Bill Harmon Email & Phone Number

Osterville, Ma

Rapidly expanding Ellie Kai across multiple channels - trunk shows, ecommerce and showrooms.

Hollis, Nh

Put a new strategy in place for a leading stationery company to strengthen the brand and dramatically improve profits. Led eight cross-functional client teams and achieved accelerated schedule. Developed updated and streamlined product line building on brand heritage. Reduced product offering over 50%. Focused and consolidated go-to-market vehicles. Reduced personalized stationery albums over 70%. Established design based product marketing and ordering system. Developed clear, straightforward pricing. Sought input from retailers to help mold the strategy to meet their needs and obtain buy in. Developed and conducted employee and retailer training.

Gardena, Ca

Driving sales growth and inventory and store productivity.

Boston, Ma

Drove double digit customer and sales growth by increasing events per day, adding new businesses and launching more aggressive clearance strategies. Increased daily brand and designer events increasing sales 27%. Each new event attracted 10% more customers and 18% more buyers. Led cross-functional team that launched "Little Rue". Improved event assortments using new "wait list" and missed sales. Partnered with Chief Merchant and Chief Member Advocate to build event strategies to maximize member engagement. Built customized OTB process to support "flash sales". Simplified merchandise and financial plan processes.

Burlington, Ma

Increased sales 50% in co-branded stores by making major changes to assortments and floor plans to attract more female customers. Improved assortment planning and buying strategies to achieve more consistent and targeted store assortments. Built an automatic replenishment system achieving $18 million in sales at a 48.5% margin. Established best practices in merchandising, store presentation and supply chain to merge Filene's Basement and SYMS. Led effort to upgrade systems replacing EPICOR with best-of-breed approach - JDA | PKMS | MID | MicroStrategy. Implemented perm driven clearance strategy that increased sales $2 million annually while reducing markdowns $5 million. Managed 27 people.

Houston, Tx

Grew comp sales 5%, increased margin rate $4 million and reduced expenses $15 million. Expanded TV to 20 from 11 weeks based on testing of new media and buying strategies increasing sales 20%. Reduced expenses $13.5 million while adding inserts and events by targeting profitable zip codes. Restructured Marketing and IT organizations to improve their effectiveness. Added systems capabilities and modified policies to reduce customer returns 20%, check-out time and expenses $1 million. Managed 41 people.

York, Pa

Redirected media and event strategies to strengthen brand, grow customer file 22% and add over $70 million in sales. Conducted over 200 tests of marketing initiatives to develop ROI rankings, e.g., e-mail, inserts, direct mail, TV and telemarketing. Reduced marketing expenses $6.3 million to 3.3% of sales from 4.2%. Increased storewide events and media to attract more customers. Replaced ROP with 100 inserts. Added 15 direct mail events. Negotiated rate reductions with newspapers and printers and brought the fashion studio in-house. Reduced inventory $75 million by launching coordinated seasonal and aged inventory markdown, floor presentation, advertising and signing cadences. Managed 120 people.

Houston, Tx

Reduced seasonal inventory carryover $15 million by establishing a comprehensive clearance process coordinating markdowns, advertising, floor organization and signing. Shifted receipt flows to capitalize on earlier seasonal transitions, e.g., Spring Sportswear in Texas and Coats in Colorado. Grew largest vendors to increase impact and leverage - reduced total vendors 15%.

Improved marketing effectiveness dropping Gold Cards, adding post cards to events and optimizing insert circulations. Reduced seasonal clearance inventory by 20%. Launched resort store merchandising and marketing strategy. Built a more effective planning process increasing senior management involvement.

Atlanta, Ga

Developed new, profitable growth strategies and restructured companies to implement them. Expanded outlet stores for major apparel company attracting new customers and sales for their brands in traditional retailers. Changed large cable company's marketing and service strategies to increase customer retention and sales. Focused direct marketing arm of consumer goods company on expansion of retail and direct marketing doubling sales.

Golden Valley, Mn

Rejuvenated Supermoist brand achieving the highest sales in 24 years. Launched the two biggest new flavors in 15 years. Stabilized Betty Crocker Frosting mix brand sales after years of decline launching a national distribution drive and doubling advertising.

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Marketing

Activities and Societies: President of Business Students Association, Student Council RepresentativeConcentrated on Marketing and Finance

Marketing & Finance, Top 15%

Activities and Societies: President Business Students Association, Business School Student Council, Continental Illinois National Bank.

Finance & Accounting, Summa Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Ernst & Ernst Intern, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Intern, IRS Intern, Chico State Exchange Student