About Us

Here are the partners of Merchandising Solutions Group:

IMG_9878Rick Clark – Chairman of the Board

Rick is originally from Atlanta attending the University of Georgia and graduating from Georgia State University with a BA in Journalism. He started his career in the radio and television industry at CNN and worked for multiple radio and television stations as an on-air sports anchor.

In 1988, he founded Solar Shield, Inc. and was its President for 14 years. Solar Shield manufactured and sold insulation products domestically and internationally for residential and commercial applications. A couple of its retail clients included Home Depot and Lowe’s. Rick developed a new product line called Solar Board in the mid 1990’s in-conjunction with Louisiana-Pacific and International Paper. This product line does in excess of one billion dollars today.

Rick has extensive experience in Corporate Partnerships, Operations Management for its Manufacturing Facility, the Merchandising of New and Existing Product Lines, Buyer Relationships, Inventory Management, Sales Training and Management, New Business Development, International Business Development, Marketing Management, Design and Implementation of Automated Control Systems, etc.

IMG_9838Shane J. Walker – CEO

Shane Walker is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. He’s a graduate of Cornell University business program and earned a Business Management degree from Morris Brown College. Shane’s expertise and background is in Sales & Marketing. However, his experience and industry knowledge is cross functional. He has served in executive positions for The Kroger Company, Coors Brewing Company, Miller-Coors Brewing Company, and Hess Oil Company. Prior to leaving Hess Oil Company Shane lead the Retail Marketing Division which generated $1.2 billion in annual revenue. His talents have most often started or transformed organizations resulting in dramatic breakthroughs in capability and performance. Shane’s vision and leadership is marked by highly developed business acumen and skills in strategy development, implementation, project management, construction, distribution, customer management, and sales.

When Shane was 26 years old he started The Dallas Investment Group, Inc. His company went on to invest in multiple residential properties improving the quality of life for many families throughout the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan area. From there Shane and his team transitioned into small and medium cap projects. Shane also has exceptional strength in Business Development, Brand Building, Account Management, and Revenue Forecasting. He has comprehensive knowledge of cross-distribution channels, including retailers, suppliers and food brokers.

Among some of Shane’s accomplishments was building and managing dynamic sales and operations teams. During his tenure at Miller-Coors his team was awarded the “National sales team of the year award” in 2004 and 2006. He was also elected as Chairman of the Board for the Georgia Food Industry Association where he served for two consecutive terms.

“What I truly love is to get to my office every morning, make new deals, think outside the box and improve the quality of life for others.” – Shane Walker

IMG_9858Karen Reeves – President & Chief Operations Officer

Karen is originally from Wilkesboro, NC. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Gardner Webb University with Summa Cum Laude honors.

Karen spent 28 years with Lowe’s working in many areas of the company. Some of the departments that Karen worked in include Product Merchandising, Senior Management in Strategic Planning, Senior Management in Business Process Improvement, Senior Management in Sales Communications, Senior Corporate Internal Audit Manager, Supervisor in Corporate Trade Payables, Store Expansion, Advertising, Inventory Management, Corporate Communications, Project Leader that designed processes for the International Buying offices, etc. Initiatives Karen led and business models she developed added and continues to add annually millions of dollars of profit to the bottom line. Karen has a solid understanding of the Retail Industry and is especially experienced in Strategic Planning, Business Modeling and Development, and Project Management. Her knowledge has played a major role in cost effectively expanding Merchandising Solutions Group’s client base throughout the U.S. In addition, Karen is valuable in the continued development of the company’s processes, systems, procedures, and policies.