Frances Wu Email & Phone Number

Highland, Ny, Us

Highland, Ny, Us

Kingston, Ny

Designing sustainable procurement program and training materials to implement throughout county purchasing operations. Lead RFP selection process for projects ranging from Arts to Innovation to Housing Development to Agriculture. Promoted from Buyer after six-months. Provide insights regarding areas for improvement in processes and boilerplates.

Kingston, New York, United States

This is a new foray into government and procurement. Learning from the ground up, I am researching pricing, preparing quotes, bids, RFPs and SOQs for all types of commodity and service purchases, with budgets from $100 to $1,000,000. I facilitate complex vendor selection while ensuring the procurement processes comply with government procedures and legislation. Operationally, I am streamlining and standardizing department practices as well as building positive, collaborative relationships with departmental Directors, Deputies, and administrators that enhance the appraisement of the Purchasing Department.

Hudson Valley, New York

I provided customer-inspired, brand-based marketing and operations solutions for various clients. I also provided the brand strategy component of offerings from Saltworks Inc, which used my concepts as the foundation for its design work. Market analysis, client and product assessments, and customer research leading to brand positioning and brand journey recommendations all part of the package. For non-profits and small businesses I write grant applications to help attain alternative sources of revenue. Accomplishments• Developed a brand positioning and messaging/architecture for Kikkerland Design, which had a seemingly unwieldy and eclectic mix of hundreds of products. This approach, once embraced, helped to guide their ongoing product mix to remain cohesive while very distinctive.• Led Kikkerland's website transformation including restructuring back-end processes. Far more than pretty pictures to deliver on the new brand positioning, I spearheaded creating a custom website that integrated their inventory/warehousing and shipping, combined with design and editorial management that they could take on in-house. Resulted in significant cost savings in the $100K's, not to mention solid new revenue from the smoother customer experience.

Performing Live tax advice, like last year, as well as now doing "full service" tax returns - completing and signing and filing tax returns through the Intuit Turbo Tax service system.

I provided live tax advice via phone and chat to TurboTax customers. Maintain active Federal and NY State tax license.

High Falls, New York, United States

This has always been on my employment bucket-list. I was the head working cook, preparing breakfasts and lunches, in a two-person kitchen/cafe (14 tables) attracting a local following plus out-of-town "weekenders". Earned many customer accolades and a positive video review.

New Paltz, New York, United States

I reorganized and formalized operations of this Hudson Valley regional arts organization, which had been struggling to remain afloat. Developed new marketing strategies and advertising initiatives to increase visibility. Collaborated as a team to devise, plan, and implement fundraising events. Grant writing and editing, working with the Executive Director. Managed day-to-day cash/credit receivables/payables along with facilities operations.Accomplishments:• Re-established the membership program, doubling results for two consecutive years• Grant-writing for NYSCA and Arts Mid-Hudson applications that resulted in awards totaling $100,000.• Redeveloped the website to function more transactionally, while maintaining the brand essence from the former website• Selected and implemented database software to facilitate donor/member relationship management and automate member communications and outreach. • Established new standards and systems of operation, replacing prior informal practices and thereby enabling greater organizational focus on arts program development• Reduced operating expenses by introducing more cost-saving opportunities available to 501c3’s and leveraging our non-profit status to negotiate lower pricing for other vendor relationships

Wappingers Falls, New York, United States

I redeveloped a previously closed branch location - initially intended as a temporary 1-season salvage, then upgraded to full-service in response to unexpected success of the temp season I ran.• First year, as sole employee and self-trained, I prepared tax returns and resolved prior-year customer issues, building customer relationships along the way; I closed the season with 9% revenue increase over the prior year with half of the labor hours. • Second year, I was requested to expand to a full-service facility. I exceeded corporate productivity projections by 175%. - Recruited, taught "Tax School", hired, and managed tax preparers for the office - Performed all office/store management functions as per an owner/operator

I was the brand strategy and market/customer research resource for this focused and strategic design firm. Pitched and developed brand strategies for Segway, TomTom, Broadreach, Johnson & Johnson, Hinckley Yachts, Cessna, Thomson Safaris.

