The SMART Group provides a range of advertising, marketing and operational services that increase retail clients’ sales and reduce costs. The SMART group is managed and owned by A-Z Media Group known for its Marketing, advertising and operational expertise.

Dennis Conforto
A-Z Media and its associated ShopA-Z.com and A-Z Magazines divisions were founded by Dennis Conforto, Chairman and CEO, in 1999. Prior to founding A-Z Media, Dennis was an owner and senior executive at GERS, a leading vendor of retail management information systems, for nearly 20 years. While at GERS, he also served as president of the Furniture Consultant’s Center for nearly two decades. Before he joined GERS, Dennis was executive vice president at a Top 100 retail home furnishings company. He has been a frequent speaker at major events in the home furnishings industry, focusing in particular on retail sales and profitability.

Tony Beecher
Tony Beecher, Vice President of Technology, has 13 years experience with the Internet and an extensive background in software development and retail. For over 13 years, Tony worked for GERS Retail Systems where he was instrumental in the design, development, quality control and implementation of three generations of software products. During this time, Tony served in various positions including quality control manager, product manager, marketing support and training specialist. Previously, Tony worked for a large home furnishings business and was responsible for the daily operations of 14 stores in the San Francisco bay area. Mr. Beecher has also served as a partner in a warehousing, wholesale distribution and advertising firm specializing in the retail home furnishings and consumer electronics industries. Tony has worked closely with the leaders in these industries to develop a clear understanding of these industries.

Karen Crisp
Karen Crisp, Vice President of Sales. Karen joined the company in 1999 as a part of the original founding team and has worked in the accounting, operations, and legal departments of the company. Prior to joining the A-Z Media Group, Karen worked several years with MAI Systems on the marketing team of a powerful, high tech, award-winning software firm servicing the hotel industry. For nearly a decade and a half Karen was the CEO of a financial service firm she owned headquartered in Southern California. Her company provided a variety of finance products and services. Karen has worked with and consulted with many of the largest, most successful manufacturing firms within the Scrapbooking Industry. She has innovated with her clients several new products and services that A-Z Magazines now provides to the marketplace today.