Ponch Membreño Email & Phone Number

Peaks Island, Maine, United States

As the Commercial Director for Mainers, a premium brand of mitts and gloves under Tempshield, Inc., I lead the strategic direction and growth of our consumer products division. Leveraging over 40 years of expertise from our best-in-class Cryogenic gloves, trusted by NASA, I oversee the development and market expansion of our gloves and mitts for outdoor, ski, and everyday cold-weather use.My role involves driving both Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) sales and establishing robust wholesale partnerships, with a strong commitment to manufacturing excellence in the U.S., particularly in our home state of Maine. I am passionate about bringing the same quality and innovation that defines our Cryogenic gloves to consumers who seek adventure and reliability in the cold.

Maine, United States

I am a retail, business and outdoor industry veteran, able to coach/teach/mentor/implement in all areas of sales, branding, merchandising, operations, culture/people. • Founded in Summer 2020, bringing retail and direct to consumer experience to find creative solutions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic• Mainers Mitts + Gloves – lead line development, go-to-market and sales and marketing strategy for line of outdoor/ski/lifestyle handwear cut and sewn entirely in the U.S.• Created and moderated 8 session series on outdoor entrepreneurship for Maine Outdoor Brands and Mane Center for Entrepreneurship• CO-directed rebranding and developed operations to current industry standards for Intrinsic Provisions, MA (a BIPOC-owned retail and web business focused on Outdoor Lifestyle, blending current trends with a focus on growing diversity in the Outdoor Marketplace)• Consulted with multiple Women-owned businesses providing branding, and operational expertise • Built e-commerce and Retail environments for multiple outdoor businesses

Hingham, Massachusetts, United States

Intrinsic Provisions is a retail and web business focused on Outdoor Lifestyle, blending current trends with a focus on growing diversity in the Outdoor Marketplace• Joined founder in Summer 2020, bringing retail and direct to consumer experience to find creative solutions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic• Immediately installed new Point of Sale and rebuilt product database to provide better reporting • Consult with start-ups and companies in the midst of change about sales and operations• Built our first e-commerce effort; designed, installed and manage new website • Improved our existing business relationships and introduced new business partners

Toad&Co is an outdoor/lifestyle apparel company with Direct to Consumer and Wholesale business• Implemented a modern Direct to Consumer strategy coordinating the targets and needs of the Sales, Web, Operations, and Clothing Design teams• Created and set the direction of company’s retail strategy• Oversaw all retail buying, assortment and inventory targets and management, including in-house and 3rd party for both company-owned and partner stores.• Analyzed sales, inventory, and industry trends to collaborate with Wholesale, Design, and Web teams to identify new category and product opportunities• Identified new markets and opportunities. Opened new stores in Freeport and Portland, ME; Portland, OR; Boston, MA; Golden and Glenwood Springs, CO – all immediately successful for both building brand and generating sales. • Designed and opened new retail stores, including company-owned and locally-owned partner stores – from lease negotiation through store design, buildout, inventory purchasing, sales targets, and staffing.• Mentored new leaders running day-to-day business, including retail, wholesale, web, and operations. • Established and grew highly successful bi-annual Warehouse Sale, resulting in new marketing opportunities, growth in brand exposure and valuable local business and non-profit partnerships.

Freeport, Maine, United States

Lincoln Canoe & Kayak is a designer and manufacturer of composite canoes and kayaks, including on-site retail store, wholesale distribution, and outdoor school• Created and set the direction of company’s retail strategy. Implemented a modern Direct to Consumer strategy coordinating the targets and needs of the Sales, Web, Operations, and Clothing Design teams• Identified new markets and opportunities. Opened new stores in Freeport and Portland, ME; Portland, OR; Boston, MA; Golden and Glenwood Springs, CO – all immediately successful for both building brand and generating sales. • Designed and opened new retail stores, including company-owned and locally-owned partner stores – from lease negotiation through store design, buildout, inventory purchasing, sales targets, and staffing.• Mentored new leaders running day-to-day business, including retail, wholesale, web, and operations. • Oversaw all retail buying and inventory targets and management, including in-house and 3rd party for both company-owned and partner stores.• Established and grew highly successful bi-annual Warehouse Sale, resulting in new marketing opportunities, growth in brand exposure and valuable local business and non-profit partnerships.

JL Coombs was a Maine-based regional shoe retailer and distributor.• Directed operations for Maine-based, 7-store group of shoe and clothing stores throughout ME, NH, and MA. Oversaw 40% growth in sales, employees, and operational needs in a six-month period through opening two new locations.• Established as company Leader and point person for HR needs of entire company, including all interviewing and hiring, bi-annual evaluations, and standards creation.• Evaluated and made necessary changes to operations for company experiencing growth in all areas - focused on sales training, managerial decision making, communication, and inventory management.• Created standardized financial and operations budget, including targets, reforecasting, and new evaluation metrics/tools.

Whole Foods Market is an up-scale national retailer of natural foods and home goods.• Recruited through Whole Foods Career Development Initiative – The program interviews and selects leaders/executives from outside the grocery industry, allowing 3 months to train, learn and be hired for a leadership position or end the relationship.• Hired 30-member team in 2 weeks and implemented plan for new store opening. 30-member team included 4 distinct sub-teams. Identified leaders and assistant leaders in that two-week period to establish a high performing team.• Led team for sales of high-end specialty foods including cheese, wine, beer, coffee roasting and sales, coffee bar, gelato, and hand-made confections. Team sales averaged $100K/week – A top 10 Specialty Team of over 200 stores, including many weeks as no.1

Developed a retail brand for a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of high-end activewear that had previously focused solely on wholesale distribution (total annual revenue approx. $26M). • Led retail and web marketing, startup and operations; managed location, design, and merchandising of 2 stores as well as financial planning, buying, inventory management, and human resources (total staff of 18; operating budget of $2.5M)• Grew retail and direct-to-consumer web sales from 0 to $2.5M, with consistently excellent margin performance; achieved store revenue and profit growth far exceeding that of much larger competitors in target markets• Upgraded the company's overall branding strategy. For example, the flagship Freeport store drove 75% annual increases in regional wholesale sales, a significantly improvement• Brought a direct-to-consumer and retail perspective to product and marketing strategies as a member of senior management, contributing to 80% average annual sales growth over a 5-year period• Developed a high-performing management team able to run the division with only general direction

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Government And Philosophy

Professional Residency At Teton Science School, Environmental Education, Non-Profit Management