During and in-between job experiences, I have worked as a freelance independent business consultant in the following categories:► Advertising► Branding► Collateral Development► Computer Hardware and Software Maintenance► Customer Relationships► Database Management► Marketing & Communications► Project Management► Proposal Writing► Purchasing► Quality Assurance► Sales Support► Social Media► Supplier Registrations► Vendor Relationships► Website Design

The main purpose is to oversee all aspects of the first-floor retail business. I contribute to the organization’s success by optimizing purchasing practices, increasing sales, supporting the retail staff, and bringing market awareness.► All non-alcoholic product purchasing for Chaloner & Co and cigars for Chaloner’s Cigar House.► All OTP reporting, monthly and end of year.► Oversee inventory management.► Establish, monitor, and optimize product pricing.► Vendor relations.► Mentor and manage retail staff.► Increase sales both inside and outside the four walls, including expanding premium cigarwholesaling opportunities. Produce invoices for wholesale sales.► Maintain quality assurance.► Sales and marketing promotions.► Event planning.► Industry trade show attendance.► Retail staff scheduling.

Act as the company’s sales representative in Michigan and Ohio to acquire and maintain new customers for the premium cigar brands and accessories we carry, with a focus on Blanco Cigar Company.► Carry out regular customer sales calls.► Operate in-store customer events for their clientele.► Interact with our brand’s employees on ways to best service UTC’s customers.► Execute sales and marketing promotions.

Upon promotion to Premium Cigar Manager and becoming primarily a one-person department, I continued the duties of the Premium Cigar Associate while adding a multitude of tasks. Overseeing all aspects of the Premium Cigar division, I handled the purchasing of cigars and accessories. Ongoing communication with office staff regarding order taking and fulfillment. Worked alongside the Operations Manager to determine cost effective product pricing.► Achieved sales increases every month, including record revenues, resulting in doubled sales over the previous year.► Improvement and expansion of vendor management.► Industry trade show attendance.► Carried out regular customer sales calls.► Development and execution of sales and marketing promotions.► Operated in-store customer events for their clientele, often culminating in multiple sales orders.► Worked with the UCD sales team on enhancing their customer’s product orders and overall corporate experience.

Responsible for maintaining three premium cigar humidors totaling 1,600 square feet and containing over $2 million in product. Processed all customer orders, preparing them for delivery by our team or myself, or shipping via a third-party logistics company. Ongoing inventory management including, but not limited to, analyzing value of current and new products, and organization. Consisting of a two-person department, I worked with my manager on the following:► Preserving/enhancing current customer relationships and acquisition of new customers.► Optimization of computer software inventory database.► Processing and stocking of incoming product orders.► Taking physical product inventory on a quarterly basis and compiling reports as needed.► Improving efficiencies in all aspects of shipping customer orders via third-party logistics companies.

I worked alongside one other employee and ownership to run all aspects of this consumer-facing business. I also consulted with ownership at the corporate level on marketing, communications, event planning, and inventory management for the other four Corona locations, and occasionally worked at each of those locations.► Assisted customers with products including premium cigars, roll your own tobacco, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, vape, and tobacco accessories, and often successfully upsold purchases. Realized consistent and increased sales from existing and first-time customers.► Inventory maintenance and management for the entire store, highlighted by the walk-in premium cigar humidor (the primary focus of the store).► Held meetings with vendor brand representatives to consistently optimize product offerings and strengthen vendor relationships.► Responsible for cash register and credit card transactions. Prepared all sales for bank deposit.► Performed traditional and social media marketing.► Worked with vendor brand representatives to run in-store events.► Ensured cleanliness and organization of entire store.

Telecommuting, I worked as a senior-level writer with marketing communications experience in the compilation, writing, editing and submission of proposals, presentations, trade show materials, sales collateral, press releases, etc. As it relates to RFI/P/Q's (a.k.a. RFx), I engaged subject matter experts across the organization to develop specific response-focused, technically accurate content. I was also responsible for setting up and maintaining the organization’s primary database tool used to manage all responses. Finally, I ensured that all materials created from a sales, marketing and communications perspective are on brand and on message.► Directed the entire proposal process from receipt of an RFx through production and submission including compiling, writing, formatting, proofing, editing, and working with Graphics to create charts/illustrations and assembly.► Worked effectively with internal Subject Matter Experts (SME) to develop consistent, compelling responses to satisfy proposal requirements.► Managed and maintained RFx database and developed and maintained various boilerplate information.► Lead proposal meetings, assign writing assignments and assist the subject matter experts with producing the appropriate text.► Created all necessary presentations for current and prospective client needs.► Administered all trade show planning, presence and post event evaluation for ROI.► Created any necessary sales/marketing collateral.► Fulfilled other necessary sales/marketing/communications needs as appropriate.

