PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Results-driven executive with multi-channel experience in retail, catalog, and e-commerce. Proven track record of growing, improving, and creating businesses through extensive cross functional background in merchandising strategies, supply chain and planning management, and consumer marketing. Towering strength in turning strategy into action and managing multiple roles simultaneously with many examples such as creating all aspects of a start up e-commerce company. Specific areas of strength and experience include:

· Created and built start up e-commerce business

· E-commerce marketing, SEM, SEO, email

· Merchandise strategies

· Catalog design, layout, and pagination

· Supply Chain process and inventory planning

· Deliver P & L commitments

· Purchasing and supplier relations

· Lead cross functional corporate teams

· Technology improvement and implementations

· Strategic Planning

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

THE HONEYBAKED HAM COMPANY, Norcross, GA 1999 - 2009

A $250 million multi-channel specialty food company with 200 stores in 14 states and a catalog/e-commerce business.

Director of Merchandising Catalog/Web 2001 - 2009

Owned merchandise assortment strategy and new product process and development. Responsible for inventory and sales planning process of the business incorporating mail plan, marketing tactics, new products, catalog changes, and pricing for an aggressively growing business. Lead marketing function for design, product merchandising, layout and pagination of the catalog and directing advertising agency with execution. · Sales increased 53% in 8 years from 15M in 2000 – 23M in 2008. · Leading new product team grew non-ham categories 240% in sales from 1.6M in 2000 to 5.5M in 2008.· From analysis identified opportunity and grew average order by expanding ham dinner combination category.· Improved profitability and reduced costs by cutting inefficient pages out of the catalog during major holiday mailings based on square inch analysis.· Led cross functional team to create process for unified sales and inventory planning process to create annual budget forecast.· Owning in-season sales trending and forecasting, accurately adjusted inventory to true trend, both maximizing sales and avoiding write offs. Consistently within 2% or under of forecasting actual ham sales. Director of Merchandising and Operations – Bonfetti (Special Project) 2007 - 2009 Simultaneously while Director of Merchandising HBH, created from the ground up, all aspects of a start up e-commerce company of high end gifts for entertaining, a subsidiary of HoneyBaked Ham. Established merchandise vision, assortment, and categories of the business. Created the technology and fulfillment business model. Led website design, creation, and branding strategy for launch of website. Led marketing efforts of 12 month calendar, SEM, SEO, and email creative. Creative director for photography on website and managed all photo shoots. Owned planning sales forecasts and inventory for business. · By managing expenses and design of business model beat first year profitability expectations of business.· Greatly reduced up-front capital investment for fulfillment and technology by leading project to research and evaluate options to build, buy, or outsource the fulfillment and technology and created the business model.· Executed the launch timeline of Bonfetti website as internal manager for all aspects of website creation with outsourced website design company. Created navigation of website to leverage an "event/occasion" strategy.

Director of Demand and Merchandise Planning 2001 - 2007 Simultaneously while Director of Merchandising HBH, led and owned the enterprise processes for establishing concise sales, inventory planning, and inventory management parameters across all lines of business (200+ stores and catalog/web). Enterprise leader in operational planning processes to integrate dynamic new product plans, promotional tactics, sales trends, and budgets into functional inventory plans. Led enterprise Menu Team that oversaw assortment of retail stores and 18 month calendar of new product development and roll out. · Reduced product write offs by $400,000 annually by creating a field planning process, tools, and inventory parameters for the stores that resulted in greater inventory turns.· Delivered several supply chain process improvement initiatives including designing in-house programmed ordering and inventory planning software.· Maintained a 96% - 98% in-stock rate across all skus in both retail stores and catalog/web by creating and managing S & OP process for enterprise.· Reduced sku base 15% – 20% eliminating poor performers. Created and implemented process of enterprise assortment review to maximize sales, manage sku base, and improve operational efficiency.· Participated in HBH Advanced Development Program for high potential associates which culminated in a project creating a business plan for a new company which became the strategy for Bonfetti. Catalog Merchandise Buyer and Manager of New Products 1999 - 2001 Led all buying, vendor relationships, and inventory planning for catalog/web business and new products for the retail stores. UPTONS, Norcross, 1998 - 1999A $600 million chain of department stores with 74 stores in seven states. Buyer, Boys 2-7 Apparel Recruited by Uptons to replicate success at Stage Stores, to turn around sales and gross margin of under-performing Boys 2-7 area with volume of $12 million in 74 stores. Analyzed stock levels, product turnover, markup and markdown procedures; projected budgets based on sales/market trends for monthly and annual goals. Created and planned advertising strategies for newspaper and direct mail vehicles. Developed and designed private label merchandise for stores. · Increased activewear class sales 120% over last year and 14% over plan.· Increased sales of related separates department by 15.4% over last year and 14% over plan.

STAGE STORES, INC., Houston, TX 1990 - 1998A $1.2 billion apparel specialty store operation with 650 stores in 34 states. Buyer, Boys 2-7 Apparel 1997 - 1998 Merchandise selection and management of Boys 2-7 area for 620 stores. · Increased Boys 2-7 sales by 19.4% and gross margin dollars by 21.7% with volume of $15 million in one year. Associate Buyer Mens Shoes 1994 – 1997 · Increased men’s dress and casual shoes sales by 47.4% and gross margin dollars by 55.4% in a one year period. Buyer and store management positions of progressively increasing responsibility 1990 – 1994

EDUCATION - BS, Economics, Allegheny College

SPECIAL SKILLS – Logility, Microsoft Great Plains, Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint