April 2007 – Present Independent Consultant
Ladera Ranch, CA
Consultant to medical product companies providing guidance in business development, sales and marketing strategies, branding, sales materials, clinical trial site selection and management. Clients include an early stage medical device startup as well as a publically traded multi-billion dollar device manufacturer.
• Facilitated the branding strategy for a 2008 domestic product launch of a new FDA approved aortic bioprosthetic valve.
• Led marketing initiative for a 2008 direct to surgeon clinical communication campaign.
• Identified and initiated contact with key U.S. medical centers to participate in a 2008 FDA clinical trial for a new aortic bioprosthetic valve.
1990 – April 2007 Edwards Lifesciences
Irvine, CA
Employed 16+ years by the World’s number one heart valve manufacturer based in Irvine California. Career progression included Cardiovascular Sales Specialist (1990 – 2002), Senior Product Manager (2002 – 2003) managing the largest divisional product group, Western Director of Sales (2003 – April 2007) leading the # 1 Heart Valve Therapy sales team.
2003 – April 2007 Western Director of Sales Edwards Lifesciences
When taking over leadership of the West Region during September 2003, the sales team was at the very bottom of National sales performance rankings. By the end of 2006, my region was ranked #1 in the U.S. and it was the only U.S. sales team that performed above plan. As Western Director of Sales, I grew my business in excess of 38.54%. Under my leadership, the team had gone from a bottom performing group to the very top in rankings and performance.
• Managed through the company’s two reconfigurations of my region during 2003 – 2005 as changes were made with the direct reporting structure and regional geography.
• Led sales growth of nearly 19% over prior year during 2006 with a team of Cardiovascular Sales Specialists covering six western states.
• Initiated and led the reorganization of the Western U.S. HVT sales team during January of 2006 into two separate sales regions that represented a combined geography of 14 states and 12 Sales Specialists. Through the end of June 2006 both sales teams reported directly to me.
• Reorganized region(s) by dismissing and replacing sales specialists in four existing territories, created and staffed three expansion territories, created an expansion sales region in the NW, and had two of my direct reports promoted to Director of Sales positions.
2003 2004 2005 2006
% Growth -2.84 8.31 14.27 18.8
Plan Performance 87.2 97.1 100.15 104.29
2002 – 2003 Senior Product Manager
Edwards Lifesciences
Management of the aortic valve franchise included both the market leading PERIMOUNT™ pericardial brand as well as the original Carpentier Edwards™ porcine brand. While managing the aortic valve franchise for the U.S. and Canadian markets, annual sales for the U.S. Heart Valve Therapy Division were $366.4M. The aortic valve franchise is the single largest product group within the Heart Valve Therapy Division.
Leading and coordinating a wide variety of product management and business development activities including the creation of a new branding platform, U.S. product launch preparation, development of sales targets and strategies, and the organization of an intended U.S. IDE clinical trial.
• Created the “Why Compromise” positioning platform that was originally developed for the PERIMOUNT™ aortic valve franchise. The “Why Compromise” on clinical outcomes positioning platform was subsequently utilized across all Heart Valve Therapy Division product franchises. The execution of this positioning platform allowed the aortic valve franchise to take significant competitive market share. This has been recognized by Edwards as one of the most successful branding platforms in the company’s history.
• Developed the “Weight of Evidence” campaign for the PERIMOUNT™ aortic franchise. This campaign compared the preponderance of clinical data that supported the use of the PERIMOUNT™ aortic valve against the competition. This campaign was very effective in combating competitive threats.
• Led U.S. launch team management for the PERIMOUNT™ Magna™ aortic valve which was introduced to the U.S. market during Q4 2003. In preparation for the launch, the branding platform was finalized, sales collateral was developed and initial unit production build and pull through demand forecasting was established. Identified and assisted in the development of sales targets that contributed to significant post launch sales growth.
• Coordinated U.S. clinical trial and regulatory compliance for the Prima Plus™ full root porcine FDA IDE study.
• Contributed to the development and redesign of a device delivery system for the PERIMOUNT™ mitral valve. The original design of the device delivery system was holding back the growth of this franchise. My team helped improve the design and establish the efficacy of the new valve delivery system prior to U.S. launch.
1990 – 2002 Cardiovascular Sales Specialist
Edwards Lifesciences
Conversion of competitive business and sales growth continued at a steady pace. During my tenure the Minnesota based sales territory produced total sales increases in excess of 232.5%. My selling career with Edwards Lifesciences™ included many notable accomplishments. Not all of my contributions were directly related to selling activities.
In addition to territory sales responsibilities, I assisted the Irvine, CA marketing group on a regular basis with various brand and product specific promotional programs. Helping to develop and field test sales tools in advance of national release was instrumental in shaping my marketing capabilities. One early contribution during 1992 was leading the creation of the original Carpentier Edwards™ PERIMOUNT™ aortic Clinical Compendium. An updated version of the clinical compendium is still in use.
• Delivered top Sales performance with consistent over plan achievement. Recipient of a majority of all Edwards Lifesciences™ HVT sales awards including the Hall of Fame Award which is the company’s most distinguished cross divisional award.
• Contributed as a Regional and National sales trainer and participated in the training of many HVT sales specialists within their respective territories and during in-house classroom programs. Assisted in the creation of training materials and programs.
• Participated in the April 2000 opening day of trading for EW on the NYSE with the President and CEO as well as a select group of other company representatives. We were seen across the nation on MSNBC during the days opening bell ceremony.
• Addressed questions from FDA representatives during a June 2000 meeting explaining reasons why domestic approval of the PERIMOUNT™ mitral bioprosthetic valve was desirable. My presentation was contributory in receiving U.S. FDA approval during September 2000 to market the PERIMOUNT™ mitral bioprosthesis.
1986 – 1990 Ethicon, Incorporated
Minneapolis, MN
Sales Representative
Provided sales coverage for Ethicon™ the market leading surgical Wound Closure Division of Johnson & Johnson™. The sales territory included 1/3 of Minnesota. Within each hospital products were sold to any department that would cut and sew. The diverse exposure to every surgical specialty helped me gain a broad based perspective of the medical market place. In addition to sales responsibilities, I was appointed as a field and in-house sales trainer for their new hires training classes held in Summerville, NJ. Having the largest market share of all wound closure companies; Ethicon’s primary sales directive was to protect unit share while growing dollar share through price and product upgrades. During my tenure I grew the business by 32 %.
1982 – 1986 Helene Curtis Industries Minneapolis, MN
Sales Representative
Provided sales coverage for a market leading personal care products company including such well known brands as Suave™ and Finesse™ shampoos and conditioners. The sales territory included Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Iowa. The customer base included grocery/pharmacy retailers and wholesalers, and an upper Midwest regional mass merchandiser. During my tenure I consistently drove sales growth and received many sales awards including Representative of the Year during 1983.
Other Experience
2000 – 2002 Rice Creek Medical Minneapolis, MN
Served as a Board member for a Minneapolis based medical startup that developed a noninvasive device to monitor intracranial pressure changes. While serving on the board, I assisted in raising capital and coordinating a strategic alliance with Etymotic Research™ located in Chicago, IL. This alliance generated an approximate investment of $2.5M through a combination of direct cash, R&D hardware and software development, and the running of a proof of concept trial that was held during 2005 at the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital. The PresSonic™ pressure monitor system is expected to begin an FDA clinical trial during 2008.
EDUCATION
1977 – 1982 University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, major in Marketing, minors in Economics and Psychology. |
