Category: CHEF

         CATEGORY BRAND MANAGER       Summary    A creative marketing professional with 20 years demonstrated experience in project management, marketing communications, sales support, strategy, research, and product development.  Multi-faceted background includes food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG), furniture manufacturing and construction industry.  An effective problem-solver with expertise in managing multiple projects that require both a creative and analytical skill set. Category Management
Data Analytics
Document Management
P&L Management	   Employee Communication
   Market Analysis
   Product Launch
   Cross-Functional Team Leadership	   Project Management
   Marketing Support
   Product Management
Website Management          Experience      Category Brand Manager     Jan 2016        Company Name   －   City  ,   State     Achieved 17% annual sales growth in power tool accessory category and  4% margin improvement vs prior year due to implementation of new marketing, merchandising, pricing strategy, and product training materials.  Package redesign project contributed to 24% performance increase vs.  prior year in Wal-Mart, an 11% increase in points of distribution vs.  prior year, and a projected 12% finish ahead of plan for fiscal 2012.  Grew Baking/Cooking nut category sales by 6% in a flat commodity business.  Grew Facebook fans from 500 to 30,000 in a 6 month period.  Developed and launched three new trail mix snack items which brought incremental sales of $1 million in a 12 month period.  Achieved 32% reduction in unsalables at Wal-Mart with introduction of new merchandising vehicle.  Managed Dry Roast jar transition from a carton to a tray resulting in total savings of $16,000 a year, in addition to new distribution.  Managed product lines worth $4.5 million in sales, specifically the storage and pantry ware categories.  Assisted in the design and development of 80 new SKUs, and management of 600 existing SKUs for Food and Tools categories totaling $33 million in sales.         Product Manager     Jan 2012   to   Jan 2016      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     An American company that produces connectors, tools, and supplies for the electrical and telecom industries.  Responsible for managing over 15 product categories, with annual sales in excess of $35M, providing product line management including category strategy, new product development, product training, promotional planning, and market analysis.  Strategy development - Developed and executed category strategy across key product lines including competitive analysis, opportunity gaps, and pricing and channel strategies.  Product quality and performance - Managed a strategic supplier transition achieving a 9% cost reduction with a 20% performance improvement.  Merchandising Management - Designed new merchandising vehicles to support customer conversions and incremental sales opportunities.  Project Management - Managed multiple projects including sku rationalization and 80/20 analysis, package redesigns, product field testing, customer line reviews and catalog and website management.  Product training - Developed and conducted extensive product training for new distributors, customers, sales and customer service.  Forecasting - Conducted complete analysis of category sales history vs demand to determine optimum reorder points and inventory levels to reduce backlogs and ensure efficient turns and inventory value.         Marketing Manager and Brand Manager     Jan 2008   to   Jan 2012      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     A snack food leader internationally known for the Fisher® nuts brand; annual sales nearing $600 million Responsible for managing multiple product lines, providing complete product line management including executing brand strategy, new product development, select trade and consumer strategies.  Product Launches - Developed and launched 25 new product SKUs in the baking nut line featuring new innovative packaging to the category; executed project strategy, goals, priorities and long-term plans for the branded business, most notably the Baking/Cooking Nut line that generates $75 million in revenue.  Additional successful product launches in key areas including snack nuts category, and the Food Service and Export sales channels.  Project Management - Managed multiple projects from start to finish, including product launches, creative executions, customer projects, pricing and Profit & Loss Statements; designed product development tracking tool to manage multiple project timelines.  Marketing Support - Developed and executed marketing support initiatives including promotions, displays, couponing, website management, and media placement including radio, FSIs, and advertising.  Partnership - Worked closely with sales to understand key account strategies and develop consumer plans aligned with corporate strategies; interfaced with cross-functional teams: Creative Services, Sales, Procurement, Accounting, Operations, Research & Development, Quality Assurance, and Customer Service to manage marketing projects and new products.  Sales Data Analytics - Utilized and interpreted proprietary sales data, as well as Mintel and Nielsen data to develop product, consumer, and sales strategies.  Website Management - Successfully managed and executed website re-launch including SEO improvements, social media integration and on-line recipe strategy.  