•       Established Sales and Operations strategy and refined standard operating protocols.•       Recruited, hired and trained Management and Sales team.•       Guided Managers on effective recruitment and sales coaching.

As the first American employee of this European (Finland-based) company, I helped build our Americas region into the largest in the company, accounting for $50 Million in Revenue annually, with a headcount of over 20 sales and operations team members.Built and led the company’s largest region sales- and headcount-wise, driving revenue growth and team expansion in the Americas; responsible for annual sales target exceeding $50 million.Managed a team consisting of as many as 8 direct reports with overall responsibility for 20 outside sales reps located in cities across North America.Recruited, hired and supported sales team members through proactive coaching and changing business strategies, including creation of new territories and key account management positions. Led monthly Americas sales and operations team meetings.Collaborated with supply / planning teams to optimize new US inventory program.Interfaced daily with internal Partner Support and Global Logistics teams to streamline order processing and fulfillment processes, continuously increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction.Led the process of authoring Continuing Education Unit (CEU) on Code / Compliance, satisfying an annual ‘Top Company Objective’ goal.Contributed on multiple departmental committees to establish company-wide 5-year strategy.

Promoted to manage a team of 8 outside sales reps located in cities across eastern and central US.Supported rapid growth by realigning markets / re-drawing territory lines as necessary.Designed and executed short- and long-term sales strategies, forecasts and key actions for each account / territory, including sales and profit targets. Contributed to employee development program by creating infrastructure for underperforming team members, coaching, performance metrics and evaluations to increase job performance and company profitability.Managed a personal sales territory (‘Selling Manager’).Facilitated the Americas region’s key distribution partnership - conducted business reviews with executive level staff within that organization, developed and implemented sales incentive plans.

Initiated and managed distribution partnerships via face to face meetings, product presentations and contract negotiations. Presented to in-person groups as large as 75; presented virtually to groups as large as 250.Oversaw distribution partners’ achievement of sales goals and effectively trained partners on technical aspects of our products across 34 US states and all of Canada.Managed efforts of independent sales rep groups across the central and eastern US.Collaborated frequently (virtually and in person) with stakeholders at headquarters in Finland to create and improve sales solutions to meet changing customer demands across multiple industries.

Managed a team of 6 outside sales reps based in cities nationwide.Established and managed relationships with the Architectural and Design community in Chicago, as well as major metros throughout the center of the US (Chicago to Texas) and Canada.Established and managed Dealer / Distributor partnerships with major paint companies and wall covering distribution companies, throughout the center of the US (Chicago to Texas) and Canada. Represented IdeaPaint during a 3 month visit to Australia to fortify partnerships and drive growth of distribution in that country.