Kathy Ireland Negotiating with Zoom Casa at Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder's Meeting

OMAHA, Neb., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kathy Ireland, Chair & CEO of kathy ireland^® Worldwide (kiWW^®), will attend this year's annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting, beginning today, alongside many marketing and licensing executives. kiWW^® executives joining Ms. Ireland at the event include Jon Carrasco, Executive Vice President & Worldwide Creative Director; Stephen Roseberry, President & Chief Marketing Officer; Noah Childers, Director of Production and Government Resources; and Brittany Duncan, Creative Implementation Officer. Linda Mandelbaum, AVP of Marketing & Fashion, will attend the conference remotely. The announcement was made by Rona Menashe, Co-CEO of Guttman Associates, the long term exclusive public relations leader for Kathy Ireland and all of Ms. Ireland's companies.

Ms. Ireland and her executives attend the shareholder's meeting, which has over 40,000 yearly attendees, on an annual basis—with the exception of COVID years. Ms. Ireland is a long-term shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway, and a longtime friend of Irv & Susie Blumkin, chair of Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Warren & Astrid Buffet.

"Being at Berkshire Hathaway is always exciting and educational. We love reconnecting with dear friends. Nebraska Furniture Mart is the company that launched our kathy ireland^® Home business, and Irv Blumkin and his wonderful business family, as well as our Nebraska Furniture Mart colleagues, are very dear to us personally and professionally. In fact, it was through Mr. Blumkin that we met Mr. Buffett, and we are so grateful to be invited back," said Ms. Ireland. kathy ireland^® Worldwide is the 17^th largest brand, according to License Global, and "the most valuable woman-owned licensing company in American history," according to WWD.

During the conference, negotiations will continue between kathy ireland^® Worldwide and Zoom Casa, a disruptive real estate company led by Fred Bin. Mr. Bin will appear on the kathy ireland^® miniseries, American Dreams, which will be broadcast later this year. Details of the agreement, in the event it closes successfully, will be released shortly.

"Our company is always open to extraordinary opportunities to scale, especially in the home space. Zoom Casa offers verticals in real estate, licensing, furniture, appliances, fintech and so much more. The potential is without limits," Ms. Ireland continued. "Mr. Bin is a very inspiring person in the licensing industry, with a special focus on home, fashion, and fintech."

One of the most successful executives in the home industry, Ms. Ireland is the youngest woman ever to have been inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame, alongside icons like Walt Disney, George Lucas, and Martha Stewart. kiWW^® clients include Nebraska Furniture Mart, American Family Insurance, and Your Home Digital, which offers YHTV, an OTT streaming service focused on home and gardening. 

"kathy ireland Worldwide is an extraordinary company, and as we pivot to expand our marketing and reach, we are happy to explore what a relationship with Kathy, the woman who leads this conglomerate that is, according to Women's Wear Daily (WWD), 'the most valuable woman-owned licensing business in American history', would mean for our buyer and seller recognition, customer acquisition, and new vistas that we have discussed … and now are ready to explore," said Fred Bin, CEO, Zoom Casa.

The parties were introduced by Sandra Upchurch of Signature Real Estate Group in Murrieta, CA. Upchurch was instrumental in facilitating multimillion dollar transactions for trusts related to kathy ireland^® Worldwide and Zoom Casa.

"I believe that Fred and Kathy share a commitment to serving families that will make our products shine in beautiful ways … Kathy's design talents and leadership skills, along with Fred's exceptional ethics and talents as an entrepreneurial visionary, I believe, will supercharge everything we are doing in home. We are building, in success, a company unlike any other," said Jon Carrasco, EVP & Worldwide Creative Director, and Stephen Roseberry, President & CMO, kathy ireland^® Worldwide. 

While at the event, Ms. Ireland will visit many of her favorite companies in addition to Nebraska Furniture Mart, including See's Candy, executives from her former flooring company, and Borsheim Jewelers, among others. 

"Every Berkshire Hathaway event is special, and this year, we truly believe some wonderful things are about to happen," said Ms. Ireland. 

Ms. Ireland's commitments to philanthropy include her board seats on the NFL PI, WNBPA, International Youth Chair - National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Ambassador and Major Donor - Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. On May 16, Ms. Ireland will be honored in New York by Griffin Pinkow, founder of Foreseeable Future Foundation (FFF). The celebrity committee for the event includes Liza Minnelli, Michael Feinstein, Bo Derek, filmmaker Vanessa Williams, and equestrian Lissa Bachner, who will emcee the event. Additionally, Kathy is presenting and executive producing the documentary Anxious Nation, which premiered yesterday to four stars by MovieGuide after a major run on the film festival circuit. 

SOURCE kathy ireland® Worldwide