Primary organization responsibility for: Customer Acquisition, Process Implementation, and ongoing support for Client Engagement. Our expertise is using ACNielsen and IRI data to make business decisions. Today, we offer software and services to efficiently & effectively speed-up and increase the volume and quality of data analysis. This is most quickly accomplished in today’s busy organizations with easy-to-use tools and services. Account level data value flows generously from the data when: 1) The team shares an up-to-date, accurate foundation. 2) It is easy to monitor and analyze change. 3) The most common training questions are easily answered. FCG's mission is to improve business analysis skills using IRI and Nielsen POS data. We improve the ROI of this information. What companies get are tools and services that release data value by making employees' analysis efforts more effective and efficient. This, in turn, results in more business actions and realized value. This approach is simple and direct. We provide easy-to-examine underlying business drivers such as distribution, price, promotion and competition that explain most of a sales gap or opportunity. When a preliminary analysis is inconclusive, the question of “where to dig deeper” is clarified saving the experts and team time doing exploratory analysis. FCG Specialties: Excel automation. Marketing and sales reporting and analysis. Improving sales, marketing and research professional’s analysis efficiency using IRI/Nielsen type information. This includes jump-starting change with fast project foundations, supporting software and inexpensive, effective reference materials (training supplements).For the latest on our tools and services see www.FordConsultingGroup.com

"Quality not Quantity, Insights to Foresight"Contract project work leveraging over 15+ years of experience with industry focus in Consumer Products Sales & Analytics, New Product Development and Sales Management Consulting Services.Functional expertise in Sales Management, Business Development, Category Management, Market Research, Customer & Consumer Loyalty Programs and Technology implementation, and General Management with Large through Niche organizations and brands.Success in creating and implementing strategic plans to develop and cultivate customer & consumer growth in both business to consumer and business to business environments.Focus on growth, distribution and consumer relevance of underdeveloped, underappreciated and underfunded brands.Offering a strong set of technical, analytical, people and presentation skills, qualifications and results that would contribute to any organization seeking an experienced and versatile hands-on executive.Specialties:Driving revenue, business development, managing sales/support organizations, contract negotiation & closure strategy, general management, client management and consulting in complex environments.Implementing solutions for product development, supply chain, and retail distribution business processes, strategic planning, sales and operations planning and forecasting, inventory management, and product transformation.

A global leader in behavior-based marketing solutions, providing brand manufacturers, retailers and healthcare providers with consumer driven marketing solutions.Responsible for enhancing relationship between top 5 client and firm, strengthen linkages, and enhance revenue potential in the areas of CRM/Loyalty, Advertising and Analytics.• Resolved relationship issues and developed working agreement that served as the foundation for additional levels of business, within the first year.• Lead client and Catalina organization in building strategies and developing plans that utilized the expertise, tools and talent from each organization to meet business objectives. • Identified potential opportunities of $4 million in new or incremental business, and designed strategy to capture over the next 2 years. • Developed communications strategy and process that met the needs of multi-level executives from each organization.

Established and led the first business unit to support and provide client service on the exclusive customized retailer data service & loyalty analytics programs of 30+ major (Fortune 500) CPG manufacturers. Conceived, developed, implemented & lead a high performing team.• Primary lead responsibility for exclusive provider relationship with retailers Safeway, Costco, 7-11, Royal Ahold & HEB.• Instrumental in growth of business from $14.5MM in 12/07 to $18MM in annual revenues by 9/08.• Lead a group of 6 professionals developing, documenting and instituting best practices for each retail program using Six Sigma quality controls to maximize the benefit that clients get from the program.• Collaborated with both Retail Client Solutions product managers and Strategic Solutions account managers developing and implementing account penetration plans increasing sales of the retailer programs across the groups.

Responsible for growing sales of technology solutions & complex custom applications to major CPG manufacturers whose primary decision information supplier was not IRI. Corporate lead for client relationship & presented value propositions. Accounts included: S.C. Johnson, Kimberly–Clark, Tyson Foods, Wrigley, Pactiv, Energizer/Schick, Coca-Cola and Spectrum Brands. Directed a cross functional team of 10.• Exceeded revenue objectives by average of 32% annually.• Designed and conducted Capabilities & Solutions presentations across all IRI data, analytics & software offerings leading to collaborative solutions planning.• Sold, managed and renewed exclusive retail data program contracts for Costco,7-Eleven,Safeway,H-E-B & loyalty analytics (CCR) for Ahold of $5MM+ annually.• Area P&L responsibility, strategy & weekly tracking to ensure revenue goals were achieved.• Increased client’s knowledge of IRI capabilities with in depth knowledge of competitive offerings & proactive communication.