Hudson Valley, Ny

"Side gig" providing customized payment processing and loyalty solutions geared to small independent businesses. Contracted as an Independent Service Agent to a few providers, thereby creating my own strategic portfolio of offerings. Career-wise, this helped me experience first-hand the pure sales side of the business revenue stream, as it relates to marketing.Familiar with Clover, SwipeSimple, gift cards, wifi customer engagement apps, standard terminal and mobile platforms. Merchant processors included Capital Bankcard / Cayan, CPay, EMS Plus, Connect, and others.

Hudson Valley, Ny

Performed brand development, marketing, pricing, distribution/sales as fellow chief cook and bottle washer for this startup, funny, stress release and hand therapy product. Cameo video appearance on www.kickbuttball.com.

Hand-picked by one of the founders to support her business development and client branding initiatives for their brand strategy/design business redux (Donovan & Green). Collaborated on a wide range of programs, from international/corporate Zurich Financial Services to direct-to-consumer consumer product Esteem by Naomi Judd.

New York, New York, United States

Smack in the height of the dot-com bubble, I was the brand strategy lead for several new business pitches. I also developed/refined methodologies for nomenclature and language usage and customer experience profiling to ensure deeper online brand experiences.Accomplishments• Led conceptualization and creative development of a campaign to communicate Zurich Chairman's business vision during his global CEO conference. Navigated an information design project to discover and represent over 198 Zurich ebusiness initiatives world-wide.• Recognized in this organization as a role model for integrated, inter-disciplinary project handling, reaching into our internal silos to weave an integrated product and marketing solution for Netfolio, a startup company.

New York, New York, United States

The challenge at the time I joined this organization was to unify the brand/marketing image of three corporations, which were coming together under the RIA Group umbrella. Accomplishments:• Managed an $800K brand development program resulting in new corporate positioning, trademark filing, and new logo and design standards across 17 locations• Developed the concept and implementation for RIA Flashpolls, a public relations tactic that is old news now, but was groundbreaking at the time!• Agency Selection - I led search and selection of an advert/direct response agency to handle $7MM in corporate and product marketing. I also saved the corporation 8% in media commissions through a change in media placement agency.

New York, New York, United States

In my first foray specifically extending beyond advertising, I create integrated marketing launch strategies for clients premiering in new markets. I also managed conceptual development of branded retail environments - brand position, retail position, visual identity and its application within clients physical retail and trade show spaces. Clients included AT&T Wireless, Neiman Marcus, Unibanco (bank in Brazil), Osoul (bank in Dubai), and Chonggu (mall/center in Korea).

Prior to relocating to the Hudson Valley, my career developed in NYC advertising agencies and branding/design firms. The ad agency list includes Ketchum Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather, AC&R, Technology Solutions and Krimstein/Clapps. Branding/design firms included WalkerGroup/CNI, MarchFIRST (formerly USWeb/CKS), and D/G2 (Donovan & Green) and detailed separately on LinkedIn.Recognized throughout this period for championing integrated marketing and initiating interdisciplinary project handling, my earliest “ground-breaking” accomplishment was creating Maxell’s first co-promotion with a leading software developer (Electronic Arts). The marketing program included consumer and trade advertising, posters, direct mail, packaging, and interactive tradeshow exhibits.I have handled dozens of projects and clients, and been involved with consumer, trade, and b-to-b channels in advertising, brand strategy, store design, product/brand launches, business strategy, and internal communications, even infomercials. Many were focused in tech, financial, retail, and healthcare. I also addressed international or foreign-based projects in Brazil, Switzerland, Malaysia, and Korea. Advertising clients included:CONSUMER PRODUCTS: Yuban Coffee, Henckels Cutlery, Mistic Beverages, Tower Air, Maxell Computer Media, Apple Newton MessagePad RETAIL: AT&T Wireless, Netfolio (online), Waldbaum’s Supermarkets, Athletic Express, Shawmut Bank, North Shore University Hospital, RIGHA Royal HotelB-to-B: AT&T Phone/Computer Systems, Zurich Financial Services, Maxell Computer Media (Dealer), Henckels Cutlery (trade), Physicians’ Online, American Express, Perkin-Elmer Instruments, Unipress Software, Brother Electronics

Bs, Marketing / Advertising

Magna cum laude

Mechanical Engineering

Non-degreed coursework.