Management One Co-founder Evan Wise to Retire

Evan Wise has announced his retirement from Management One, the retail merchandise planning and consulting firm that he founded 25 years ago with Marc Weiss. Wise was responsible for the firm’s sales, marketing and business strategy; Weiss will now assume some of those duties and the launch of Management One’s new merchandise planning software, Retail Orbit.

“I am proud to be turning over my share of the business at its peak with everything we built continuing to grow and get better,” commented Wise in a statement. “I am confident that the affiliates and Management One will enjoy continued success and growth.”

“I had a merchandise planning background. Evan had an engineering background. Together we were able to build Management One to be the industry leader in our market,” co-founder Marc Weiss observed. “Evan was instrumental in growing this business. We will be forever grateful for his contributions over the years. I am pleased that he continues to be my friend.”

Weiss added that Fred Pylman will continue as assistant manager of operations and Tom Licking will continue as manager of planning.

On the launch of Retail Orbit, Weiss said, “It really is an opportune time for me to jump in. We’ve developed and are launching Retail Orbit. This is our new technology platform for our merchandise planning business. It represents 25 years of field experience and technology development. We believe Retail Orbit will change the way retailers access and use information critical to their success.”

Management One was founded in Chicago in 1990 and has grown to nearly 80 affiliates in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Its clients include small and mid-size retailers, manufacturers, service businesses and professional firms.