Managed $165M+/year highly-regulated product category encompassing 8200+ retail outlets in the Drug Channel, throughout the countryIncreased year over year product sales 3% while increasing profit margin 2.5% through coordination of new promotions, sku rationalization and planogram developmentNegotiated contracts and monthly promotional dollars that led to a ~10% increase in category margin YTD in 2017Guided a cross-functional project for an online ordering test and implementation in several markets that yielded an average of 5% decrease in dump/waste at the store levelSuccessfully planned and led the 2016 holiday promotional strategy which resulted in an 11% revenue improvement over the prior year salesLeveraged 3rd party syndicated data; IRI, Nielsen, Mintel, et. al providing actionable insightsPerformed tactical/strategic duties utilizing loyalty card data to drive sales, buyer conversion and market share, executing customer’s national category strategyOperated as category captain producing strategic insights at the Channel level and the Customer level while cultivating cross-functional relationships with customers’ internal stakeholdersApplied shopper marketing insights to build/optimize regular reporting (monthly, quarterly) for total business and critical segmentsLed new product volume projections and post-launch performance trackingConsolidated, translated and applied consumer research (primary and secondary) into selling stories

Supervised various beverage category segments, growing the business from $118m to $127m year over year, working with customers, identifying needs and marketing on mutual strategies to drive salesCreated and implemented new beverage program, generating over $3MM in new sales and $1.2MM in new margin dollarsAchieved maximum customer participation attributing for $9m expansion of beverage portfolio while enhancing competitive position and profitability at the lowest total cost of goodsProduced, administered and achieved annual sales and operating budgets Monitored category merchandise, visual displays, customer service events and client developmentEvaluated individual product and overall portfolio Profit & Loss (P&L) statements and applied this information to key business decisionsRecognized opportunities and closed voids/gaps by customerManaged category spend for items and negotiated to reduce costs from existing and new vendors, reviewed contracts to protect company interestsGenerated, distributed and scrutinized customer category surveys

Developed and implemented strategic sourcing strategies to optimize supply chain for cost savings opportunitiesCompleted annual category reviews for 5 varying product segments, resulting in over $6m in productivity savings year over yearRFP preparation, supplier selection and led negotiationsManaged relationships with 60+ vendors covering 5 categories, 175 products and $112m in salesResponsible for over 350+ category SKUs, maintained item specs, rebates and volume incentives Launched and approved new items, productivity and packaging projectsImplemented promotional allowances, productivity projects and rebate agreementsCollaborated with Category Management, Customer Service, Creative Services and Accounting to ensure projects were created and executed accuratelyFulfilled Product Service Agreements and Certificates of InsuranceSupported Quality Assurance by evaluating new items or reformulations to guarantee items meet quality standardsInitiated price changes for enactment, analyzing for accuracy and/or miscalculations

Validate pricing and promotional allowance from suppliersCollaborate with Procurement and Program Management departments to implement price changesTrain and onboard new hire employees Participate in annual sales and merchandising conferenceResearch, rectify and prevent member billing adjustments

Process member purchase orders Respond to member/vendor inquiries regarding purchase order revisions, lead times, out of stocks, etc. Provide customer service, problem resolution between member(s) and vendor(s)Create, issue and maintain member cost pages and promotional bulletinsResearch and process member/vendor adjustments

* Developed Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns for businesses.* Provided data research and analysis for client SEO campaigns.* Generated leads utilizing Salesforce and personal research methods.

* Worked in the Vertical Business Unit (VBU) as an IT / Engineering Specialist in the top accounts group.

* Expanded client base from 0 to 70+ within first 6 months; Promoted within first 4 Months.

* Initiated relationships with over 500 small businesses in a defined territory by identifying their specific recruiting, staffing, branding, marketing and advertising needs.* Created unique product combinations and solutions to meet client needs and revenue goals.* Scheduled and conducted web-based presentations and database performances to demonstrate products.* Implemented new awards program for completion of internal program guidelines.