college basketball and soccer) and music.  Favorite artists include Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia, Miles Davis.

Don Barros

Chairman, PRO Group Mobile Committee

Director of Merchandising, Sixth Avenue Electronics
Don Barros is the Director of Mobile Electronics and Senior Buying Manager at Sixth Avenue Electronics, a NJ based consumer electronics retailer. Don has been in the industry for 25+ years, with 20 years of service at Sixth Avenue Electronics. With an unprecedented passion for mobile electronics, Don has helped establish Sixth Avenue Electronics as one of the leading retailers in the mobile electronics industry. With countless award-winning vehicles under his direction, Don continues to push technology and innovation in the 12-volt industry.

Don's Interests are music, electronics, technology, and he is a huge sports fan.