Jocelyn Gerard Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Wenatchee, Washington, Us

In my role as Merchandise Manager for the Midwest and Southeast, I work closely with our sales team and retail partners to create, develop and manage successful promotions for apples, pears, cherries, stone fruits and organics.

As Brand Ambassador, I educated the public about the farmed here brand and product line through marketing and sales promotions. I spent innumerable hours in Chicago-area retailers and gained an invaluable familiarity with the marketplace and guerilla produce marketing.

Skokie, Il, Us

My leadership role included oversight of a large distribution network and day-to-day operations in Chicago and New York for company-owned showrooms for an artisanal manufacturer providing products for the interiors industry. • Managed intimate and large-scale events (budgets from $500- $45,000) and international sales conferences, creating agendas and supervising administrative staff and various departments in planning of logistics. • Successfully planned and managed 3 annual national trade shows (budgets in excess of $50,000) from overseeing booth design to booth construction and set-up. Reduced overall costs by 16% by establishing and enforcing a consolidated shipping plan and adhering to show deadlines.• Screened, interviewed and hired inside and outside sales staff, designed training programs with checks and balances to ensure product knowledge was comprehensive and solid. Created incentive programs for sales staff to encourage engagement and accountability. • Project managed and designed Continuing Education Unit, presented nationally by the President to a professional audience. Researched, wrote and designed visual presentation. Managed presentation campaign nationally.• Directed bi-annual product launches, ensuring flow of communication and accountability across multiple departments from Executive Management to Warehouse personnel.• Oversaw graphics development of electronic and print communications and promotions such as invitations, brochures, catalogs, advertising, website, social media and other sales tools and presentation materials.• Managed outside creative services vendors including public relations, graphic design, advertising, and exhibition designers.• Writing of: customer service-related letters, sales communications, email blasts, press releases, presentations, and other marketing communications collateral.

Skokie, Il, Us

Facilitated and coordinated multiple management projects as well as operated as front office supervisor. Managed relationship with public relations firm, providing written materials and directives.• Wrote marketing materials for catalog, website and press kits, and functioned as the primary contact for our public relations firm, press interviews and editorial coverage.• Project managed annual Price Book, Installation Videos, and International Distributor Program.• Quickly turned around any facilities issues that were relevant to work flow and operations in the front office and factory. Source appropriate vendors and obtained multiple quotes for any work needed. • Initiated the creation of a photo library of product installations, an essential sales tool, and which led to the creation of an extensive installation gallery on company website.

Toronto, On, Ca

Managed relationships with top 10 financial institutions and delivered exceptional client support to both internal and external clients for a global information company.• Brought accounts with outstanding debt of $500,000.00 down to $0 in a 3-month period. Successfully reconciled billing on a monthly basis during major upgrade of Bank of America workstations. • Received high praise on annual reviews from Supervisor, Account Managers and large corporate clients for persistence and willingness to take on challenging projects.• Led weekly team meetings comprised of technical, sales and billing groups. Known as the expert on Bank of America accounts company-wide. Working with various groups, closed billing and product questions quickly, entered complex technical orders into multiple systems, verified contracts and pricing, and tracked progress of hardware and software installations thru to completion.

Account Manager, Chicago, IL Led new initiative to grow internet distribution business and managed existing relationships with distributors of Inforamp’s internet services.• Added 7 new distributors for DSL services within 9 months. Attended local business showcases and direct mailings. Promoted DSL service to local computer stores, increasing visibility with counter displays and promotions. • Calculated monthly commissions for distributors and coordinated with accounting staff to ensure commissions were paid. Sold Internet connectivity and web hosting to small businesses directly. • Supervised retail phone staff during radio ad campaigns. Designed internal order tracking processes, created DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Order Forms, and scripted Procedure Manual. Assisted junior staff with difficult customers.

Chicago, Il, Us

Managed production of online classified ads for the Midwest region of Apartments.com, supervising creative services staff. Managed photographers schedule and travel, ensuring deadlines were met and on budget. Maintaining consistent quality on the Classified Venture web sites and worked on standards guide.• Reviewed web photography and copywriting for quality, and submitted advertising content to designers for production. Proactively discussed training issues with advertising production department. • Co-wrote the Classified Advertising Style Guide designed to streamline order entry and maintain a consistent client web site presentation. Wrote Training Manuals for the Advertising Design Department to reduce the number of rejected online ads.• Communicated on a regular basis with Advertising Managers regarding rejection rates, process improvements, and training issues for designers. Proofread text and edited images for web sites.• Utilized a Customer Relationship Management system, managing accounts and databases.