Baker Executive Speaker Series: Lawrence Berger, Partner, Ames Watson and Chairman, FanzzLids Holdings

Since November 2017, Lawrence Berger has held the position of Co-Founder and Partner at Ames Watson. In addition to this, he has been serving as the Chairman for FanzzLids Holdings since February 2019. Prior to these roles, Lawrence held various other positions including Chairman of NSA Media from 2017-2019 and AWE Learning from January 2016 – 2018, as well as other roles such as Chief Investment Officer and Associate.

Lawrence earned both his BS in Economics and Entrepreneurial Management and his MBA in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School. Ames Watson is “a privately held diversified operating company that purchases, transforms, and partners with lower middle market companies to create long-term value.” Ames Watson is currently the owner of FanzzLids Holdings, which operates the iconic brand Lids, an athletic headwear retailer. Other Ames Watson’s investments include companies like Fanatics, FLC, and much more.

Insight from Lawrence:

On customer experience. You have to give people a reason to come into your store, and you have to give people a reason to shop online, and they have to be separate reasons.

On entrepreneurship. My career has mostly been marked by taking entrepreneurial risk, failing at it, and then taking on a mainstream thing on my resume to learn. Five years later, this is where we’re at … and it only took 25 years of failing to do that.

On data & advertising. We have so much data… if you are within the location of any of our target stores, it [Lids] knows if you like a brand, or a deal, or a team… and you will see an ad for it.

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