Marni Van Meter Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Performed business development functions and product evangelism of chitosan-based finishes for the textile market. Cultivated, preserved, and encouraged professional customer connections and trust. Worked cooperatively across roles, both internally and externally, including supply chain, quality control, product development, sales, and management to increase company profitability.Built and nurtured long-term relationships with key stakeholders at accounts within the textile industry.Executed solution-based sales cycle (prospecting, needs analysis, identifying solutions with the development team, closure, and account expansion) according to the business strategy. Leveraged commercial experience and a solid understanding of the market to identify business opportunities, performed needs analysis, collected key input, and communicated to the development team to provide accounts with tailored and effective solutions.Managed the first line response on technical inquiries from potential and existing customers, participating in tradeshows, and attending professional organization events.Promptly populated CRM system with activities and effectively presents to management, detailing selling efforts, customer relationships, competitive activity and strategies, and customer service issues.

Hands-on manager of the successful Textile Coatings team. Provided leadership and guidance to the team in matters of budget, projects, and test resources related to the coatings lab. Maintained frequent interaction with internal and external project stakeholders to generate new leads, built and retained customer relationships, and capitalized on market opportunities.Directed the routine operations of the Textile Coatings Laboratory for the manufacture of water-based, multi-functional coating solutions for diverse textile applications related to woven, non-woven, and knit fabrics. Spearheaded a team of chemists and oversaw their activities and progress, conducted annual performance appraisals and mid-year progress reviews, identified training and development needs, and delivered guidance to overcome deficiencies.Managed 15 - 30 projects depending on development pipeline; consulted the customers on technical needs, developed budget, feasibility, and profitability reports for projects, and signaled account managers for the approval or rejection of a project.Created and assigned project goals to chemists and facilitated them with required resources such as testing equipment, raw materials, and other technical assistance; liaised with the senior management on the purchase of new materials.Oversaw the execution of a series of production coating trials at the customer’s facility after the successful development of the coating and subsequent customer approval; canceled any projects with technical issues or inadequate profitability.Frequently traveled for customer visits/trials, conferences/expos, and to company headquarters for meetings and training; executed project reporting through internal software as well which is accessible by executive management.Led and directed the weekly project review meetings with the R&D team to discuss manufacturing issues on the production floor, supply chain, upcoming customer trials, new projects, and safety concerns.

Gastonia, Nc

Supervised the complete formulation of multifunctional textile coatings from conceptualization through commercialization. Core areas of responsibility included the development of coatings per customer performance requirements and application methods; produced coated sample prototyes on customer substrates for testing purposes. Collaborated with Production, QC, and R&D teams on various development and quality management projects.Designed custom formulated, unique, and multifunctional coatings for a variety of technical, transportation, apparel, and furnishing textile applications; led numerous projects simultaneously while working with cross-funtional teams.Ensured manufacturability of the product by liaising with the quality control department to identify and establish specifications and interacting with the production personnel to scale up the formulation.Monitored and evaluated manufacturing trial runs at customers’ facilities for product validation; analyzed and assessed the results from trials and conducted the reformulation of coating formula until the successful product performance.Worked with the internal production team to evaluate and solve the process-related issues of new products, new raw materials, and new equipment.Measured and gauged technical needs by coordinating directly with customers, running coating trials, and qualifying novel products; adhered to all relevant company policies and procedures.

Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point Area

Oversaw the development of new and existing finshes and fabric constructions for fiberglass substrates used in high temperature (300°F – 500°F) dust filtration for utilities, asphalt and carbon black producers, and refineries. Addressed technical issues of production lines, as well as contributed to new product technology transfer into manufacturing.Engaged extensively in the construction, testing, and finishing of woven glass fabrics to meet customer needs; oversaw the record-keeping, interpretation, and presentation of data along with complete statistical analysis.Leveraged technical proficiency in establishing a sister manufacturing and processing line in China; acquired necessary equipment for a testing lab, trained QC personnel, and traveled with salespeople as the technical expert for customer visits.Led and managed the transition of all products away from PFOAs (Perfluorooctanoic acid) utilized in all finishes; liaised with chemical suppliers to evaluate PFOA-free raw materials.Evaluated new chemical processes and more economical fiberglass yarns to achieve significant cost reductions.

Lillington, Nc

Conducted research and development pertaining to signature management products and modified existing coatings to improve performance and ultimately drive business growth. Gathered and analyzed data by formulating highly technical coatings and applying to various substrate composities in order to attain defined properties relating to color, spectral reflectance, flame resistance, water repellence, and conduction, among others.Developed camouflage, concealment, and deception products for protection against visual, near-infrared, thermal infrared, and broadband radar detection.Successfully attained a US security clearance and developed familiarity with the requirements for handling confidential and sensitive material.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Designed, tested, and validated nonwoven fabrics as well as new technologies and processes for cost-efficient and reliable manufacturing. Coordinated with the manufacturing team and external partners to plan, schedule, and execute scale-up/ production trials to advance projects. Facilitated the technical testing and trials to analyze data, validate success, and report results and findings to key project stakeholders.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Textile Chemistry

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Gpa: 4.0