Paul Warnke Email and Phone Number

Work with walk-in customers, repeat clients and professional decorators to specify fabrics & finishes for custom upholstery and casegoods, accessorizing with decoratives, mirrors, art, lighting and other interior details.Provide superior level of customer service & product knowledge to discriminating clientele.Process custom orders including COM, monitor for accuracy & timeline, and communicate with vendors & customers regarding status.Document & file vendor claims for damaged/defective product, tracking from pick-up to receipt of repaired/replacement product or credit.

Responsible for staff scheduling & daily management of 20,000 sq. ft. sales floor, including shipment receipts, floor set, customer service, deliveries, human resources, opening & closing procedures, and all daily activities of retail showroom, utilizing assets of 8-10 associates.Assured all customers received high level of service from professional staff. Monitored special orders for accuracy & timely processing.Problem-solved associate, customer, & technical systems issues. Conferred daily with upper management to execute duties & drive productivity.

Designed and executed interior space planning, furnishings and finishes projects for residential and commercial clients, providing exceptional customer service to maximize sales and build repeat client base, contributing to attainment of company goals for store sales growth.Daily management of current design projects while developing future business and fostering new and existing client relationships.Utilized customized software to draft accurate floorplans for space planning, and to communicate design concepts in project presentations.Specified upholstery frames, fabrics and trims, case goods finishes, custom soft goods design, decorative accessories and lighting.Accurately entered detailed orders for custom furnishings. Tracked production, shipping & delivery schedule to continually update project status internally and with client to facilitate timely successful installations and minimize potential customer service issues.Highest producing Design Consultant in local Design Center on regular basis, as well as district for some months, meeting or exceeding company benchmarks for sales and client services. Top sales: June, Aug & Oct 2012; Jan, Sept & Dec 2013; March, June, Nov & Dec 2014.

Grew sales through staff development and management, superior customer service, effective product presentation and visual reinforcement of brand identity, contributing to significant double-digit increases in annual store sales throughout tenure.Management of up to 20 associates, facilitating efficient workflow to control payroll while delivering high level of personalized service, and daily maintenance of quality visual merchandising standards. Planned and coordinated execution of major floor changes 4-8 times a year.Actively participated in management team decisions, sales associate training and mentoring, and daily store management to consistently produce sales in top 30% of company, and top store in district and company in specific categories and sales periods.Performed all aspects of store opening, operation and closing, including cash management and reconciliation, scheduling, planning daily staff agenda and sales goals, supervising receipt and management of product, directing restock, visual and facilities recovery.

Consulted with clients, formulated solutions and executed design projects for numerous private residences and commercial accounts including Federal Express Corporation, Center for Public Broadcasting, AmSouth/Regions Bank, and Birmingham City School System.Provided interior decoration services including space planning, surface materials and color palette specification, and furnishings sourcing. Designed sets for corporate and broadcast television productions. Drafted accurate as-built floor plans for renovation planning.Designed and installed rooms in five consecutive Decorators’ Show Houses (1996-2000), annual juried benefit for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Included design and production of custom furnishings, lighting and accessories.Achieved ongoing press coverage in frequent articles and photo spreads in regional publications, including The Birmingham News, Birmingham magazine, Our House magazine, Over the Mountain Journal, and I Do bridal magazine.

Grew sales in china and crystal categories through product selection, creative merchandising, associate training, special events and marketing.Sourced high-end product through major tabletop, home accessory and gift markets, managing open-to-buy to support $1.5M annual sales.Monitored current trends through continual industry and consumer research and sales analysis, and adjusted product mix to reflect findings.Executed product-driven promotional events including artist appearances & bridal shows, featuring key vendors to build consumer interest, brand awareness, store traffic and sales. Featured interview on trends in tabletop on WBRC-FOX6 Good Day, Alabama January 2005.

Directed all aspects of operations including store planning and design, product sourcing and buying, advertising and marketing, visual merchandising, customer service, human resources, information technology and accounting. Managed staff of six to eight.Sourced unique product via major home furnishings, accessory and gift markets, as well as from independent artists and craftsmen. Included upholstered furniture, case goods, lighting, decorative accessories, wall décor, home textiles, tabletop, seasonal, stationery and giftware.Merchandised store for optimum impact in product presentation maximizing cross-sell potential. Established brand thru graphics & marketing.Received steady media attention, including feature in Southern Accents March/April 1999; WVTM-NBC13 Midday February 2000; and frequent editorial inclusions in Birmingham magazine.

Developed Design Department, established cohesive look and image for network, and managed daily corporate design activities to insure consistent implementation in projects across a diverse range of media. Marketed network programming to industry and consumer audiences.Developed overall concepts and detailed designs for 30 studio and location sets annually, supervising construction, decoration, and lighting.Created and directed production of on-air & print graphic design, including network identity, branding, image spots, and show titles.Contributed to growth of network from four hours of programming a day in 37 U.S. states, to 24-hour operation in all 50 states plus international distribution, achieving an 800% increase in number of households reached during tenure.

Designed newspaper, magazine and direct mail advertising, catalogs, in-store signage, private-label product logos, and collateral.Collaborated interdepartmentally with advertising director, creative director, art directors, copywriters, photographers, and stylists.Coordinated advertising activities with buyers, marketing, special events and visual merchandising departments.