Enquirer Consulting Group
Brian Wegner | Kala | October 2026
As of 17 Oct 2026
Kala connects brands, retailers and marketplaces so an online shopper can pick up in a nearby store or get same-day delivery. A first pilot needs one partner on each side, so this page maps both.
It covers the groups of organizations on each side, how many there are where a clean public count exists, who usually signs off at each, and where a first pilot is most likely to start.
Counts are organizations, banded on purpose. A group with no clean public count says so.
| Group | Organizations in the US | Under 20 staff | 20 to 99 | 100 to 499 | 500 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online and mail-order sellers | about 54,000 | about 50,000 | about 2,600 | about 620 | about 440 |
| Consumer brands with their own online store | no clean public count | ||||
| Online marketplaces that list other sellers' products | no clean public count | ||||
| Sporting goods stores | about 15,000 | about 14,000 | about 1,000 | about 110 | about 64 |
| Hardware, garden and farm supply stores | about 19,000 | about 16,000 | about 2,600 | about 360 | about 100 |
| Electronics and appliance stores | about 13,000 | about 12,000 | about 870 | about 130 | about 83 |
US firm counts by industry code, banded deliberately.
On the brand side, Kala needs a seller whose online shoppers would rather pick up today than wait for shipping. That is a consumer brand with its own online store, an online-first seller, or a marketplace that lists other sellers' products.
On the retail side, Kala needs a store that already carries those products and already offers in-store pickup, since your site says Kala sales flow through the retailer's existing pickup process with no new order system.
The strongest first pilot pairs the two: one brand and one retailer that already stocks it, close enough that a shopper on the brand's site sees a store they know.
Titles vary by size. At a smaller firm the founder often makes this call alone.
| Group | Who signs off | Who shapes the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Online and mail-order sellers | Founder, CEO or VP of Ecommerce | Director of Operations and Fulfillment Manager |
| Consumer brands with their own online store | VP of Ecommerce or Head of Direct to Consumer | Ecommerce Manager and Director of Digital Marketing |
| Online marketplaces | VP of Marketplace or Head of Partnerships | Seller Onboarding Lead and Category Manager |
Independent stores are usually owner-led. Regional chains split the decision between the online team and the store team.
| Group | Who signs off | Who shapes the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Sporting goods stores | Owner, or VP of Ecommerce at a chain | Director of Store Operations |
| Hardware, garden and farm supply stores | Owner, or VP of Omnichannel at a chain | Merchandising Director and Store Operations Manager |
| Electronics and appliance stores | VP of Omnichannel or Director of Ecommerce | Director of Store Operations |
Consumer brands that run their own online store are spread across many manufacturing codes, from outdoor gear to home goods, so the public files do not separate them. They are the side of the pilot with the most to gain from a shopper who would otherwise leave for a nearby store.
Online marketplaces are counted together with every other online seller, so there is no clean count for the ones that list other sellers' products. Your site speaks to their need directly: new products and sellers brought on without the work of mapping and managing all that data.
The people who usually sign at the groups above, one a company. Work emails and phone numbers checked on Oct 17, 2026.
| Name | Role | Company | Where | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad LaBass | VP of Ecommerce & DTC, Body Glove | Marquee Brands | Costa Mesa, CA | clabass@marqueebrands.com | +1 949 276 1196 |
| Edward Prokop | VP of eCommerce | National Trade Supply | Chicago | +1 630 715 7677 | |
| Jason Bertrand | VP of Ecommerce | Purple | Park City, UT | jason@purple.com | +1 443 534 5567 |
| Stephanie Brumbaugh | VP of eCommerce and Technology | CandleScience | Minneapolis | stephanie.brumbaugh@candlescience.com | +1 716 535 4382 |
| David Waugh | Director of Ecommerce & Paid Media | Selkirk Sport - We Are Pickleball | Salt Lake City, UT | david.w@selkirk.com | +1 801 361 3382 |
| Brittany McMorris | Director of Ecommerce Operations | Freebird | Denver, CO | brittanymcmorris@freebirdstores.com | +1 413 627 0720 |
| Tim Lavinder | Senior Director of Ecommerce | Christianbook | Stuart, VA | tlavinder@christianbook.com | +1 910 331 8091 |
| Caleb Smith | Director of Ecommerce | CITY Furniture | Lake Worth, FL | calebs@cityfurniture.com | +1 561 438 0697 |
| Nathan Decker | Director of Ecommerce | evo | Seattle, WA | ndecker@evo.com | +1 206 786 0501 |
| Quentin Jackson | Director of Ecommerce | TUMI | New York | quentin.jackson@tumi.com | +1 931 339 3780 |
Built from public federal registries and the company's own website, counts banded deliberately.
If a walk-through is useful, pick a time at cal.com/ecg.
Prepared by Ben Beattie, ben@enquirerconsulting.com.