Mr. McDonnell is a successful entrepreneur and inventor with over 56 US Patents (utility) issued. Joe is an expert in product development, sourcing, marketing, sales, management and distribution.

He founded his first company in 1989, when he started the carbon monoxide detector industry and manufactured and distributed them and other home safety testing products into 40,000 retail outlets in the US & Canada.

In 1999 he invented a digital wallet with a 3D secure authentication technology, filed 2 patents and founded iShopSecure Inc. He licensed the technology to VISA Intl to verify and authenticate consumer transactions to prevent online credit card fraud and ID theft and sold the company in 2003.

In 1998, Joe founded For Life Products, LLC, which created, owned, marketed and distributed the “Rejuvenate” brand surface care cleaning and renewal products to 40,000 retail stores globally. He sold For Life Products to Spectrum Brands (SPB) in May 2021.

In 2003 Joe invented the continuous circuit technology for electrostatic precipitator air ionizers and founded Great Innovations LLC and the Air Innovations brand that focuses on air cleaners, humidifiers and fans of which McDonnell has many patents covering these products, and he still operates this company today. Joe is an Attorney At Law, NY.

Education:

• University of Miami - Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) 1987
• ST John’s Law School – Juris Doctorate 1991 and NY Bar 1991 Clerk of the Appellate Term of the NY Supreme Court 1988

Recognition:

• Wayne Huizenga Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Boys and Girls Club Lifetime Achievement

Philanthropy:

• Habitat for Humanity – over $1 mil since 2006
• Boys and Girls Club – over $500,000 since 2005
• Sloan Kettering – over $100,000
• Breast Cancer Foundation
• Broward Sheriff Advisory Council – Board Member
• Horatio Alger
• City of Hope
• Joe DiMaggio
• Cleveland Clinic
• American Heart Association
• FANY
• Lisa Beth Gerstman Foundation
• Multiple Sclerosis Gala

Joe brings over three decades of expertise in retail operations, merchandising, and product marketing. Before joining Great Innovations, he held the position of Merchandising Vice President for Lawn and Garden at Lowe’s Companies Inc. In this role, he managed the purchasing and retail merchandising operations for a diverse range of products spanning lawn and garden, cleaning, pet, and apparel categories across US stores. Prior to his time with Lowe’s, Joe served as the Vice President of Sales at Chevron North America, Inc., where he successfully introduced the EGO brand featuring 56v lawn and garden cordless tools. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in launching various products under the Skil, Skilsaw, FLEX, and other brands, as well as overseeing multiple brands and products within the retail private label sector. Prior to his time at Chevron North America, Inc., Joe accumulated over 14 years of experience at The Home Depot, where he held various leadership roles in store operations and merchandising.

Alan Gross has over 20 years of finance, accounting and operations experience as an executive with Deloitte and EY and the CFO for Shumway Capital and For Life Products, LLC. Throughout Alan’s career he has focused on facilitating growth within many types and stages of businesses spanning middle market to global fortune 100. Alan received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Florida and his Masters of Accounting from the University of Central Florida.

James Kenigsberg has a 20-year track record in managing, advising, and consulting global education companies across product and technology solutions. He served as the Chief Technology Officer of 2U Inc, the world’s leading education technology company, where he played an integral role in taking the company from an early start-up to a global, publicly-traded company which allowed quality education to become available to the masses

Iam Williams brings over twenty-five years of experience in technology, product development, and operations. Iam has held senior leadership positions at multiple publicly traded companies, including Chief Product and Technology at early and late-stage start-up ventures. His expertise is in driving innovation, overseeing operations, and ensuring the successful delivery of internal and consumer focused tech solutions.

Jackie Obi is a results-driven sales professional with over 10 years of experience in the consumer products industry. Throughout her career, she has worked with several national and international retailers, maintaining strong relationships and developing solutions to meet the customer’s needs. Jackie received a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of South Florida and her Master’s in Business Administration from Florida State University.