Lighting - Lamps, Shades, Wall/Ceiling, Indoor Novelty - String lights & LED, Lighting Accessories

- Led and managed all product development & timelines, costing, technical documentation, packaging execution, and supplier relationships across a domestic and overseas supply base for the soft goods & accessories categories ($15MM in sales)- Built and managed an aggressive time and action calendar and made up over 3 months in development time for a drastically scaled 2022 assortment to deliver product on time despite global supply chain challenges- Mitigated cost increases on new 2022 development despite extreme spike in raw material costs on cotton through partnering with Planning function to supply forecasts to key suppliers in advance - Managed category expansion that consisted of seasonal color refreshes, hemp bedding launch, print/pattern introduction, kid’s bedding program, and travel product launch via collaboration with JetBlue - In under 6 months implemented several new processes and tools to streamline work flows including a product info & costing form, new end-to-end development timeline, supplier sampling guidelines, and new process for the retail swatch program

- Managed sourcing and product development for the floral department ($33MM) spanning 15+ suppliers- Achieved $265K in FOB and freight savings to date through executing numerous rebid and resource projects; doubled direct factory penetration to 30% in the spring summer season- Executed numerous chase developments on accelerated timelines and reacted to merchandising’s needs quickly to best support the business- Improved the project tracker and sample tracking process by implementing a new form and process in the floral department

- Developed seasonal trends, concepts and lifestyles for merchandising assortments in PowerPoint and Photoshop; developed prints, patterns, materials, and aligned pantones for company use- Concepted the outdoor pottery & décor core direction for FY23; aligned material, finish, color & silhouette to company-wide lifestyle direction, worked closely with buying team to communicate product feedback and refine assortment - Developed and established several processes and tools including a new form for sharing trend presentations & artwork, a comprehensive trend timeline, and form for logging and tracking Collaborator product sign off- Learned InDesign in under a month to support Brand Packaging team, made updates and improvements to 30 Style Guides in InDesign to distribute to Product Partners

- Managed development and timelines across lighting & indoor furniture, after 3 months was given additional responsibilities in the garden & patio categories- Developed 50+ exclusive products for high visibility collaboration launches and evolved the aesthetic of the lighting category through new material & technique introductions- Led expansion of direct sourcing in lighting, achieved roughly 30% FOB savings on new product by initiating development with direct factories, identified re-source opportunities with double digit annual savings potential

- Managed the upholstered furniture ($45MM) and lighting ($7MM) departments by building the strategic framework to support the overarching merchandising strategies, drove the evolution of the vendor matrix; managed 4 agents and 10+ vendor partnerships across 5 countries- Delivered $600K in annual first cost savings through rebids; $200K in tariff mitigation by sourcing product made in China to new countries of origin - Executed speed to market projects from buying team by initiating development with capable vendors and negotiating cost all the way through production execution while adhering to timelines- Co-developed merchandise with buyers to bring new and exciting, high quality products to the customer; coordinated wood, metal and fabric specifications across products to maintain standard finishes and create cohesive assortments

- Managed Time & Action Calendars for multiple rebids involving various internal and external stakeholders, executed project deliverables on time, and supported $3MM in first cost savings- Managed product specifications and coordinated all samples for multiple projects at once and worked closely with freight carriers and customs brokers to clear all samples for timely delivery- Developed and streamlined the internal process for overseas sampling by collaborating with freight carriers and internal teams then presented the new process to senior leadership using Microsoft PowerPoint for implementation

- Managed SKUs across 7 departments that consist of outdoor and furniture product - Demonstrated the ability to successfully manage competing priorities in order to assist three Buyers- Exhibited excellent communication with three different POD Teams (Buyer, Planner, Allocator) and other cross functional partners- Marketing, Compliance, Visual, Photography- Wrote all Purchase Orders both new and re-buy for every SKU while problem solving any discrepancies with internal team or vendors - Contributed to various side projects such as “Speed to Market” buys, Assembly Instruction Sheets, Swatch Program, comparative shopping and promotional ad tracking - Built and reviewed new products and samples with buyers

- Processed transactions and returns at the cash wrap- Replenished merchandise on the sales floor - Provided styling assistance to guests - Trained new employees - Unloaded and processed shipment in the stock room

- Managed multiple tasks at once such as, assisting clients in showroom, completing administrative duties, assisting in design projects and communicating with clients/ vendors - Processed client orders by calculating quotes, generating invoices and purchase orders to send to vendors- Created scaled floor plan drawings of each client’s room and space planned furniture using PhotoshopKaty@decortoyourdoor.com