• Led a team of 7 in category management and product development, driving effective assortment plans and fostering teamwork.• Presented a 3-year category and product strategy aligning with market trends, resulting in a 312% increase in new product revenue.• Collaborated with finance and operations to forecast procurement needs, reducing lead times by 5%.● Spearheaded product and brand development for a quick-assembly RTA furniture innovation project, launching in three phases over 18 months across living room case goods, bedroom furniture, and upholstery. Negotiated contracts, established pricing strategies, and developed revenue plans, resulting in a $24M increase in overall business revenue within 12 months.● Manage the top two category portfolios accounting for $75M in Gross Revenue for the company.● Managed end-of-life activities for products that were deemed obsolete and required reduction of inventory, resulting in the minimizing of excess inventory by 44%.

● Managed the development and implementation of sales and product line plans by analyzing customer information and market/SEO trends, contributing to strategic decision-making.● Oversaw the entire lifecycle of the Martha Stewart furniture line, from product development to launch and end-of-life, including negotiating licensing agreements and managing comprehensive business modeling for the line.● Collaborated with cross-functional sales teams to formulate digital content aimed at enhancing division eCommerce traffic and improving sales conversion rates.● Oversaw the buying process, forecasted inventory demands and trends, and negotiated with key suppliers to optimize product availability and cost efficiency.● Drove 22% year-over-year growth in the Lighting division through targeted merchandising strategies, resulting in an additional $300K in gross revenue.● Increased page views by over 60% across various retailers by executing effective strategic plans tailored to specific markets.● Reduced tariff increases and enhanced overall product size/package by optimizing costs and spending.● Slashed clearance inventory quantity by 45% by defining and implementing in-season pricing strategies, including markdowns and promotions.

2017- grew category 13% YOY2016- grew category 25% YOYAccountable to achieve revenue and margin plan and to report category results to the rest of the company. Take ownership for the performance of your category. Utilize all merchandising levers to improve performance, including product selection, pricing, availability, promotions and shopping experienceContinuously monitor key performance indicators for your categories and maximize opportunity created by improving metrics or take corrective action to prevent declining metricsPartner with the Sourcing Analyst (SA) to forecast demand and replenishment needs Ensure product selection meets consumer needs and work continuously to improve the selection through new and existing supplier partner relationshipsNegotiate with partners to ensure complete and competitive product assortment Execute the tactical aspects of the job to ensure execution is thorough and consistent with the strategy (e.g. purchase order generation, new product addition, markdown execution, etc)Apply rigorous analytics and a hypothesis driven approach to identify areas of opportunity to drive profitable growthLeverage retail knowledge and competitive analysis to identify market trends that you can you exploit (content marketing, etc)Be a strategic thought partner to your supplier partners to help drive mutual growth of businessesCollaborate with marketing to ensure category traffic and conversion is optimized, pricing team on of product retail, and product management on shipping and operational efficiency.Partner with the VP/Director of Merchandise Management (GMM/DMM) and the Merchandise Manager (MM) to ensure your business is aligned with the department level strategy and goalsIdentify professional development opportunities for associate buyer and other associates on your team

Grew category 20% YOY Head up product and Supplier Qualification/Acquisition Product development in order to create an overall cohesive selection Development of Sales in Window Treatment and Slipcover Category. Assortment planning to create a cohesive ecommerce retail experience Price Negotiations and pricing strategy development Competitive Analysis and trend research Identify needs for core purchasing opportunities/import opportunities Responsible for executing incoming offers to ensure quality and selection meet the goals of the store Work closely with the DMA to forecast demand and replenishment needs (i.e. Re-orders, OTB management, slow sellers, partner communications for markdowns, exclusion skus, etc) Purchase order placement for re-orders and new items Consult with the MOA regarding actions for suppliers who are out of compliance with Service Level Agreements Responsible for creative approval and final information that flows to the website Accountable for analyzing returns and improving return rate as well as corrective actions

Head up product and Supplier Qualification/Acquisition Product development in order to create an overall cohesive selection Development of Sales in Window Treatment and Slipcover Category. Assortment planning to create a cohesive ecommerce retail experience Price Negotiations and pricing strategy development Competitive Analysis and trend research Identify needs for core purchasing opportunities/import opportunities Responsible for executing incoming offers to ensure quality and selection meet the goals of the store Work closely with the DMA to forecast demand and replenishment needs (i.e. Re-orders, OTB management, slow sellers, partner communications for markdowns, exclusion skus, etc) Purchase order placement for re-orders and new items Consult with the MOA regarding actions for suppliers who are out of compliance with Service Level Agreements Responsible for creative approval and final information that flows to the website Accountable for analyzing returns and improving return rate as well as corrective actions

Assist in product and Supplier Qualification/Acquisition Support Buyer in product development in order to create an overall cohesive selection Price Negotiations Identify needs for core purchasing opportunities/import opportunities Responsible for executing incoming offers to ensure quality and selection meet the goals of the store Work closely with the DMA to forecast demand and replenishment needs (i.e. Re-orders, OTB management, slow sellers, partner communications for markdowns, exclusion skus, etc) Purchase order placement for re-orders and new items Consult with the MOA regarding actions for suppliers who are out of compliance with Service Level Agreements Competitive shopping and compare at pricing Responsible for creative approval and final information that flows to the website Accountable for analyzing returns and improving return rate as well as corrective actions Personnel Development & growth Personnel Reviews

Assisting Buyers and Associate Buyers with product and supplier qualification/acquisition•Tracking incoming product offers •Preparing order content for purchase order creation•Tracking purchase orders for re-orders and new items•Performing competitive shopping and identifying compare at pricing•Communicating with the marketing department and facilitating marketing opportunities•Assist with the growth of revenue and margin for direct categories•Assist with price negotiations•Assist with supplier qualification/acquisition•Competitive analysis•Partner with the Merchandise Operations Analyst (MOA) to drive operational excellence among the supplier community according to company service level agreements•Ensure the quality of final product content that flows to the website•Analyze return rate and improving return rate through corrective actions•Execute order content for purchase order creation•Assist with the execution of incoming product offers to ensure quality and selection meet the goals of the store•Place purchase orders for re-orders and new items•Assist with competitive shopping and identifying compare at pricing