When launching a product or service, there really is no second chance to make a first impression. Navigating each fork in the new business development road – the choices between ordinary and extraordinary that differentiate and ultimately distinguish you from the proverbial “rest of the pack” – requires a strategic mindset, sweating the details and a strong product-innovation track record. Engaged to work on a variety of awesome projects – long-term and short-term, in person and remotely. • Product Development/New Business Development:Create and launch “best-in-class” product and service solutions that produce competitive differentiation, increase market share and nail the job perfectly. • Business/Research Analyst:Collect and analyze relevant data – market, trend, competitor, consumer, sales. Identify opportunity – unmet needs, gaps, improvements, white space. • Sales Executive/Account Manager:Establish B2B relationships and accelerate mutually beneficial growth. Expertise in product pitch presentations.Facilitate communication and close deals. Maintain impeccable customer service and support. • Project Management:Oversee every step in the product lifecycle – i.e. sweat the details – from inception to in-store. • Product Design/Technical Specialist/Pattern Making: Bring apparel, home textiles and technical gear concepts to life – and to market. • Marketing & Content Writer/Package Design:Develop customer-facing marketing materials, including persuasive copy and digital images. Create innovative display solutions, including packaging for pallets and tray packs.CLIENTS: Eclectic mix of national retailers, brands, manufacturers, startups and occasionally, my dad – a perpetual inventor/R&D engineer with more than 50 U.S. Patent Awards to his credit!CATEGORY EXPERTISE: • Men’s and Women’s Apparel (Fashion, Key Items & Core Basics)• Technical Apparel and Gear (Performance/Athletic, Workwear, PPE & Bags)• Home Textiles (Bedding, Bath & Home)

After more than a decade creating multi-million-dollar private label apparel programs for leading USA retailers as the Director of Product Development on Li & Fung's Private Brands Sourcing team, I took on a new challenge to assist Lloyd – the technical apparel group at Li & Fung – in its USA launch.Lloyd specializes in Performance Outerwear, Equestrian, Cycling, Golf and Outdoor apparel and gear for the U.K., Europe and Canada markets.Engaged to provide strategic guidance and spearhead USA launch:• Conducted deep dive business review – Lloyd’s products, services, customers, competitors, manufacturers, production lead-times, pricing strategy, differentiators and limitations. Researched potential USA markets and unmet needs.• Crafted value proposition and initial positioning strategy – target markets and prospective customers. Created Lloyd’s USA marketing message and digital images. • Initiated pilot – preliminary discovery outreach – and solicited feedback from key decision makers. Refined strategy and designed workarounds to eliminate barriers of entry. • Developed individualized pitch decks for prospects, focused on solving specific challenges – e.g. presented luxury promotional apparel concepts and “numnahs” (saddle pads) for customer’s sponsorship of major USA equestrian event. • Completed initial pilot, finalized USA marketing materials and booked USA product presentations (phase two rollout on temporary pause). Assisted global team with in-person Canada product presentations.

As a front-line employee – specializing in engaging with leading USA retailers – I acquired a keen sense of what created value within each organization. I also developed a strong understanding of the “jobs” our customers hired our services to accomplish, then capitalized on unmet needs and launched a new, scalable multi-million-dollar business model. Li & Fung, Ltd., is the world’s leading global supply chain management company ($13.5B), specializing in consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and logistics.• Private Brand/Private Label Specialist with expertise in consultative sales, customer engagement, design, product development and project management for USA retail store clients. Responsible for closing all business deals.• Launched new business model enabling companies with limited-to-no internal design, product development and technical infrastructure to access Li & Fung’s global supply chain network and achieve profitable sourcing outcomes. Consistently provided value beyond the onboarding process. • Established and grew a portfolio of new client accounts from $0 to $10M+ FOB annually. Exceeded sales goals 11 of 11 years. • Achieved exceptional warehouse club business penetration. Identified “best in class” proposals for limited SKU opportunities and won every major private label apparel program, and all repeat orders (excluding continuous replenishment programs). • Frequently engaged to create and pitch supplemental presentations to key accounts, including C-suite executives, and maximize expansion into new product categories. • Accelerated revenue growth through private brand expansion initiatives. Achieved year-over-year increases in market share, customer satisfaction and private brand loyalty.

• Designed and executed branded and private label men’s, women’s, and basics apparel programs in casual, career, performance/athletic, and workwear categories.• Managed project engagement and deliverables – including budgets and deadlines – for 12 industry clients (Li & Fung, Ltd., Retail Brand Alliance, wholesale, retail and warehouse club clients).• Prioritized across multiple projects and achieved targeted outcomes. • Provided market intelligence, comparative shopping analysis, and industry trend reports for product assortment insight. Created brand strategy reports that articulated key attributes and differentiators, resulting in consistent product design and enhanced customer loyalty.• Developed concept boards, marketing tools and product packaging design. Wrote persuasive copy.• Conducted product and sales presentations to management and merchandising/buying teams.

Leading apparel manufacturer of premier fashion brands.• Managed 7 designers in fast-paced, goal-oriented, and time-sensitive environment.• Articulated brand vision and developed design concepts for woven and knitwear product categories produced by Kellwood, as well as private label programs for retail clients.• Directed prototype development, including yarn and stitch research, fabric selection, specifications, pattern layouts, color, and fit approval of pre-production samples. • Managed challenges related to allocation, pricing, manufacturing, and delivery.• Exceeded monthly sales goals, with year-over-year double-digit increases.• Implemented data analysis to inform decision making in developing new programs and refining product assortments, resulting in significant top-line and margin-growth increases.• Established optimized processes and best practices to improve organizational efficiencies, and increased speed-to-market by reducing bottlenecks due to operational silos.• Enhanced product quality through elevated technical guidelines and strategic sourcing.• Traveled extensively throughout Asia to direct prototype development, to Europe for market and trend research, to U.S. locations for seasonal sales presentations, and to New York City for print development and yarn/fabric research.