VP, Strategic Marketing and Brand Development
New Business Development - Increased Brand Value - Higher Corporate Earnings
Strategic catalyst ... adept at quickly dissecting a business and defining
creative ways to increase brand value and thus enhance corporate sales and
profits. Brand builder ... master of the art of translating consumer
insights into practical line extensions, new products, and business
concepts. Marketing innovator ... repeatedly pioneered positioning,
branding, identity, packaging, messaging and promotional strategies and
tactics to leverage category dynamics and grow market share. Pragmatic
leader ... built, reshaped and motivated marketing, marketing services, new
business, and sales teams to proactively advocate programs and thus exceed
customer expectations.
Selected Achievements
- Increased revenues four-fold, turned historical loss into 5 -7% PBT and
tripled company value by redefining Melitta corporate strategy,
diversifying business portfolio and entering retailing / e-commerce
channels
- Generated $1 million in annual incremental earnings by forging multiple
strategic alliances and negotiating five brand licensing deals that
leveraged brand equity, extended brand presence into new categories
- Transformed GPX into consumer electronics value leader and established
Melitta as retailer-recognized category leader for filter paper and
specialty coffee through major rebranding, share building initiatives
- Created $50 - 100 million dollar brands by championing product
innovations across a broad range of categories (Sure Solid deodorant,
Mainstay dog food, Seneca Farms Apple Chips, Sun Chips multi-grain snacks)
Areas of Expertise
- Strategic Marketing - Product / Business Development
- Strategic Alliances - Brand Positioning
- Product Segmentation - Portfolio Construction
- e-Commerce / Internet Marketing - Customer Relationship Management
- Direct Marketing - Cross Functional Leadership
- Brand Management - Solution Selling
- Advertising - Event Marketing
- Public Relations
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Edward Jones St. Louis, MO
Privately held $3.2 billion financial services firm
Financial Advisor 2003 to present
- Differentiated "personal brand" by customizing investment strategies to
moderate net worth individuals' and small business owners' needs, twice
building from scratch a portfolio of over 300 clients and $15 million in
assets.
- Employed targeted direct marketing and proprietary sales tools to
attract clients and reinforce brand concept.
- Achieved client service excellence scores 17% above firm average,
leading to greater loyalty and higher referral rate.
GPX, Inc. St. Louis, MO
$160 million subsidiary of Dutch-owned Hagemeyer, $3 billion global
manufacturer / distributor of electrical products
Vice President, Marketing 2001 to 2002
- Led branding initiative, setting up marketing organization; choosing and
directing external marketing support teams; leading sales group through
transition from price to concept-based solution selling.
- Increased multiple 33% by quickly reassessing GPX positioning via
consumer/customer research, framing the basis for a new identity (logo,
packaging); introducing quality/fashion/innovation as repositioning pillars
(advertising, public relations); and defining more relevant and competitive
product segmentation and new product strategies.
- Improved customer profitability by over 20%, defining concrete sales
objectives and specific retailer strategies Set up sales training,
strengthening go-to-market capabilities and focusing attention on a higher
margin mix of products.
- Created a novel marketing approach for GPX, aimed at stimulating a buzz
among key target audiences and reinforcing the brand's hip attitude through
highly interactive and event driven marketing programs.
Melitta North America, Inc. Cherry Hill, NJ/Clearwater, FL
$100 million North American subsidiary of privately held, German-owned
Melitta Group, a $1.5 billion world leader in coffee products, cleaning and
storage products
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development 1996 to 2000
- Initiated acquisition oriented diversification program to accelerate
revenue and earnings growth; identified 40 potential target companies;
negotiated purchase of three proprietary product lines.
- Created retail coffee shop concept; opened and operated a dozen
locations; prepared business for scale-up through merger, acquisition and
licensing strategies and wrote prospectus in anticipation of possible IPO.
- Authored / implemented e-commerce and direct marketing strategies,
achieving buy rates 5 times industry average.
Senior Vice President, Operations and Strategic Planning 1993 to 1996
- Restructured manufacturing (three plants), purchasing, logistics and
research and development efforts, gaining five points in gross margin by
automating coffee production and distribution processes.
- Cut annual operating costs by $1.5 million by relocating, and building,
new filter paper production plant.
- Established coffeemaker design and production capability via maquiladora
partnership in Mexico, turning $4 million in annual losses to the breakeven
proposition needed to justify on-going investment in the line.
Vice President, Corporate Marketing 1988 to 1993
- Led branding and strategic planning efforts for the total North America
corporate entity, creating regional synergies and building a unified brand
concept to double awareness and increase purchase rates by 45%.
- Grew revenues 165% via launch of specialty coffee branding concept and
innovative water filtration coffeemakers.
- Transformed CRM capability, instituting loyalty marketing programs that
built 250M consumer data base in under a year and initiating retail
partnering promotions that increased merchandising 70%.
Chattem Consumer Products, Inc. Chattanooga, TN
$40 million maker of high margin, orphan-brand OTC pharmaceutical and
personal care products
Vice President, Marketing 1986 to 1988
- Increased revenues 37.5% by reformulating, repackaging, repositioning
and creating line extensions for Corn Silk, MUDD, Sun In, Pamprin and
Premysn PMS.
- Conducted marketing due diligence of Optivite and Bull Frog; evaluated
brand strengths, revenue opportunities and ability to manufacture these
products profitably; integrated acquired products into the overall
portfolio.
(Previous Experience: Vice President, Marketing Services for Frito-Lay;
Group Director, dog/cat food products for Ralston Purina; Brand Manager,
personal care products for Procter & Gamble Company)
EDUCATION - BUSINESS INTERESTS
MBA, University of California at Los Angeles.
BS, Engineering Management and Economics (double major), United States Air
Force Academy.
- Created, with the Dean and Advisory Board, the Masters of Brand
Management program and curriculum at the University of Georgia School of
Business.
- Featured Speaker, multiple conferences sponsored by the American
Management Association and American Marketing Association. Initiated /
judged student competitions for American Association of Advertising
Agencies.
- Guest Lecturer, Strategic Planning and Marketing at Rutgers University,
Camden School of Business as well as International Business at the
University of South Florida. |