Telecommuting, I managed corporate marketing and communications initiatives. Directed brand management, corporate positioning, advertising, sales collateral, and business development.► Assisted in closing new accounts as a member of the business development team, including confidential wins with regional park, national retail music/messaging, aircraft modification and healthcare entities.► Account management of a varied international client base ranging from non-profit organizations and small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. This included conducting regular client meetings to discuss ongoing project details and future objectives.► Project Manager for Projex5 software and website design implementations. Provided customer training and ongoing support.► Ongoing communication with clients to provide custom data reporting and product knowledge materials as requested under stringent deadlines. Earned praises from client executives for deliverables that targeted desired audiences and articulated the value of their services.► Project Manager resulting in company attaining Corp! Magazine’s “DiSciTech” award, of which the company was a 2013 honoree. The award is in recognition of leading the way in innovation focused on digital, science, and technology pursuits as well as making Michigan a better place to live and work.► Integrated and maintained relationships with a variety of third party service vendors and strategic partners.► Interviewed job applicants to determine the best candidates for employment.► Acted as company representative during various meetings, seminars and networking events to increase corporate visibility and foster new relationships.► Completed a varied range of Requests for Information, Proposal and Quotation (RFI, RFP & RFQ) as part of the business development process.► Expert in the technical, conceptual and content development of sales-driving collateral.

Managed corporate marketing and communications initiatives. Directed brand management, media relations, corporate positioning, sales/tradeshow collateral, advertising and business development. Worked with owner to manage 14 person sales staff located across multiple locations.► Assisted in closing new accounts as a member of the business development team, including $600K, $1.1 and $1.5M wins with national retail, government and educational entities.► Worked with international van line parent company (North American Van Lines) on new corporate sales, marketing and I.T. program initiatives.► Project Manager for CRM implementation and website redesign. Provided ongoing maintenance for both.► Completed a varied range of Requests for Information, Proposal and Quotation (RFI, RFP & RFQ) as part of the business development process.► Ongoing communication with clients to provide custom data reporting and product knowledge materials as requested under stringent deadlines. Earned praises from client executives for deliverables that targeted desired audiences and articulated the value of their services.► Member of the Quality Assurance team responsible for monitoring and maintaining premium quality assurance levels, including the criteria for the Customer Choice Quality Award, one of North American Van Lines’ highest honors.► Member of the team who managed the nomination process for the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s “Top Women Owned Business” award, of which the company was a 2011 recipient.► Acted as a company representative during various trade show exhibitions.► Organized corporate sales meetings, held for all sales-related personnel to share knowledge, ask questions and provide ongoing education to support the company’s collective growth efforts.► Designed and produced various business forms, signs and flyers.

Managed corporate M&C initiatives. Directed brand management, corporate positioning, sales/tradeshow collateral, advertising and business development. I.T. network administration, database management and support performed.► Produced 13-part, 142-page Request for Proposal that served as a key component in the company retaining its largest account, a $2.4M win.► Project Manager resulting in company attaining the Milton M. Hill Quality Award, Atlas Van Lines’ highest honor, in 2008 for the first time in company history. The honor was repeated in 2009 and 2010.► Ongoing communication with clients to provide custom data reporting and product knowledge materials as requested under stringent deadlines. Earned praises from client executives for deliverables that targeted desired audiences and articulated the value of their services.► Primary liaison between company and Atlas Van Lines’ corporate headquarters staff, enhancing agency visibility and streamlining communications.► Performed ongoing customer/market research to identify and capitalize on unmet market needs ahead of the curve.► Worked closely with sales staff to instruct them on product knowledge, good practices for business development and follow up to help them sell more effectively.► Project Manager of team charged with developing quality standards for the company that made it eligible to conduct military personnel relocations and manage commodities storage at our facility.► Oversaw the paper-to-electronic conversion of storage records for customer’s goods warehoused in the 51,000 square foot facility.► Completed a varied range of Requests for Information, Proposal and Quotation (RFI, RFP & RFQ) as part of the business development process.► Created and maintained customer relationship management (CRM) database.

Managed corporate M&C initiatives. Directed brand management, corporate positioning, sales/tradeshow collateral, advertising and business development. I.T. network administration, database management and support performed.► Assisted in closing new accounts as a member of the business development team, including $500k, $800 and $2.0M wins with global research and engineering, problem-solving and automotive supplier entities.► Produced media kit that demonstrated key marketing analytics and demographics for use in sales presentations. Efforts were credited as instrumental in closing numerous high-level deals.► Founding team member of InSource Move Management, a unique partnership between five moving companies from four separate van lines. IMM was formed as a means to simplify data exchange and streamline communications between each of the moving companies and the client, a global employee relocation company for the corporate and government sectors.► Production Team Member of IMM’s “Moving Forward”, a DVD specifically created to educate the relocation personnel of the global relocation company about the moving process from beginning to completion.► Senior member of organizational rebranding project from Imlach Movers to Imlach Group.► Member of the Quality Assurance team responsible for monitoring and maintaining premium quality assurance levels, including the criteria for the Milton M. Hill Quality Award, Atlas Van Lines’ highest honor.► Completed a varied range of Requests for Information, Proposal and Quotation (RFI, RFP & RFQ) as part of the business development process.► Ongoing communication with clients to provide custom data reporting and product knowledge materials as requested under stringent deadlines. Earned praises from client executives for deliverables that targeted desired audiences and articulated the value of their and services.► Implemented Local Area and Wide Area computer networks.