Meet the Team Leading the Future of Trading Cards

Panini America

www.paniniamerica.net

D.J. Kazmierczak is an accomplished sports-business sales and product development veteran. He originally worked in sports television as an on-air talent and award-winning producer in the Raleigh-Durham, NC market. He transitioned into the sports trading card industry over three decades ago and has served in executive roles overseeing customer relationships, licensing management, and new business development. D.J. joined Panini America in August 2012 and currently manages a team of 180 employees in the product, sales, and production areas of the business.

Top Dog Comics

Augusta, GA 

www.topdogcomics.com

Chris Galloway began in the trading card industry in 1990 when he opened his first retail store with his father just outside Atlanta, Ga. After deciding to close the store in 1996 he spent the next 20 years as a Store Manager, Multi-Unit Manager and Trainer for multiple Big Box Retailers. Chris rejoined the collectibles industry in 2015 when he started a retail store project that would eventually become Top Dog Comics, LLC. Chris officially opened Top Dog Comics in 2018, in Augusta, Ga and the store is now located in a 15,000 square foot space carrying Trading Cards, Comics, Gaming and Toys. Now a direct retail partner with many of the Industry's Leading Companies including Topps, Upper Deck, Leaf, Zion, Beckett and Tag, Chris runs the day-to-day operations of the company along with a staff of 6 employees.  

Leaf Trading Cards

Dallas, TX

www.leaftradingcards.com

Josh Pankow is the President of Leaf Trading Cards, a longtime sports collectibles executive who’s spent his career inside the hobby—from working in a card shop and wholesale distribution to product development at Upper Deck, plus consulting and retail/online selling. At Leaf, he’s known for pushing an accessible, collector-first approach while expanding into NIL athlete deals and growing the company’s pop-culture and non-sport offerings through celebrity autograph partnerships and selective licensing.

Digital Heroes LLC. 

Walla Walla, WA

https://digitalheroes.com

Jeff Watson is a technologist and educator who has spent over three decades at the forefront of the collectibles and gaming industry. With a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Jeff has uniquely blended his background as a programmer and former college instructor to build a modern, tech-forward retail enterprise. From collaborating with the creator of Magic: The Gathering during the game’s 1993 release to pioneering early e-commerce solutions, Jeff’s career is defined by a commitment to industry expertise and digital innovation.

Today, Jeff operates Digital Heroes LLC in downtown Walla Walla, where he leads a specialized team of experts in sports cards, comics, and TCGs. A dedicated collaborator within the Walla Walla Downtown Foundation, he is passionate about regional growth and local heritage—regularly participating in community celebrations like the annual Adam West Day. Under Jeff’s leadership, Digital Heroes serves as a premier destination for collectors, grounded in decades of technical knowledge and a stable, community-focused business model.

Dynamic Grading Authority

East Peoria, IL 

www.dynamicgradingauthority.com

Blaine Holtke is the owner of Dynamic Grading Authority Corporation & has education in Lean Operations Management from the University of Wisconsin. 

I have a strong commitment to professional grading standards & feel we will bring industry expertise and leadership focused on integrity, consistency, and accountability.

I am particularly proud of bringing true transparency within the grading industry in 2021 through the implementation of detailed grading & quality report cards that provide people with clear explanations of why each card received its specific grade. Our focus reflects a broader mission to elevate trust and clarity in the hobby by ensuring that grading is not only accurate, but understandable.

I want to continue to advocate for higher professional standards and transparent practices that strengthen confidence across the industry.

I have been in the industry for over 30 years.

Based Trading Cards

Stockton, CA

www.basedtradingcards.com

I am a serial entrepreneur with a background building startups. In 2016 when I discovered Bitcoin, I began to deeply understand the mechanics of money: true scarcity, absolute transparency, and the value of a decentralized network.

Today, I am combining those worlds as the Founder and CEO of Base Trading Cards.

We are the first trading card company dedicated to financial education and industry stewardship. We aren't just making collectibles; we are using the medium of trading cards to teach the principles of sound money. By applying the "Bitcoin ethos"—immutable scarcity and radical transparency—to physical collectibles, we are bringing a lost integrity back to the hobby.

My mission is to move the industry away from gambling and back to collecting, ensuring that the next generation learns how money works through the assets they hold in their hands.