TSL, Toda Studios is an award-winning retail planning and design company that offers master planning, branding, strategic lanning, graphic design, product development, exhibit design, and entertainment design services.

Mr. Toda and his team have created exciting brand environments world-wide from HMR, the home - meal-replacement concept for EatZi's to the hilton Space Quest Casinos, the Caesar's Forum Shop, Hard Rock Cafe and Disney Stores.

Mr. Toda is a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Publishing credits include: Contract Magazine, interior Design, Nikkei Journal and Shoten-kenchiku or Japan, as well as Selection of World's Best Store Design and Stores of the Year. Mr. Toda has been on the faculty of UCLA's Extension program for 3 years, and is a frequent guest speaker.

For over 30 years Bill Welch has been a leading force in retail store display and visual merchandising. After an extensive career at such well-known San Francisco retailers as Wilkes-Bashford and Liberty-House, where he repeatedly won national awards for his innovative design concepts, Mr. Welch launched W3 Associates in 1980.

Over the years, an international roster of clients has called on him to shape, define and refine both their image and entire retail operation. Bill has conducted seminars for the Fashion Institute of San Francisco, University of California at Davis, Shop Systems Study of Tokyo, and National Retail Marketing Association of Store-Planners. He is a past President of the Western Association of Visual Merchandisers, an Inspiration Academy Award winner and member of the International Professional Display Association.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, Robert Suzuki studied Sociology in Ritsumeikan University. He moved to the U.S. in 1976 and established a consulting business, AXESS Interationalin 1984.

AXESS International is based in San Francisco and specializes in consulting for retail, marketing, store planning and shopping center development for International clients. AXESS International has published bi-monthly business reports for Japanese retail companies since 1989. Mr. Suzuki is known for his business articles for a number of Japanese business magazines. He is a member of ICSC, ULI, and has been certified by the Japan Shopping Center Association as a Shopping Center Consultant (SC Keieishi).

Eddie S.Y. Wang, AIA is the Founder of GLC Enterprises, a Development Services Group, providing development consulting services for clients such as Paramount Parks, a unit of Viacom, Inc. GLC advises the overall planning of real estate development projects world-wide. From 1996-2002, Eddie was President of the Jerde Partnership International. As one of the founding partners, he joined Jerde in 1977 to help build the firm's organization and philosophy.

Mr. Wang holds the architecture license in 26 states and is a frequent guest speaker at Urban Land Institute and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He is an Advisory Board member at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning and Development, an Advisory Board member of The Panda Group and Board Trustee for Woodbury University.

Mr. Wang received his Bachelor of Architecture from Chung-Yuan Christian College in Taiwan and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois.

Jin Higuchi is a graduate of Art Center College of Design, Pasadena and a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Institute of Store Planners. With over 28 years of experience in the retail design industry, Mr. Higuchi is a key administrator in overseas projects. He has earned a distinct and respected reputation within the retail industry working on award-winning projects such as Daimaru, Matsuya and Seibu, in Japan.

Mr. Higuchi oversees all phases of the project from conceptual planning and design through completion of the project.

Tri-Space International, esta-blished in 1994 by Jin Higuchi, is a global interior design firm specializing in space planning and design. The firm is comprised of multi-disciplined, multi-lingual and multi-cultural professionals with over 28 years of distinctive experience in domestic and international projects.

Charles A. Perez is a principal of San Francisco-based ADIG Studio, offering comprehensive retail store planning/design and visual merchandising services. With over 30 years experience, he has worked with top U.S. clients such as The Gap, Nike, Fila, Seiko, Keds, DFS, Levi's, Dockers, Bank of America and Columbia Sportsear. In addition, he has instructed retail training groups in Japan, Taiwan, Philippines and India.

Mr. Perez has served as department head of interior design at Laney Community College, and has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, the School of Business and Management, Sonoma State University and The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, San Francisco.