Marlene Armstrong Email & Phone Number

Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area

Columbus, Ohio Area

Strategic, creative consulting. Primary focus on growing businesses through innovative strategy development and implementation coupled with creative problem solving. Additional areas include business development; integrated marketing and merchandising strategies; business relationship development, team and talent development, brand management, product development.

Columbus, Ohio Area

C. Krueger’s Finest Baked Goods is a gifting company that just happens to make really great cookies. As a Customer Engagement Executive, I craft personalized, customized and branded business gifts that will leave a deliciously strong impression on the recipient. I enjoy having a close working relationship with my customers to understand their business and develop creative gifting solutions that set them apart in the marketplace. Let’s get started.

Galion, Oh

Directed all marketing, communication, branding, and digital marketing for privately held provider of solutions for printing, decorating and digital printing technologies to companies throughout NA. Responsible for product development and management for B2B eCommerce platform.

Developed and executed strategy to reduce complexity in the front of the restaurant by transforming and restructuring the outdated Corner Cupboard retail area; eliminated brand detractors and reduced SKU’s from 500+ to less than 130 and elevated the focus on gift cards for growth and expansion.Launched bakeries projected to contribute over $150M within three years in the newly redesigned restaurants as a natural extension of the carry-out sales layer and complementing the equity in baked goods available in the dining room.Directed the design, development, pricing strategy, sales forecasting and procurement of the $10M Taste of the Farm private label food line.

Provided overall leadership responsibility for merchandising/planning strategy and business gift sales; managed up to 25 Account Executives. Chosen by the President in 2007 to lead and manage a $17M combined Business Gift Sales Team for Cheryl&Company and The Popcorn Factory.Successfully grew Cheryl&Company’s business by 40% over a two year period (a $5M sales increase) after establishing quotas and setting goals for Account Executives to execute.Developed and implemented new strategies to strengthen the customer driven sales organization (Cheryl&Company and Popcorn Factory) resulting in streamlining the process to one point of contact, providing strategic account coverage, improving customer relationships and allowing account executives to sell multiple brands in an efficient, productive and customer friendly business model.Created cross functional teams (supply chain, finance, sales, marketing) to ensure everyone was communicating from a common platform resulting in increasing collaboration across departments and creating more efficient and effective processes. Led Cheryl&Company’s merchandising and procurement team to achieve record sales (a 26% increase) for two years straight by continuing to expand the key growth categories and identifying new opportunities for competitive advantage.

Responsible for day-to-day management of goals to deliver targeted sales and profits for the Bath and Body Works division of Limited Brands. Led the establishment and retail execution of the seasonal plans for Aromatherapy personal care and Antibac. Grew the gift business from $70 to $289M over four years resulting in significant competitive advantage over other personal care companies. Recruited, hired and trained staff to handle the immediate growth. Selected as part of the team that was instrumental in laying the strategic groundwork for the proliferation and growth of the current brand. Aggressively searched for new vendor opportunities and established long-term vendor relationships nationally and internationally; led the procurement effort to establish a solid vendor structure and personally negotiated all aspects of new products developed to ensure maximum profitability and sales.

Led the business management team in the areas of new product development, re-vitalization of existing brands, merchandising, sales forecasting, sales promotion, field communications and strategic planning for the Gift division. Worked extensively in the field with Representatives through Avon's Collectors Club.

Developed and expanded corporate private label programs in Men’s, Intimate Apparel and Children’s divisions. Involved extensive market evaluation, foreign and domestic travel, sourcing, negotiating and follow-up.

Responsible for buying functions for five departments in second largest branch store division. Managed and supervised fifteen employees. Began career as an Assistant Buyer in 1976.