”Pete Canalichio possesses that rare combination of exceptional knowledge and experience in his field of brand licensing coupled with a friendly, practical yet open-minded and creative thinking disposition.  With the purchase of his Sample Licensing Agreement and his consulting services we developed our company’s first Licensing Agreement. His advice and counsel was invaluable. I highly recommend his services to any company looking to venture into the brand licensing world.”

Nancy Melius, Director of Marketing & Design, Oheka Castle

“Pete and his agency, Licensing Brands, Inc. were hired by me 9 months prior to the start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.  We knew we were getting a late start and decided to engage Pete based on his expertise and experience having run multiple Olympic, FIFA World Cup and NASCAR co-branded licensing programs.  Pete led the execution of our co-branded licensing program and worked closely with Monica Netupsky, VANOC’s Licensing Manager, to gain their support and cooperation.  To overcome our delayed start, Pete worked with my team, VANOC, the manufacturers and retailers to “parallel path” the program’s multiple project phases.  Our co-branded program, which complimented VANOC’s single branded program, featured six licensees, eight categories of merchandise, and over 150 different apparel and hard line SKUs.   All the apparel was made with recycled PET (plastic bottles) and the hard lines were either made from recycled materials or were recyclable.  The co-branded Coca-Cola VANOC merchandise was sold through the Olympic Superstore inside a leading Canadian retailer’s Vancouver flagship store, at designated Official Olympic stores throughout British Columbia and online at www.Vancouver2010.com.  Through Pete’s efforts not only were we able to deliver an integrated licensed merchandise program, we were able to quadruple our original conservative retail revenue projections.

Pete and Licensing Brands, Inc. also assisted in the design, contract negotiation and execution of our three Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Centers which were located at the Olympic Superstore, the Vancouver Airport and at the local CTV affiliate.  This was a first for Coca-Cola to operate a pin trading center inside an existing retail store, at an airport or within a television station.

I recommend Pete and Licensing Brands, Inc. to assist with any brand licensing program, especially event based programs that feature a high degree of complexity under an aggressive timeline.”
Maxine Chapman, Director, Marketing Activation & Integration, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Project Team, Coca-Cola Ltd.

“I had the pleasure of working with Pete Canalichio on the VANOC Coca-Cola licensed merchandise program.  Pete and his agency, Licensing Brands, Inc. was brought in by Coca-Cola just 9 months before the Games started.  Through a high level of collaboration, commitment to excellence, perseverance and strong leadership skills, Pete led the successful execution of our co-branded program.  The program which complimented VANOC’s single branded program featured six licensees, eight categories of merchandise, and over 150 different apparel and hard line SKUs with merchandise sales from October 2009 through March 2010.  All of the apparel was made with recycled PET (plastic bottles) and the hard lines were either made from recycled materials or fully recyclable – reinforcing Coke and VANOC’s commitment to sustainability.

The program featured three Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Centers at the Olympic Superstore, the Vancouver Airport and at the local CTV affiliate – a first ever for a pin trading center inside an existing retail store, at an airport or within a television station.  The co-brand Coca-Cola VANOC merchandise was sold through the Olympic Superstore at a leading Canadian retailer’s Vancouver flagship store, at designated Official Olympic stores throughout British Columbia and online at www.Vancouver2010.com.
I highly recommend Pete and Licensing Brands to lead any brand licensing program, especially those with a high degree of complexity under an aggressive timeline.”
Monica Netupsky, Licensing Manager, Vancouver Organizing Committee

“Pete Canalichio and Licensing Brands, Inc provided Coca-Cola Greater China with outstanding service in assisting us with our licensed merchandise program for Coca-Cola’s Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai.  We welcome the opportunity to work with his organization in the future.”
Wasim Basir, Marketing Activation Director, Coca-Cola Greater China

“I enjoyed working with Pete Canalichio on the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.  Pete worked for Tula Communications at the time and did an outstanding job directing his team in support of Samsung’s execution of their first Torch Relay sponsorship.  As the leader of the Olympic Torch Relay team for Cheil Communications (Renamed Cheil Worldwide), Samsung’s in-house marketing company, I interacted with Pete on a daily basis and frequently relied on his expertise to accomplish our objectives.

Athens was the first ever truly global relay and there was significant pressure for Samsung to excel on the world’s stage.  The flame traveled from Olympus to 35 cities in 27 countries on 6 continents in 35 days before returning to Greece.  As the lead partner for Tula, Pete was instrumental in helping Cheil and Samsung understand the mechanics of a global Olympic Torch Relay and how to ensure Samsung’s relay sponsorship goals could be met with the assets it offered.
These assets included Brand Presence along the relay route, Torch Bearer selection programs, Public Relations stories on Samsung’s sponsorship role and In-market Activation programs used to drive Samsung’s consumer connections.

Given our level of trust in Pete and his Olympic knowledge and diplomatic skills, we asked him to serve as Samsung’s liaison with the Athens Organizing Committee (ATHOC) and Coca-Cola, the Torch Relay co-sponsor.

Pete performed this role admirably ensuring Samsung’s concerns were voiced and heard.  Thanks to Pete and his team, Samsung and Cheil, were able to achieve their goals and exceed expectations for the Athens Torch Relay.  As a result, Samsung chose to sponsor the Olympic Torch Relay for both Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008.

