Jason K. Email & Phone Number

Villa Park, IL, US

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Product Manager overseeing high-growth ($MM) accessory categories, including headwear, socks, belts, and sporting equipment. Focused on developing product roadmaps to evolve and mature categories in alignment with overall brand strategy.

Greater Chicago Area

• Product Manager overseeing the packing and accessory categories, leading the design/development focusing on long-term patentability and competitive strategies.
• Multiple leadership roles across business units, including: managing teams for QA/QC (AQL testing, CIP) / developing meaningful protocols (ASTM), patent development and litigation, HTS assignment and tariff exclusions.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

• Strategic leader and planner for the growth and support of the core product portfolio.
• Led the creation of support accessory categories to further drive customer interaction and seed growth of the core products.
• Established overseas manufacturing infrastructure and worked closely with the CEO to onboard manufacturing-side agents for manufacturing and quality control.
• Managed vendor relationships, balancing cost, schedules, performance trade-offs, manufacturing capabilities, and delivery timelines.
• Mentored and guided teams for concept development and prototype generation, creating a sustaining innovation pipeline with long-term progressive roadmap to drive the development of accessory products aligned with the.

Greater Chicago Area

• Designer and key contributor for technical product development, including the design of patented mechanical hardware, certifying and specifying for electronic components, and innovation in Travelon’s anti-theft features.
• Led design team through process transformations to align with organizational growth needs.
• Ensured quality production and processes through overseas manufacturing visits and developed improvement plans to mitigate revenue loss.

Dayton, Ohio Area

• Founded as a large-scale culinary project, HouseMade’s all-natural sauce and spice brand follows the award-winning creations of Chef LeeAnne and her signature Sriracha sauce.
• Led the go-to-market strategy and seasonal launch cadence.
• Developed local collaboration strategies with top chefs, bartenders, and breweries.

Kettering, OH

• MeadWestvaco Consumer & Office Products (Acquired by ACCO Brands in 2012)Design leadership and innovation strategy for global and national product platforms in the School & Office Product categories.
• Led design strategy and innovation for new global product platforms within the School & Office Product categories, driving product development from concept to commercialization.
• Managed the design process for new product categories and ensuring timely, market-aligned delivery.
• Design leader and commercialization driver, delivering 22 new molded products to feature on the (new) Amazon #1 Best-Seller List.

Kettering, OH

• Design leadership and innovation strategy for global and national product platforms in the School & Office Product categories.
• Developed line plans for categories driving product line planning to generate multi-million dollar revenues and expand retail footprints across key sales channels.
• Managed cross-functional teams of 12-20 contributors, leveraging external design and engineering resources to deliver on product development objectives, while ensuring alignment with market demands, timelines, and.

Cleveland/Akron, Ohio Area

Collaborated with architects and design teams to develop complete product roadmaps for large-scale commercial retail projects as identifying and quantifying design and development for retail signage, wayfinding elements, designed landscapes and artwork within cost, timeline, and scope.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

• Product Designer working collaboratively on innovative product development for leading consumer brands, including Cosco, Hunter Fan, and Delta Faucet.
• Contributed actively in creative innovation sessions and workshops to help customers explore future brand/category growth and identify market-driven opportunities for new product development.

Canton, Ohio Area

Designer of usage systems for high-security products focusing on requirements gathering and VoC data to optimize layouts for user experience and functionality.

Greater New York City Area

• Designer for Licensed Products with a focus on educational integration and user experience strategy.
• Developed and managed ongoing story concepts for playsets and toys, aligning with storytelling and user experience strategies for licensed children’s programming, including Disney, Sesame Street, and Nickelodeon.
• Collaborated crossfunctionally to define product requirements and create concept sketches that were developed into professional models and injection-tooling.

Greater Boston Area

Designer for athletic footwear with focus on key account NPD and style updates.

Dayton, Ohio Area

• Designer for consumer products for back-to-school and home & office.
• Awarded multiple design and utility patents.
• Collaborated with legal team to create strategic trade exclusions to combat countervailing duty (CVD)