Commercial Driver for C.R. England's Midwest Dedicated Fleet serving Wal-Mart's highest volume grocery distribution center, Sterling, IL.

This was a unique position at the International Parts Logistics Depot for Bombardier Aerospace. My official title only points to one of my areas of focus. I also performed the duties of Hazardous Materials Compliance and Transportation Analyst. Fancy ways of saying I wore 3 hats, Primarily, I was responsible for preparing export documentation and communicating necessary information to Customs for shipments. I also prepared hazardous materials shipments and ensured that they were properly packaged, labeled and documented. Finally, I arranged for the shipment of orders with the various transportation companies and documented the shipments.Mundane descriptions for a fantastic job working for the third largest manufacturer of aircraft in the world and the parent of Learjet.

Commissioned sales of countertops in a 120,000 square foot upscale interior remodeling store. By my second quarter, I was the number three salesperson for my product in the entire chain of stores. Received corporate recognition and awards for recruiting and for presenting ideas to enhance the success of the core business of the store.

Directed the operations of a 3500 square foot luggage, handbag and business accessory store in an upscale mall. Supervised pre-opening preparations for two Chicago grand openings and assisted in a third. Recruited exceptional staff for multiple locations including 3 managers and 3 assistant managers. Mentored staff in the skills of relationship building with an affluent customer base. Drove business in creative ways in a difficult time for the industry (post 9/11). While this store performed within the top ten, all 135 stores of this chain were liquidated and closed. I was a leader among my peers and provided encouragement and guidance through the process of closing.

Overall management of a 5000 square foot mall-based specialty retail store with an annual volume of $1.5 million. Directed the activities of 3 assistant managers and as many as 15 sales associates. Trained all staff with an intense focus on product knowledge, merchandising and customer delight. Affected a bottom-line improvement of $100,000 over previous year. I led this store to a number five ranking among 120 stores. This company filed bankruptcy and ceased operations. During the bankruptcy process, I established an internet site to keep employees informed and connected. Company officials continued to thank me for this service to my peers long after the company closed.

Overall management of a retail do it yourself and custom picture-framing store within the group of stores owned by the founder of this franchised chain. I led the Arlington Heights location from a last place ranking to number two in four months. I then managed the flagship store and consistently increased monthly sales by 20% to 25% over the previous year.

Management of all Operations functions of 105,000 and 85,000 square foot retail home improvement stores of $12 million and $9 million annual sales volume respectively. Improved a failing operation with an audit score of 45 to a score of 85. Having corrected the deficits of the first store, I accepted the challenge to do the same for another. I held total responsibility for front-end operations, cash office, general office, computer operations, receiving, special orders, and defective and returns including training, policy implementation and front-end merchandising. Also responsible for safety training and loss prevention. Direct supervision of all Department Managers and Associates. This company filed bankruptcy and ceased operations.

Management of all Operations functions of 105,000 and 85,000 square foot retail home improvement stores of $12 million and $9 million annual sales volume respectively. Improved a failing operation with an audit score of 45 to a score of 85. Having corrected the deficits of the first store, I accepted the challenge to do the same for another. I held total responsibility for front-end operations, cash office, general office, computer operations, receiving, special orders, and defective and returns including training, policy implementation and front-end merchandising. Also responsible for safety training and loss prevention. Direct supervision of all Department Managers and Associates. This company filed bankruptcy and ceased operations.

Began as a consultant Sales Manager, successfully test marketing a new product in the Chicago area retail market and coordinating its sales force. Soon took over management of all in-house blending, bottling and purchasing of raw ingredients and packaging. Established procedures and implemented production line design and equipment modifications to maximize performance. Developed and negotiated custom packaging of products for private-label customers. Supervised warehouse personnel and negotiated freight tariffs.