Responsible for the sales and production of all framing projects for the Aaron Brothers Framing department. Manage and train staff to produce all types of frames and framing inserts. Design and upsell clients at the counter. Traffic all projects through the department. Coordinate with district managers to meet corporate sales and promotional goals. Inventory and manage materials of frame shop. The frame shop at Michael’s creates 1/6 to ¼ of all sales in the store. I was responsible for bringing back a Framing Department far behind after employee losses and reestablish customer confidence in the store framing department.

Oversite of all aspects of design agency project management, from training staff and developing proposals, to art directing freelancers, coders, and printers. Providing top-tier creative development that built a strong history of success, earning decades of repeat business from companies including: Texas Instruments, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Rice University, University of North Texas, Reedrill/Terex, The Short Round (Championship Bull Riding) magazine, Landmark Bank, and First United Bank. My “large company talent” and flexibility successfully adapts to the needs smaller companies and startups, creating engaging effective and targeted design solutions within a range of client budgets.My greatest design accomplishment was creating, for 17 years, the official calendar of the Choctaw People. Facing a blank page year after year, I was able to create a beautiful piece that was the main communication of Choctaw events for the year. I am very proud of those pieces, not only the design, but the use of the piece to communicate Tribal events and history to the people.

Current samples - portfolio

The job required concept, design, coordination and production of pre-prints for national newspaper distribution using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop software. I also was called to create photo layout mockups, ad layouts, presentation mockups and image databases for department-wide use and train temp staff in use of Adobe InDesign. JCPenney’s shifting corporate structure manifested in a variety of staffing transition-related challenges, and resulted in considerable downtime, particularly in the initial period immediately after hire. Without an opportunity to seek direction from a clear leader or even an established associate, I sought out a way to otherwise use my time for the company’s benefit. I began by analyzing the company’s internal processes. I soon identified two major issues: extensive, confusing in-house jargon and department-wide reluctance to share data with or train new hires. To solve the problem, I created a comprehensive glossary of terms and a step-by-step guide outlining the pre-print production and scheduling system for print designers and copywriters. I took the guide to the creative directors in charge of print materials, where executive input was incorporated into the guide. The directors adopted my pre-print production guide, rebranding it as an official training guide and became the basis for JCPenney’s employee training for the entire department. The guide dramatically reduced downtime of not just new hires and contract employees, but all department staff by creating a more consistent work-flow throughout the print creative department.

Art director of concept, design, and production for a well-established midsize Ft. Worth advertising agency. I managed a staff of three experienced designers as well as leading and teaching several interns. I teamed with the owner to create and present winning proposals to many companies within a diverse range of B2B and consumer markets, such as: Classic Foods, Inc., Dakota Motorcycles, Scottish Rite Hospital of Dallas, Downtown Ft. Worth, Inc. and Healthpoint Pharmaceuticals. I spearheaded a collaborative team to create innovative trade graphics, logos, presentations, illustrations, brochures, newsletters, packaging, POP and web designs. One of the most exciting and satisfying parts of my job description was training the interns and new designers in agency best-practice, design software techniques and marketing principles. I was honored and invigorated by their talent, energy and willingness to learn.

ART DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING MANAGER. Responsible for all aspects of advertising for Advanced Lightning Technology, Bonded Lightning Protection and Advanced Tower Structures. Created new corporate identities for all three sister companies for the communications industry. Created ads, sales sheets and 100+ pp catalog of all parts for company. Designed web pages and graphics. Designed and placed ad campaigns and news releases. Handled all aspects of a 5000 lb. 20’ x 20’ show booth, from shipping & travel of attendees to design of booth, booth graphics and handouts. Created signage, developed product illustrations, installation instruction sheets, and technical illustrations of all products. Interpreted CAD drawings for manufacturing illustrations. Managed files for electronic compatibility and transfer.