Leader of a cross functional client service team with direct responsibility for the client relationship across the Market Research, Brand & Customer Marketing departments.• Drove key contractual and ad-hoc solutions to meet critical Kellogg needs in a consultative partnership which led to attainment of 143% of 2004 objectives worth $10MM+.• Account Planning: Responsible for development of annual account plan, including revenue forecast, strategies to achieve plan and contract renewals.• Forecasting: Accountable for weekly revenue forecasting to fulfill quarterly goals• Sales: Accountable for achieving revenue goals by identifying IRI services and technology solutions that served client business objectives in the areas of category management, trade promotion, new product introductions and consumer understanding.• Teamwork & Collaboration: Led cross-functional team members to sell and deliver solutions/services. • Project Management: Managed project timelines, oversaw delivery teams and managed customer expectations through the course of complex project delivery. • Analysis: Responsible for managing a team of analysts who developed business-issue analyses using IRI’s point-of-sale and consumer panel information. Accountable for the key findings and recommendations to the client.

Responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluating $10MM in market development funds in the execution of brand strategies.• Responsible for management and implementation of Trade budget for Nicotrol brand which encompasses both RX & OTC products through an integrated healthcare solution that grew from $18MM to $50MM in two years.• Created national retailer trade plans, activities and custom packaging for $30MM new product launch.• Developed and implemented unique RX/Over The Counter brand ad vehicles for Kroger and Longs Drug that gained full store distribution and $500K in incremental sales.• Initiated retailer stop smoking healthcare solution plan, integrating pharmacists, advertising, competitive manufacturers and product at Kerr Drug, to be used as model for other National Drug accounts.

Provided National Account Group (60% of corporate sales) with information-based solutions to satisfy customer/consumer needs, and volume/profit goals which led to double digit annual growth in each class of trade.• Implemented Target Stores trade plan developed in conjunction with National Account Managers that led to 20-40% gains in consumer consumption on Core brands. • Created innovative strategies and promotions for new item which led to 100% acceptance by assigned retailers.• Primary contact on category management initiatives between Pharmacia and: Walgreen Co, Target, Albertson’s, K-Mart, Eckerd, Drug Emporium, Long’s, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Kroger, Super Valu, and the Military.

Two time Eagle award winner promoting Best Practices in Category Management using all manners of data including Nielsen scanner and Household Panel, Spectra geodemographic, IRI Census, retailer proprietary point of sale and GMI shipment.• Managed, trained and developed for promotion up to four Information Analysts who were responsible for initial data mining and database management across all GMI categories and classes of trade.• Prepared and presented Category Reviews to retailers that included: Vons, H.E. Butt, Publix, King Soopers, Lucky, Safeway, Super Valu, Albertson’s, Wal*Mart, K-Mart, Target and Costco.• Analyzed grocery retailer performance and suggested ways to improve sales, efficiency, and profitability via merchandising, product mix, promotions and shelf management.

Provided comprehensive analytical support to 18 regions of General Mills in achieving sales and distribution objectives.• Counseled General Mills sales management, identified key business issues and recommended action plans within the Grocery Warehouse, Mass Merchandise, Drug and Grocery trade.• Served as primary technical support for region users of Nielsen proprietary software analysis tools. Developed tracking systems and analytics for rapid response and problem solving.• Designed comprehensive training program for 100+ end users on the use of Nielsen software and data types.

Managed four-state, $2.2M region of a $100M health and beauty/pet products manufacturer. Supervised Direct Sales/Merchandising team, and managed Broker sales force. Oversaw client product shelf placement and planograms.• Direct account responsibility for: Target, Shopko, Prange-Way, Snyder Drug, Thrifty-White, Lewis, McKesson, Fox-Meyer, Alco Health and all other regional drug/mass/pet wholesalers increasing sales 47% in 3 years compared to organization 12% average annual growth.• Using $150,000 Ad/Promotion budget, created special selling programs/materials that accomplished 25% increase in profits for drug trade, 13% increase for wholesales trade in 1993.• Exceeded new product introduction quotas an average of 80%, top 10% in sales for three consecutive years in selling organization of 33.

Responsible for compilation, analysis, dissemination of sales information and competitive activity information to national field sales, brokers and headquarters.• Created major presentations for new product distribution objectives, developed/administrated corporate sales quota programs and developed reports, deriving information from internal/external sources including syndicated data from A.C. Nielsen/Towne-Oller/IRI.• Created sales presentations used at key accounts including Walgreen’s, K-mart and Wal*Mart that accomplished dramatic improvement in distribution and sales.• Built, implemented sales tracking system using mainframe/PC technologies reorganizing new system of retrieval of syndicated data to streamline effectiveness.