RSPA Jam Band Steals The Show At RetailNOW

By Jim Roddy, president, Business Solutions magazine and Jameson Publishing

Since the conclusion of RetailNOW 2012, held July 29-Aug. 1 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, I’ve been inundated with positive feedback about the event. As you might expect, industry insiders are talking about show traffic, technology shifts, innovative products, and new players in the channel.

What’s unexpected is the continued buzz around the entertainment at the Welcome Reception. The RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association) assembled a “Jam Band” featuring several association members revealing their musical talents.

Before hearing the Jam Band, I figured the reaction to their performance would be along the lines of, “Well, they deserve a lot of credit for getting up on stage. That was very brave of them.” Instead, the 500 or so attendees at the Welcome Reception were blown away that a group of IT executives from across the country (who held only one brief practice) could combine their talents to flawlessly execute an exciting, high-energy performance.

I’ll work on tracking down some video of the RSPA Jam Band in the near future. Here are some photos of the Jam Band in action. If they do this at a future RSPA event, make sure you check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2012 RSPA Jam Band. Kneeling (L-R): Sam Reynolds, Ted Clark, Don Potter, and Steve Cuntz. Standing: Emcee Justin Scopaz, Robin Chapel, Jeff Riley, George Koroneos, Joe Finizio, Jack Dorton, Doug Perkins, Mark Fraker, Marcie Moncrief, Lynn Skurla, and Mike Tash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Cuntz of BlueStar, shown here on vocals, was voted the Industry Rock Star at the event. Votes were counted by donations in the Jam Band member’s name with proceeds benefitting the Retail Orphan Initiative. Backing up Cuntz are Doug Perkins of Skurla’s POS Solutions (cymbal), Sam Reynolds of Postec (bass), and Mark Fraker of BlueStar (harmonica).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Dorton of MMF POS dazzled the crowd with his harmonica and vocals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcie Moncrief of Ingram Micro wowed with her rendition of “Blue Bayou.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leading the band was Ted Clark of IBM’s Retail Store Solutions division, which is now part of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doug Perkins of Skurla’s POS Solutions did Johnny Cash proud by singing “Folsom Prison Blues.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RSPA President/CEO Joe Finizio combined two of his favorites on stage – RetailNOW and rock ‘n roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(L-R) Doug Perkins of Skurla’s, Jack Dorton of MMF, Sam Reynolds of Postec, Jeff Riley of Dinerware (in background on drums), Mike Tash of Essential Systems Solutions, Ted Clark of IBM/Toshiba, and Marcie Moncrief of Ingram Micro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The harmonica solo by Mark Fraker of BlueStar was one of the many individual highlights from the RSPA Jam Band.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s multitalented Don Potter of Pinnacle Hospitality Systems (right) with BlueStar’s Steve Cuntz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RSPA Jam Band members (L-R) Steve Cuntz, Don Potter, Doug Perkins, and Jack Dorton admire Sam Reynolds’ performance on bass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not every day you get to see BlueStar’s Steve Cuntz rock the stage, so here are two more photos of him in action with the RSPA Jam Band.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice to see the distributors in our channel working together – Steve Cuntz of BlueStar (left) and Marcie Moncrief of Ingram are joined by Doug Perkins of Skurla’s POS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(L-R) Sam Reynolds of Postec, Mark Fraker of BlueStar, and Marcie Moncrief of Ingram Micro.