Kerri Hayes Email & Phone Number

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

Warren, New Jersey, United States

Product Development:• Responsible for new ideation and concept generation for new brands and product extensions. Focused on filling missing retail gaps in product and packaging and bringing development to the market quicker and superior to our competition. • Consistently monitored hot market trends and seized all opportunities to create new product development.Production:• Managed several product lines by conducting daily communication with counterparts in our Shanghai office on creative brand strategies and development, sourcing, costing, sampling, and maintained detailed status reports for all product timelines. • Created all art and copy requests and provided direction to design teams for concept, sampling, packaging, marketing, and instruction sheets.• Assisted in product spec creations by obtaining competitive samples, photographing, and editing photos, as well as creating copy.• Managed instruction video tutorials for new products developed.• Reviewed and commented on all production approval samples and provide customer-required samples to sales team. Merchandising:• Quickly executed the asks and needs of buyers to gain and maintain in store product placement. Presented market research, concept, and development of new brands and products to buyers prepared with mock-up samples, prototypes, and PowerPoint presentations.• Closely analyzed all product costing to achieve competitive pricing and healthy internal margins to maximize profits.• Facilitated item, costing and margin information to sales team on assigned programs. Completed new item setup and other product & marketing related forms of production items for retail customers. Provided retailers with planograms to succeed their merchandising needs.Highlights:• Executed transition of our largest Kids Craft product assortment moving to private brand. • Created SOP’s for private label transitions, vendor manuals, cost negotiations, design and packaging art requests, and training new employees.

Moorestown, New Jersey

General: • Supervised and promoted the development of team through mentorship, supervision, training, and quarterly goals.• Fostered seamless communication between vendors and cross-functional teams during all stages of development and production.Sourcing:• Directed team and vendors on short-term and long-term strategies. Advised on yearly projections for recurring clients to leverage cost reductions. Booked quarterly contract commitments ahead for core materials and scope of work to sustain ongoing costs and to secure shortened lead times.• Visited project sites, vendors, and factories to monitor and streamline current production. Identified project obstacles in order to resolve issues and understand opportunities to improve processes for future projects. Product Development: • Reviewed vendor bids and blueprints determining the appropriate project allocation per vendor. Prepared approved vendor contracts.• Ran weekly cross-functional meetings with clients, vendors, and contractors to openly communicate project status. Reported on all project documentation, development changes, sample tracking, calendar and budget updates and concerns required to deliver the project successfully.Production:• Met with cross-functional teams on bulk quality issues and communicated to vendor corrections for approval and advised long term solutions.• Managed all quality concern issues with cross-functional partners and vendors. Negotiated all discounts regarding QC issues and vendor delays.

Marlton, Nj

• Responsible for product execution from development through sales delivery. Managed product testing and fit sessions through cross-functional strategic communication. Identified opportunities in the product line and developed solutions.• Executed product training to sales team. Enrolled team in design intention and product education addressing fit, fabric, function, features, and performance. Analyzed weekly sell-thru reports to identify weekly sales strategies.

Moorestown, Nj

• Supervised team of 30 distributors to meet their sales goals through assisting clients with nutrition, weight loss, sports performance, building multiple streams of income, and leadership development.

Greater New York City Area

• Managed product line from design development to sales delivery through trend research, story boards, building/editing merchandise assortments, and conducting analysis on competition, sales, and target market. • Utilized PLM software to efficiently enter seasonal line plans, budgets, calendars, material requests and pricing. Managed the bill of materials from development stage to the final locking stage. Created and managed line sheets.• Entered prototype and line specs using Adobe Illustrator. Managed and approved master swatches.• Ordered, managed, and tracked all samples including samples for sales, turnover, duty, and PR. • Developed solid internal relationships with China team while communicating daily in order to effectively follow up with design details, samples, fit, materials, and pricing. • Reviewed confirmation samples, lead cases, and turnover/fit samples advising China team on aesthetic and fit comments pertaining to approvals regarding standards, quality, fit, and production concerns.

Greater New York City Area

• Maintained store capacity by keeping track of stores' on-hand by division and cross-reference Retail Operation's store capacity data sheets in order to execute strategic replenishments and allocations.• Collaborated with buyers and planners to create an allocation strategy to drive sales and create model stock on key investment merchandise to keep stores in stock at all times.• Managed inventory level by creating any re-order purchase orders from wholesale to support sales of best selling styles, and creating RTV for any excess inventory that retail channel no longer needs.• Analyzed weeks of supply based on sales trend to create and manage product replenishment.• Managed order receipts and created pivot tables to summarize weekly allocation strategies by store.• Developed strong relationships with store managers and store team while collaborating daily on sales drivers and concerns, visual presentation, as well as product fit and quality.

Poughkeepsie, Ny

• Peer leader, a knowledgeable resource for residents, mediates conflicts, helps residents with personal and academic difficulties, as well as personal and physical crises, enforces campus rules, organizes community activities and staff development.

Greater New York City Area

• Assisted Account Executives’ product line presentations to buyers during market while utilizing statistics from previous years to facilitate customized orders and informing on best-selling styles.• Provided Account Executives support in managing accounts’ orders and sample trafficking.• Assisted in developing linesheets for upcoming seasons; and researched competitive price points and trends. Developed category boards to determine product categories and pricing.

Cherry Hill, Nj

• Drove personal business with client appointments and wardrobing while building client relationships. Up-held product knowledge and personal brand association.• Executed visual merchandising updates and seasonal floor changes.

Greater New York City Area

• Utilized RMS for store transfers, inventory control, creating distributions for new stores’ opening stock, and updating model stock. Updated weekly top 20 information in all categories.• Created analysis on logo vs. non-logo products, as well as FOH/BOH to determine store capacity.

Cherry Hill, Nj

• Styled clients and utilized client registry to record client info, schedule appointments, and promote company events.• Reviewed trends seasonally to provide updated trend advice to clients. Executed window and floor changes.

Greater New York City Area

• Assisted presentations during market week, worked backstage at Conclave Fall 2009 presentation, created category boards, excel work, researched competitive price points and trends, worked sample sales, helped develop linesheets for upcoming seasons, as well as worked on individual projects.

Moorestown, Nj

• Specialized in customer service and transaction of sales.• Trained to provide customer fittings and knowledge about the technology of the product.• Assisted in seasonal visual updates according to corporate standards.

Bachelor Of Professional Studies, Fashion Merchandising, Gpa 3.6

Activities and Societies: Student Director of The Silver Needle Fashion Show, President of Dress for Success, Resident Assistant/Community.

Bachelor Of Professional Studies, Fashion Merchandising, Gpa 3.6

Education record