SFG Leadership Team

Tony Pytlak is president and chief operating officer for SFG. He took on this role in November 2006.

Pytlak has held a number of key positions in the direct marketing field. Most recently, he worked for General Electric in Chicago, where he was vice president of marketing analytics and research for GE’s Partnership Marketing Group.

Prior to that, he worked for several years with Reiman Publications. He held various positions while at Reiman, including director of E-commerce and leader of the database marketing and analysis team. Ultimately, he became vice president of business development and database marketing.

He began his career in the Chicago area, where he worked for Grainger, a Fortune 500 business-to-business marketer.

Pytlak holds a master’s degree in applied mathematics from DePaul University in Chicago.

Ken Smith is the director of partner services for SFG. He joined the company in June 2013.

Smith has nearly 20 years of experience partnering with publishers, primarily in the digital publishing space. Most recently, he worked for Logos, a leading digital publishing and software development company in Bellingham, Washington. He held various positions there of increasing levels of responsibility including general manager, Electronic Publishing Services and general manager, Logos Publisher Services.

Prior to that, Smith began his career with the May Department Stores (now Macy’s) in Southern California.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle.

He and his wife, Shari, have four children — Andrew, Bradley, Allison and Brenna — and reside in Tyler, Texas.

David Wilson is the technology director for DRG/SFG. He has been with the company since June 1980 and has worked in various information technology roles at Annie’s Attic, The Needlecraft Shop and SFG.

He began his IT career in 1978 at Wadley Institute in Dallas, Texas, where he programmed healthcare industry applications. In the early 1980s, he participated in the creation of a unique fulfillment system at Annie’s Attic that was formed around a single customer name and address record. In the late 1990s, he spearheaded the development of open source technologies at SFG, notably in e-business and e-commerce applications.

Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and business administration from Ambassador College in Pasadena, Calif., and also holds other professional certifications. He participated in user focus groups at IBM’s midrange systems development center in Rochester, Minn., contributed several short technical briefs in information technology journals and served on the computer science curriculum planning committee at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

He and his wife, Ann, live in Big Sandy and have one grown son, Michael. In his spare time, he enjoys walking, reading, travel, church volunteer work, numismatics and amateur music and video production.

Karl Wilson is the applications development manager for SFG.

Wilson played a key role in the development of fulfillment applications for Annie’s Attic, The Needlecraft Shop and SFG. He has more than 25 years of experience in information services.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas and has taught classes in various Microsoft software products at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. He also serves on the computer science curriculum evaluation committee at Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas.

Mark Ray is the director of operations for SFG.

Ray has over 18 years of experience in executive process improvement and call center management. He has experience in the areas of start-up, high growth, turn around and merger/acquisition phases in small, medium and large firms.

He served as customer care consultant for Fidelity and was vice president at Momentum Telecom. Prior to that, he was director of operational improvement for Aerial Communications and director of process improvement for Nextel Communications. He began his management career in customer service.

At SFG, Ray oversees telephone, web and direct mail customer order processing and customer service processing.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ambassador University.

Nancy White is the director of sales for SFG. She has 20 years of experience in sales and has been with SFG since 1998.

White has held various positions at SFG, including client account manager. She is active with the Fulfillment Management Association and has served two terms as president. Prior to that, White served on the FMA nominating committee, education and training committee, programs committee, sponsorship committee and as FMA Day co-chair. She has also served as the president of the Dallas/Fort Worth affiliate of the Direct Marketing Association.

White received an associate’s degree in merchandising and management, and worked several years in retail management and sales. For five years, she operated a pre-school business and has also worked in special education for a local school.

White lives in Big Sandy, Texas, with her husband, Wes.

Sally Allen is the director of business development for SFG.

She has been with DRG for more than 20 years and has been involved with SFG since its inception in 1997. As director of business development, she assists in the development and implementation of SFG’s overall strategic plan and is responsible for business development initiatives.

She was formerly the SFG controller. Her background includes experience in business planning, financial and cost analysis, financial reporting and software conversions.

Allen received her bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Texas at Tyler, with a major in accounting. She lives in Big Sandy, Texas, with her son Brett.

Eric Wilson is the director of decision management analytics for SFG. He has been with the company since 2007.

Wilson has more than 15 years of experience across a number of disciplines, including finance/accounting, database administration and management, programming, reporting/analysis and operational efficiency measurement and improvement. Prior to joining SFG, he worked in the financial services sector with Citigroup, USAA Federal Savings Bank and Bank One.

Wilson holds a master’s degree in finance and management information systems from The University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife, Candace, have two daughters, Delaney and Lacey. He also has a son, Everett. The family lives in Gilmer, Texas.

In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, sports, spending time with family and friends, and following his favorite college team, the Texas Longhorns.

Pam Prather is the human resources manager for SFG. She has been with the company since 2007.

With over 20 years experience as a human resources generalist, Prather’s background includes an emphasis in recruiting and employee relations with a focus on employee satisfaction.

She also enjoys working with the SFG Safety Team, striving for “zero harm” for all SFG employees.

Prather received her AAS in business management and is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Better Business Bureau and Toastmasters International, where she has held the offices of vice president of education, president and area governor.