About Us
In just 15 years, Two West has expanded and evolved into a retail-marketing powerhouse. Our shopper savvy leaders know how to uncover insights, inspire creative thinking and deliver solutions that not only engage shoppers, but also turn them into buyers.
Meet some of the industry’s thought leaders right here.
Ethan Whitehill
CEO and Co-Founder
Shopper personality: Curious consumption.
Bringing together a creative’s mind with the acumen of an MBA graduate, Ethan has more than 15 years experience providing strategic insight, branding, retail merchandising and more. Ethan has worked with several Fortune 1000 and Forbes 500 clients, including American Century Investments, Ferrellgas, H&R Block, Hallmark, Holiday Inn, Time Warner and Sprint. His own company has been nationally ranked as a top 100 inner-city company by Inc. magazine and has been listed among Kansas City's 100 fastest growing companies for six consecutive years. In addition to serving on the board of directors for DeLaSalle Education Center and International Relations Council, he and his company support the March of Dimes and other charitable causes benefiting children and education. And, if you haven’t had enough of him, you can also hear his voice interviewing guests from around the retail world on The Brand Show.
David Patrick
Chief Operating Officer
Shopper Personality: Explorer
A marketing thought leader, Dave has 30 years of experience leading high performance brand teams across restaurant, beverage, fashion, beauty, service, automotive, packaged goods, sports, home improvement and technology categories. Dave has held leadership positions at Procter & Gamble, J Walter Thompson, Interpublic and Leo Burnett and has been the senior marketing officer for two multi-unit retailers – Beauty Brands and Westlake Ace Hardware. Throughout his career, Dave has led marketing teams on blue chip brands including McDonalds, General Motors, Kraft, Burger King, Toys R US, Kellogg, Kroger, Miller Lite, Citgo, Payless ShoeSource, Applebee’s, and Bridgestone-Firestone. Dave is a frequent speaker on high performance marketing strategy and teaches marketing and business strategy in the MBA program at the University of Missouri Kansas City.
Gavin Johnston
Chief Anthropologist
Shopper Personality: I wonder why they picked red for that sign?
For more than 14 years, Gavin has put degrees in Sociocultural Anthropology and Human-Computer Interaction to work for clients like Best Buy, Kimberly-Clark, Ace Hardware, Motorola, Ford and more. Published in everything from QUIRK’s and UX magazine to Marketing Profs, Market Research Magazine and Anthropology News, Gavin is a sought after mind in the field of Ethnography. He’s spoken at conferences like AIPMM, IRDC and more on subjects like spatial design, shopper behavior, product selection and more.
Lou Thurmon
Chief Marketing Officer
Shopper personality: The sights, the smells, the coupons!
Specializing in channel and content management, Lou has more than 10 years experience working with brands like Belkin, FedEx, Hallmark and Sprint. She brings her expertise in strategic planning and insight gathering to help clients bring big picture initiatives to life. In fact, her views can be seen in QUIRK’s magazine as well as Marketing Profs.
Michael LaMonica
Creative Director
Shopper personality: Lots of pretty colors. How much?
Whether it’s digital or print, messaging or management, with more than 25 years of experience, Michael can get it done. Working with established brands like Sprint, AMC Theater, Saint Luke’s Health System and more, Michael brings a keen eye for design and mind for messaging to the table. Featuring expertise in cross-channel brand experience as well as customer experience, design and more, Michael’s work can be seen in publications like Logo Lounge and Graphic Design USA. An active member of the advertising community, Michael is a regular speaker at local career days and events.
Mark Lopez
Director of Digital
Shopper personality: I want to get in, get out and get on my way.
Pulling from more than 18 years experience working with retail brands like Hallmark, H&R Block and Lee Jeans, Mark has provided a knowledgeable hand guiding brands through an ever-changing digital landscape. His expertise in eCommerce (from strategy to implementation) and Cross-Channel integration has been sought after, with articles appearing in Stores Magazine and speaking engagements with the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Shop.org Annual Summit 2011.
Angie Davids
Vice President of Account Management
Shopper personality: Busy Mom mode… initiate.
Angie has spent the past 16 years creating customer engagement with brands. She has a diverse background in corporate, not-for-profit, university and agency environments including YRC Worldwide, Valentine Radford, Rockhurst University and the John Q. Hammons Foundation. Angie is passionate about developing deeper customer engagement through her expertise in global brand strategy, culture transformation, sponsorship management and strategic marketing communications.
IV Whitman
Brand Strategist
Shopper personality: Seek-and-destroy.
With more than 15 years experience, IV has expertise including both brand strategy and positioning as well as shopper insights and segmentation. In his career, he has provided strategic guidance to prominent brands like Kellogg’s, Proctor & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and more. Outside the conference room IV practices his journalism skills as a contributing writer for The Brand Show.
Sock Monkey
Ambassador of Fun
Shopper personality: Go bananas.
Sock Monkey is all about fun. Everyone at Two West is granted the responsibility of one stuffed sock monkey plush toy in order to remind them to have fun.