As a Buyer and Product Manager with a depth of experience in the entire product lifecycle, I am an experience manager and have been successful in cultivating strong relationships with vendors and piloting new product concepts to increase market share. My experience spans traditional buying processes with Macy’s as well as the quicker-paced, market-responsive approach of Ross. My experience includes:✱ Extensive sourcing experience with vendors in China including identifying factories, conducting face-to-face negotiations, managing vendor performance, and ensuring quality control. As a result, I have deep expertise in the costing process and a thorough understanding of how goods are produced. ✱ Considerable product launch expertise spanning vendor identification and negotiation, product development and promotion, pricing strategy, and line expansion. ✱ Experienced manager with long history of coaching, mentoring, leading team meeting, and team problem solving. Have successfully promoted over twenty people who have reported to me over my career.✱ A strong record of leveraging technologies, particularly in data analytics. ✱ Adjunct teaching experience at the Fashion Institute of Technology – teaching “Contemporary Retail Management” on the ever-changing landscape of retail. By negotiating with suppliers as Senior Buyer for Ross, I’ve been able to improve costing, quality, and product assortment, while expanding the vendor base to provide new product categories. I’ve driven more than $40M in additional sales at Ross with initiatives that included extending sizes, fine-tuning regional product allocations, and improving product assortment and quality. I was able to build on existing relationships prior to working at Ross to create an exclusive women’s shoe brand that so far has generated $15M in annual sales. As senior product manager at Macy’s, I reinvigorated the Missy’s product line, which grew business by $5M in just one year. In earlier roles at Macy’s, I launched a $5M private label shoe brand and expanded American Rag into the #1 junior shoe brand. I maintain an open-door policy, an individualized approach to leading my team, and the ability to get the right people in the right roles at the right time. Whether I am leading a team or teaching a course, I do so with fairness and compassion. When I’m not working, you might find me playing tennis or watching all kinds of sporting events.
