Nicole Wilson Email and Phone Number

Prospect local market and develop realtor relationships using calls, meetings and events. Foster relationships ongoing by providing excellent customer service to mutual clients. Provide loan product guidance and options to clients within the guidelines for all loan products. Act as team leader to the 20+ person team required to close a loan (Realtors, Clients, Processing, Title, Closing and other 3rd parties)

Responsible for managing customer P&L's and conducting market research to support sales presentations and attain corporate gross margin goals. Also responsible for managing multi-million dollar bids and customer-specific projects including new product development. Worked cross-functionally to succeed in sales communications, bid pricing and project management.

Responsible for improving the performance of a group of 30 franchisees through consultation and training. Advised franchise owners how to simultaneously improve sales, decrease operational costs, and enhance the customer experience. • Collaborated & coordinated with 30 retail stores (franchisees) generating $15 million in annual revenue. Drove development of annual business plans, marketing plans and operating budgets. Owner surveys resulted in Very good or Excellent ratings on 100% of my store visits.• On-site and remote consulting with franchise locations in the Midwest, West Coast, Southeast and Northwest U.S. Conducted monthly operating (KPI) reviews with each franchise owner resulting in tactical actions regarding product mix, inventory turn, recommended displays, advertising, promotions, and increased online presence. • Participated as a speaker for Business Development Coaching and Inventory Management topics at annual Enterprise Leadership Conference. Presented sessions for audiences between 50 – 250 attendees.

Responsible for leading the development and execution of strategic initiatives. Developed online retail initiatives and inventory management tools, and directed annual franchise conference logistics. • Mentored franchisees and Business Consultants to identify store-specific objectives. Created detailed analysis of sales, inventory, store financials and trend information to provide solutions and timelines. Analysis produced over $92K improvement in store owner cash flow, 8% system-wide sales increase, and 7% inventory reduction.• Increased online sales by more than 113% within 5 years by managing the online store platform and creating an integrated marketing/advertising plan.• Collaborated with EVP/COO to direct third-party event partner on all aspects of the annual conference. $500,000 event included over 500 attendees was highly successful at improving store profitability through training and networking. • Presented all inventory management and eCommerce sessions at Enterprise Leadership Conference, Regional Meetings and new-owner training events.

Responsible for developing gift and garden sourcing opportunities for franchise system, maintaining strong vendor relationships and securing exhibitors for the annual corporate trade show. • Strategically managed more than 100 vendors. Sold over 72% of the booth space for the company’s private trade show.• Sourced and negotiated gift and garden product deals on behalf of franchise owners.

Managed one Associate Buyer and three Assistant Buyers to successfully merchandise 5 school brands. Additionally, collaborated with Creative team to determine page layout and direct photo shoots. Directed in-house, U.S. and International product development and sourcing. Directly accountable for top-line sales, on-time delivery to printer and catalog accuracy.• Participated in strategic corporate development meetings to inform and influence the catalog development process. Also represented school brands on weekly collaboration meetings with President/CEO and executive team regarding catalog merchandising and brand positioning.• Managed all aspects of annual catalog development for each brand as well as corresponding web sites that featured over 38,000 SKU’s (70% internationally sourced) and 1372 pages.• Achieved 7% sales increase above plan which represented the first sales growth in over 5 years by implementing margin-focused pricing strategy and introducing innovative products to the favor and kit departments. • Executed a strategy to source mascot category internationally which successfully increased gross profit by over 35%.• Managed cross-functional team to create the corporate catalog schedule. Schedule helped all departments meet print dates while negotiating competing departmental needs. Project management skill resulted in on-time creation of each catalog, on-time placement of orders and successful creation of marketing campaigns.

Managed all aspects of catalog development for 3 brands that each mail annually. Recruited and selected vendors, cultivated relationships, negotiated terms, managed product assortment and pricing. Product assortment created brand definition and achieved sales results.• Engaged in product positioning and placement, ensuring each product was differentiated and brand focused. Also created pricing program for each brand to achieve cumulative gross margin targets from 55 to 65%• Launched premier edition of American Prom catalog and executed a redesign for Prom Wishes catalog.

Managed all aspects of catalog development for 2 brands that each mail 4 books annually.• Executed owner’s comprehensive brand vision to launch the “Birthdayz” catalog including relevant product assortment, personalization components and design of interactive “kit” components.• Developed costume import program that raised category gross margin by 25% while maintaining 20% sales growth.

Responsible for supporting Senior Buyer while communicating with vendors, stores and management team. Assisted in gross-margin management through sales, markdowns, return to vendors, sell through reports and markups.• Assisted in the management and supervision of $13M apparel and accessories business. Worked with over 40 existing and prospective vendors to ensure on-time delivery, product availability, and assortment. Successfully completed Neiman Marcus Merchant Development Program (MDP1), an industry-leading, internal program that covered all aspects of retail operations including - Buying Skills, Vendor Negotiation and Management, Inventory Management Skills and Operational Management.