Michael Kurze Email & Phone Number

Midlothian, VA, US

Richmond, Virginia, US

• Recruited 100 volunteers for RVA Career Expo and developed training and operations plan.
• Served in leadership team as point-of-contact for 40+ top-rated Richmond area companies.
• Organized and moderated panel discussions with HR leaders and 50+ job-seekers to discuss career transition techniques and networking opportunities.
• Converted in-person group meetings to online video conferencing events in response to COVID-19 crisis; created Zoom training series and user guides for remote participants.
• Social media promoter and technical trainer for networking marketing and sales enablement tools, including RVA Career Expo App, LinkedIn, Metrics and CRM database.

• Developed and executed the brand, marketing and communications strategy for U.S. Hunting/Nature and Global Outdoor segment with multi-million dollar budget.
• Analyzed market trends and consumer research data for pilot markets in Europe, Asia and U.S. and adjusted strategy to address competitive influences and changing markets.
• Directed implementation of global and national integrated campaigns, events and public relations strategies to increase market share and meet revenue expectations, e.g. "Closer to nature", "Project Eclipse", "Optics.
• Worked weekly with Senior Category/Product Management and Sales Directors to develop new business cases, product roadmap, roll-out, and obsolescence plans based on customer and market intelligence.
• Conducted talent search and hiring of staff. Coached and trained Marketing / PR team after company relocated to New York.
• Established influencer program to support retail partner events and increase share-of-voice.

Jena, Thüringen, DE

• Given a multi-million-dollar budget for the execution of my marketing plan, I designed and launched advertising campaigns utilizing live events, sponsorships, creative services, and print and digital media channels..
• The creation of new, more engaging and functional packaging for the TERRA and CONQUEST scope lines; the design boosted sales and brand visibility, leading to its worldwide adoption and implementation by corporate.
• With my initiative to implement a content-driven Facebook community strategy, ZEISS saw a 10% sales increase and acquired 35K unique email addresses and 75K new followers.
• Through design of brand ambassador and dealer incentive programs, I secured a share-of-voice increase of 25%.

• With previous experience in Procurement Manager and Product/Quality Manager positions for Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc., I stepped into the role of Demand Planning Specialist and began establishing connections with sales.
• Through extensive networking, I was able to contribute to the completion of merger and migration projects by uniting the efforts of multiple stakeholders and international teams.
• Projects completed include the leadership and execution of “Teflon Clear Coat” and “AO Easy” campaigns, among others, and the commercialization of the new "ZEISS GT2".

• Oversaw and planned annual supply of $30M for all lenses, consumables and equipment purchases, using MRP data and various forecasting methods.
• Increased SKU availability from 70% to 95% on critical product families and decreased total backorders to 2.5% of total sales volume.
• Coordinated inventory, logistics and launch for major launch with Walmart.
• Negotiated six new supplier contracts, a combined purchase volume of annual $2M, with partners in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Ensured ISO 9001 compliance and implemented vendor performance reporting.

• Developed products with new materials and coatings from concept to catalog, incl. TRIVEX and POLYCARBONATE, POLARIZED and TRANSITIONS single vision and progressive lenses. Created and implemented marketing.
• Conducted market, competitor and benchmark studies to strategically optimize product portfolio.
• Built technical quality sub-department for spectacle lenses, resulting in 40% decrease of product returns and increased customer trust and loyalty.
• Acted as FDA U.S. Official Correspondent for eyeglass lenses and implemented procedures to ensure regulation compliance. Represented company as subject matter expert at ISO and VCA (Vision Council of America) technical.