Robert L. Williams, Jr. Ph.D.Dr. Robert L. Williams, Jr. is a Partner and Co-founder of WICresearch.com, a leader in the fast-growing wine-in-a-can market, and the 1st company to conduct quantitative research on the wine-in-a-can industry. He is also a Senior Partner and Co-Founder of Mar-Kadam Associates, a firm that specializes in branding, rebranding, and renaming, and GastroGatherings.com (focused on gastro-tourism research and consulting). His career spans 20 years as a practitioner in Fortune 50/500 companies, and over 15 years in teaching at various universities. He has consulted for leading wineries, and presented/contributed at WBWE, WVPACK, BEV NY, ProWein. Robert is also a founding lead judge a the premier competition exclusively for canned wine (ICWC). He has published in journals, co-authored a marketing strategy textbook (Palgrave Macmillan) and written numerous textbook chapters on marketing and management; as well as presented at international conferences and workshops. His current academic research interests focus on gastro-tourism, competitive advantage, branding, innovation, and most recently, wine-in-cans. |
Helena A. Williams, Ph.D. Dr. Helena A. Williams is a Research Partner in WICresearch.com, which is a leader in the wine-in-a-can market. She is also a Senior Partner and Co-founder of Mar-Kadam Associates, a firm that specializes in branding, rebranding, refocusing and renaming, and Director of the research project GastroGatherings.com (focused on gastro-tourism research and consulting). Previous experience includes Research Assistant for the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, 20 years of entrepreneurial management as CEO of a state-wide training, event and conference-planning firm in Pennsylvania; owner and executive chef of Baltimore’s first GastroCafe and Gallery; Certificate De Cuisine, De L'Ecole Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Her current research at Mohammed VI Polytecnic University (Morocco) focuses on gastro-tourism destination branding as a driver of sustainable economic development. Her work has been published and cited in major peer reviewed journals, and through numerous international presentations, as well as throughout the USA. Her research interests include economic development and emerging market entrepreneurship, gastro-tourism, wine & beverage tourism, international education, and food waste and hunger prevention. |
Matthew J. Bauman, Ph.D.
Dr.Matthew Bauman is a Research Partner in WICresearch. He is also currently an Assistant Professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Purdue University and has worked as a Researcher for the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute. Awarded the WSET Level 3, his previous industry experience includes working in various aspects of the hospitality and retail industry, specifically focusing on the alcoholic beverage industry, working for businesses such as Spec’s Fine Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods - the largest retailer of wine and spirits in Texas; Houston Wine Merchant, a boutique, high-end retailer of wines and spirits; 8th Wonder Brewery, a craft brewery; Nice Winery, a boutique winery specializing in wines produced in California, Washington State and Argentina. His academic research interests involve various aspects of the wine industry, including marketing, consumer behavior, branding, packaging sustainability, and tourism. |