Carla Rydberg Email & Phone Number

Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States

Elk Grove, Il

• Team lead responsible for the business planning and sourcing of several categories within center store for the Topco membership. • Responsible for the sales growth and cost management directly related to the categories within the condiments sector.

Elk Grove, Il

•Lead the overall strategies and related responsibilities for significant Center Store Grocery categories for Topco Associates.•Manage cross-functional projects to drive execution of promotional & marketing plans that allow our member retailers to capture more than their fair share of own brand (private brand) penetration in their stores.Proven experience in:• Category Management• Contract and Vendor Negotiations• Advertising / Promotion• Pricing Strategies• Leadership and Team Building• Vendor Planning• Sales Results

Naperville, Il

• Supplied analytical support to brand teams • Liaison to Nielsen and IRI for database restatements and marketing mix analysis

South Barrington, Il

• Streamlined initial set up of projects for recruiting respondents. Documented processes thus eliminating redundancies. Created training documentation for temporary personnel • Quickly learned how to manipulate, maintain proprietary database in order to quickly reach targeted respondents within the healthcare industry. • Communicated regularly with respondents via email, phone and fax ensuring respondents understanding and participation with in the study. Maintained project deadlines within the recruiting department resulting in 100% on time recruitment of targeted respondents.

Lake Zurich, Il

• Improved/created website categorization for all perishable and non-perishable items in order to enhance on-line shoppers’ experience. Revamped entire promotional approach resulting in an initial sales growth of 6% while margins increased 8%. Increased basket size by $3.00 within first 3 months of employment. • Generated over $5 million dollars in profit in contract negotiations with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies as a key player in developing a Preferred Partner Program for online information.• Managed a team including inventory control personnel for the non-perishable portion of the business. Responsible for all non-perishable grocery mix, promotion, and pricing for the Internet grocer.• Initiated a system of database categorization and reports per industry standards resulting in better internal and external industry reporting. • Merchandising lead for a proprietary internal accounting and inventory system. Documented various business processes ensuring accurate accounting for merchandising sales and profits.

Oakbrook, Il

Category Manager - Non-perishable Department• Managed key categories in the Dry Grocery department including all paper and household products worth hundred million dollars annually. Grew the sales of these categories by 4% while maintaining profit margins. Sole decision-maker for all promotional activities associated with the items within the categories. Negotiated contractual agreements with manufacturers including Procter and Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Clorox. • Continually reviewed categories to assess profitability and marketplace dynamics. Completed extensive category reviews for the Tabletop and Bags/Wraps categories utilizing The Partnering Group Best Practices methodology for Category Management. This resulted in sales growth of 5% and 11% respectively within the first six months while increasing profits 2% and 6% respectively.• Developed and marketed a new premium quality private label paper program with leading manufacturers within the Paper Categories; implemented a two-tiered program consisting of value and premium products in the facial, bath tissue, paper towel, and tabletop categories. Within the first 9 months of introduction, sales grew 12% overall. Shares increased across all categories most notably in tabletop increasing by 4%.• Project manager responsible for developing new package designs and marketing programs for 2000 Dominick private label SKUs. Coordinated the efforts of Genesis consulting firm, and private label providers’ creative design departments. Category Analyst - Health/Beauty Care Marketing• Provided analytical support for the strategic decisions made for the infant and feminine care categories. Interpreted internal data and syndicated data in order to understand the market and the impact of various marketing strategies on share, dollar volume, and profits. Developed and maintained shelf plannograms to assist store level operations in the maintenance of store shelf inventories and placement of new items.

Schaumburg, Il

Account Executive - Consulting Services•Provided comprehensive information to Coca-Cola Foods, ensuring client satisfaction and positive business results. Compiled, summarized, and analyzed national, market, and store level data to assist sales force in the evaluation of promotional and marketing programs. Identified opportunities for the sales force through fact based selling.•Integral member in the development and negotiation of a multi-year, seven million-dollar contract awarded by Leaf Candy Company.•Provided on-going support and training on ACNielsen software and data to clients as well as internal associates. Senior Client Service Associate•Served as the primary customer liaison for ACNielsen clients to service and support their marketing research efforts. •Prepared, organized, and presented panel data brand reviews for Quaker Oats. Managed the Leaf, Inc. account. Coordinated interdepartmental efforts to meet Leaf's database management needs. Associate Client Support Analyst•Developed thorough understanding of ACNielsen's data processes and sampling methods. Gained strong statistical knowledge of ACNielsen's sampling methods inclusive of reduced sample categories. Coordinated with several departments to gather information to meet clients' requests and to solve internal quality issues. Structured a training class for internal support departments.

Chicago, Il

Senior Data Reporting Analyst•Designed and managed multi-dimensional databases. Completed timely and accurate research reports. Interacted with Client Service Representatives regarding the feasibility of custom tests.

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

Activities and Societies: Teaching Assistant for Effective Business Communications course for graduate students.

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Marketing

Activities and Societies: Alpha Phi Omega - Service Fraternity Block I University of Illinois-Alumni Association