Promotions - Successfully designed, coordinated and launched "in & out" promotional programs which require extensive cross-functional team coordination under tight timelines.  Package Development - Responsible for managing packaging process including integrating equipment specifications, nutritional labeling requirements, material procurement and package and graphic design.  Employee Communication - Researched and developed a Best Practices Brand and Customer Study highlighting resource conservation initiatives in the marketplace.  Served on the Resource Conservation Team, communicating/ coordinating resource conservation corporate events under the EPA's Energy Star Partner of the Year was awarded.         Associate Category Manager     Jan 2007   to   Jan 2008      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     The largest direct seller of high-quality kitchen tools serving 12 million customers worldwide Responsible for managing products within tableware and kitchen textiles categories, developing and executing category strategies.  Category Management Presentations - Presented category strategies and product updates to internal customers and senior project team.  Market Analysis - Conducted market and competitive product research consisting of analysis of competitive product assortments in the retail environment, trends, pricing, materials, and features and benefits.  Document Management - Managed technical drawings and produced documents for archival of product specifications, vendor contracts, and production quality comparison.  Cross Functional Team Leadership - Worked closely with external departments, including Quality, Engineering, Sourcing, Legal, Packaging, Marketing, Creative Services.  Creative Concept Development - Creative product ideation and development including managing the procurement and engineering teams through launch.  Training -  Developed and presented product and sales training for sales consultants and internal staff.         Associate Product Manager     Jan 1997   to   Jan 2003      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     Wilton is the leading food crafting company in the industry and is in the number one position in cake decorating, bake ware and tea kettles with $94 million in sales revenue.  Responsible for managing strategic growth of Storage and Pantry ware product lines including new and existing products totaling $4.5 million in sales.  Promoted from Assistant Product Manager.  Product Launch - Product line sales improved 50% in storage category and 130% in the pantry ware categories following the new product introduction.  Category Management - Conducted market trend research including analysis of competitive product assortments, brand positioning, and packaging; analyzed sales, market, and distribution data used in customer presentations and management reviews.  Trade Show Planning - Execution of trade show strategy, merchandising, and planograms; collaborated on trade show collateral, displays and product placement.         Marketing Coordinator     Jan 1995   to   Jan 1997      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     Turner is a national general builder and construction management firm with operations primarily in the commercial sector.  With $8 billion in annual construction volume, they rank first or second in the industry's major market segments.  Responsible for all RFP submissions and marketing support functions within the Chicago office.  Proposal Management - Responsible for extensive sales proposal process and final submission including writing, coordination of time lines, project scope, engineer submittals and research of relevant company experience under strict deadlines.  Key Market Knowledge - Developed knowledge in multiple key markets including Municipal, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Correctional Facility and Entertainment market segments.  Researched relevant market information, experience, and project specifications within each client's industry.  Marketing Support - Created general marketing pieces including advertisements, press releases, brochures, and project description sheets.         Marketing Communications Coordinator     Jan 1993   to   Jan 1995      Company Name   －   City  ,   State     Bretford is a leading manufacturer of office furniture, fixtures & equipment.  Responsible for evaluating and developing all customer product line reviews, as well as producing and managing all marketing communications materials used to drive sales revenue.         Education and Training      Six Sigma Green Belt Training, Chicago Deming Assoc.-Six Sigma Masters Program, Naperville, IL,     2012           Graduate Level Courses, Marketing, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL,     1997           B.A  ,   Organizational/Corporate Communications Journalism   1992     Northern IL University   －   City  ,   State     Organizational/Corporate Communications Journalism American Management Association, 2016 and 2017; Communicating Up, Down and Across the Organization; Critical Thinking; Fundamental Sales Techniques, Project Management Success, The Power of Persuasion       Skills    SharePoint
   BPC and SAP
   Microsoft Suite:    
	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, 
	Microsoft Access
	Microsoft Project
   Microsoft Dynamics	Seminars/Classes:
   Social Media Marketing
   Facebook for Business
   Project Management
   Profitability Simulation
   Nielsen Syndicated Data Analysis
   Power Presentations
   Technical Writing