In February 2010, I met up with Pete at the Olympic Superstore in Vancouver where he was responsible for executing Coca-Cola’s Olympic co-branded licensing program.  I was so impressed with Pete’s work, I brought my colleagues into the store to see Coke’s program.  I welcome the opportunity to work with Pete again and look forward to the results we will achieve together.”
Jay Jeong, Senior Manager, Cheil Worldwide, Inc.

“Pete has tremendous trademark licensing expertise and has worked with the world’s greatest brands. He understands why companies choose to license their brands and how to look for companies that have products or services that support their brand strategies. This proved a great help to our organization as we were able to consider our existing portfolio of products and look at how we could grow our business by harnessing the power of the Rubbermaid brand. Pete also provided us with great coaching as we developed our annual business plans for Rubbermaid so we could maximize the benefits of our licensing rights and program…Pete was always there to help us understand…(the) approval process, royalty reporting and collection procedures. If you are considering licensing a brand, I would highly recommend speaking with Pete first!”
Nancy Bergeron, Marketing Director, Acuity Specialty Products, Zep Inc., Rubbermaid Licensee

“Personality – very genuine; organization – top of the charts; negotiation skills – tough but fair; vision – gets it and knows or will figure out ways to get there.”
Tim Moran, CEO/Owner Moran Inc. & Apple Sports, Rubbermaid Licensee

“I first worked with Pete when we put together a licensing deal with the Rubbermaid brand in North America. Pete was very supportive and throughout the negotiations retained a professional and reasonable approach. The outcome was a deal that has proven to be valuable for both companies…”
Chris Sheryn, Operations Director, Primeur, Rubbermaid Licensee

“Pete is the rare combination of a professional with an entrepreneurial mind who can effectively navigate challenging situations in large organizations with multiple stakeholders and competing agendas. Pete excels at bringing people with divergent points of view together to reach a common goal. He has an unparalleled ability to peel through the layers of noise to identify the root cause of disagreement in any situation. Pete thoughtfully and creatively finds ways to negotiate agreement(s) in a manner that all parties feel they have been heard, understood and believe in the agreement that has been reached. Pete is both decisive and innovative, but what I enjoy most about working with Pete is his integrity and sincerity. He genuinely cares about the people he works with and the goals they are working to achieve. I look forward to the opportunity to work with Pete again.”
Adriana McLane, Director, Business Development, Newell Rubbermaid

“Pete is a high-energy thinker. He is dedicated and will go great lengths to support colleagues with initiatives. His follow-up is phenomenal and he conducts himself as a solid, real team-player. He can be counted on to get to the right answer with a meaningful solution.”
Gino Biondi, Global VP Product & Brand Marketing Rubbermaid Home Products, Newell Rubbermaid

“Pete is a dedicated individual who strives to WIN. Pete is hard working and is a great team player. Pete has a great personality and leadership skills.”
Samir Jhaveri, VP Business Development, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Newell Rubbermaid

“Pete reported into me as Director for our host city activation for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic sponsorship. I personally selected Pete and recruited him due to my personal experience having worked with Pete on several other marketing assets activations including the ’96 Olympics and France ’98 World Cup. He has the ability to drive strategy through to execution and meet challenges ranging from complex stakeholder alignment to challenging schedules and timelines. Couple this capability with his solid integrity and you have a powerful combination that qualifies him to lead significant ‘Big Bet’ projects and business units.”
Haven Riviere, General Manager, 2002 Olympics Program, The Coca-Cola Company

“I worked with Pete for 2 years as part of the Newell Rubbermaid External Business Development team. Pete’s responsibility during this time was to manage and grow the Rubbermaid Global Licensing program which consisted of licensing programs for Rubbermaid Home Products, Rubbermaid Foodservice Products, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and regional Rubbermaid business units. Pete’s focus on developing and implementing a strategy consisting of growth for existing licensees as well as acquisition of new licensing partners led to significant growth in both revenue and market penetration for the program. His ability to develop and maintain relationships with both internal and external stakeholders as well as his desire for mutually beneficial partnerships was key to creating a program that will be successful for all parties in the future. In addition, Pete played a significant role in my development while a member of this team…he was always willing to provide insight and advice for my career based on his own experiences.”
Nate Hohenstein, Manager, External Business Development, Newell Rubbermaid

“Pete is a great leader who succeeds through tenacity, collaboration, vision, and charisma. Pete unified the various functions of the…business, and had everyone working as a team towards the same strategic goals.”
Jason Lye, Director, External Business Development – Technology Assets, Newell Rubbermaid

“I have worked with Pete at both Tula Communications and Newell Rubbermaid. Pete is a diplomatic leader and has an ability to form strong and enduring relationships with business partners. His drive and positive attitude make him a strong asset in a team environment. Furthermore, he is an intelligent and diligent employee who constantly makes an effort to contribute and to provide results.”
Kyla Perfetuo, Quality Assurance Coordinator, Newell Rubbermaid

“I have worked twice for Pete and would jump to work for him a third time if the opportunity arose. A leader who knows how to inspire and manage with ease and grace, he is also steadfast and focused. He harnesses his considerable intelligence to find effective and creative solutions to all challenges and is generous with his time and energy. I admire his communication skills, his ability to strategize, and his ability to stay the course and rally the team when things get tough. In addition to all this, Pete is just a great human being and a joy to be around.”
Fiona Henderson, Account Director, Tula Communications