Richard Harney Email & Phone Number

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Appleton, Wisconsin

Senior marketing leader for this $660m multi-channel distributor of supplies, furniture and curriculum to US and Canadian schools, both public and private. Member of the organization's senior leadership team, charting strategy and guiding organizational structure and prioritization. Consolidated multi-site divisional marketing teams into a single corporate team, coordinating product and service category marketing campaigns through digital, print and direct sales channels. Revitalized dormant divisional brands to create vibrant new brand stories that re-engage customer preference in targeted educational customer segments. Re-negotiated new print and PPC vendor agreements, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars while expanding capabilities. Leadership sponsor for a complete re-build of all corporate ecomm platforms and related customer experience journeys.

Neenah, Wisconsin

Marketing leader for this $200 million publisher, product and service provider, specializing in creating and leveraging intellectual property to aid businesses in regulatory compliance and safety management. Manage all product marketing activities, including product development, creative & promotion, circulation planning, e-commerce, research, analytics and corporate sales forecasting. Guided a significant marketing re-org, creating true P&L line leaders with planning and budgeting accountabilities and a new product/service ideation process. An executive leader in successful corporate ERP conversion.

Madison, Wisconsin Area

Using both internal and external data sources, scored existing customer accounts to identify those with maximum sales potential; re-organized inside selling team into separate “hunter” and “farmer” groups, ensuring adequate selling resources were focused on best opportunities. Created initial product management structure, reducing development time and improving product quality testing process. Consolidated multiple field sales organizations into a single national account team, improving reach and efficiency. Re-defined company positioning, driving key messaging into new sales collateral. Launched new web site and implemented more aggressive SEO/paid search strategies.

Janesville/Beloit, Wisconsin Area

Developed and helped implement the positioning of eight different b-to-b brands for this market leading, $425 million MRO distributor, a division of W.W Grainger. Includes the design and implementation of primary brand research and execution of findings across all marketing functions to increase brand customer relevancy and competitive positioning. Additional responsibilities in January, 2008: Manage the sales efforts of a Key Account staff of 11. Additional responsibilities in June, 2008: Direct the business planning process for Lab Safety Supply, the largest of the enterprise's brands, including day-to-day merchandising, advertising and circulation responsibilities across a combined staff of 20.

Madison, Wisconsin Area

Drove a re-branding exercise for this $76 million, multi-channel national safety distributor, including primary research, archetypal identification, integrated story development for national sales force, catalog and web presentations and new creative and collateral treatments. Also responsible for e-commerce, circ planning, advertising production and sales forecasting. Key executive contributor to the re-positioning of this stagnant distributor in an aggressive MRO marketplace. Record sales year in 2006.

Madison, Wisconsin Area

General manager of this multi-channel, b-to-b division of The Wisconsin Cheeseman, responsible for all sales/marketing activities including strategic planning, product development, print/web creative development, merchandising, sales force management, research and margin optimization. Manage staff of ten, marketing to wholesale and corporate targets, including Wal-Mart and Target.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin

Closely integrated multiple channels (inside/outside sales force, direct marketing, custom corporate web sites) to meet sales objectives in the rapidly growing b-to-b division of the well-known retailer. Part of senior management group charting strategic direction. Created consistent, profitable, double-digit annual sales growth coordinating a sales staff of 20 and generating $40 million in 2003. (As Director, National Accounts. )Set precedents for sales messaging and strategies within an existing brand structure that transformed this retailer into a powerful b-to-b sales team, acquiring Fortune 500 contractual business, including Bank One, Caterpillar, Saturn, Radio Shack, Cisco, Merck, UPS and IBM. (As Marketing Manager.)Managed database development and reporting, research, circulation planning, sales forecasting and national advertising and PR for this new business venture. Key contributor in its rapid sales growth (from $18 to $80 million during position tenure).

Madison, Wisconsin Area

Directing a staff of 15 (product management, advertising, research, database analysis and circulation) budgeted and managed the performance of a $17 million b-to-b direct marketer to professional markets as a division of NEBS/Deluxe. Cut promotional costs $1 million, contributing to a doubling in profits while still generating 3% real growth, taking share in a mature market with flat universe counts. (As Advertising Manager)Managed advertising strategy development and product design, their expression in copy, layout and photography, print production purchasing and production scheduling for a series of highly-targeted catalogs with circulation of over 4 million. Supervised five with budgetary responsibility for color seps, photography and printing. Implemented new scheduling, cross training and material handling procedures to reduce expenditures over 15% in 12-month period. Winner of special recognition in vertical market category of Catalog Age’s 1986/87 Catalog Awards.

Greater Chicago Area

Conceived, wrote and monitored the production of a wide range of catalog advertising pages and support pieces, including direct mail solo mailings (some with over a 15% response rate), catalog wrappers and stuffers, billing inserts, brochures and “take-ones.” Wrote copy, coordinated fulfillment for interactive shopping tests offering Sears product and services to subscribers of two data networks, including internet forerunner, Prodigy.

Umac Fellow

Fellow in the University of Minnesota Advanced Careers (UMAC) Initiative, an innovative pathway for experienced corporate professionals.

Ba, Advertising, Gpa: 3.91/4.00

Activities and Societies: Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society