My volunteer activities with the NWAHC continue to evolve - in addition to the editorial and communications efforts I contribute, I am now on the Executive and Steering committees and one of the point people in moving our "Go Big" plan forward. I work with our consulting partners on feasibility studies, outside architects on requests for proposal for our proposed new home, the Metropolitan Airports Council on site selection and planning status updates, and with media in Minnesota and the broader civil aviation community to promote our current museum as well as our growth plans.I am also on the team that selected nonprofit fundraising software from Bloomerang - and is in the process of implementing the package. This will aid us also in communications with our membership, volunteers, and fans!I've also implemented a Shopify-based e-commerce site featuring exclusive logo merchandise and artwork and digital media downloads.We are looking to grow our Board to about double its current size as of December 2022. I am also involved in recruiting, interviewing, and recommending candidates who can broaden our collective experience and talents. Please drop me a message if you are interested in joining our band at this exciting and important time!

Volunteer on the Board of Directors for a commercial aviation history museum celebrating its 20th year in 2022. Develop and edit the museum's website, quarterly print journal, and e-commerce platform (Shopify); lead efforts to digitize the Museum's archives; and work with other Board members to create a long-term development plan, including construction of a permanent museum and archive, capital fundraising, growing our board and hired positions, and creating alliances with other aviation, education, social, and hospitality organizations.Northwest Airlines, Republic Airlines, and their predecessors and partners were crucial to the social and economic growth and development of the Twin Cities and Upper Midwest - created advancements in safety and aeronautics - facilitated the melding of Asian and American cultures more than any other company - and profoundly enabled immigration to Minnesota. The NWAHC has a unique perspective and can tell stories like no other museum in the Northland.Our balance sheet is strong coming out of the pandemic, but our future viability depends on not just attracting patrons from younger generations, but getting them involved in preserving and communicating the history and future of commercial aviation. We aim to grow the NWAHC into one of the Twin Cities' celebrated cultural and social institutions, and be a strong partner for STEM education, aviation workforce development, and inter-cultural understanding.

The world of commercial aviation has been my lifelong interest, and as a Minnesotan, the stories of Northwest, Republic, and North Central Airlines are endlessly fascinating. In the summer of 2018 I was given the opportunity to volunteer my services to the NWAHC as Editor of their quarterly journal, REFLECTIONS, which is sent to about 800 paid members and shared with thousands over the Internet.I have since stepped in to manage the NWAHC website and its Facebook page, which lets me better coordinate when and how new articles get released and promoted, and create web-only content. I coordinate several times per month with the Center's executive director about the research and discoveries being made in its archives and about plans for future exhibitions at its physical museum in Bloomington, MN. This role also lets me create standard procedures for communicating with the media about NWAHC events - and to start building a network of media and research resources!Along with my skills of interviewing, storytelling, photography, and writing, I am also learning the WordPress website platform to manage the NWAHC website, and using the Scribus desktop-publishing program for the newsletter.

The pandemic accelerated trends in how PK-12 teachers teach, what materials they use, and where they shop. It also significantly boosted families' interest in supplementing their kids' education at home - and desire for more quality non-screen shared activities. TREND's 50+ year history of developing thoughtful, affordable, high-quality games, flash cards, rewards, and visual aids for the classroom and home gives us a strong legacy to build on. After working closely with senior management for decades, in the wake of their retirements I have taken on the duties of Sales leadership, including:- Creating and implementing a new distribution strategy to better reach families and Millennial teachers: opening up the Toy/Game/Gift channel; opening up the Book channel; and significantly increasing our capabilities to support E-commerce, including our Amazon listings. I assign prospecting and account coverage across our in-house and contract sales reps, and dig in myself for firsthand knowledge of Amazon FBA costing, influencer sourcing, and I.P. licensing- Revising our terms of sale policies and seasonal channel promotions to better align with how the Toy, Book, and E-Commerce channels go to market; this has already tightened our cash cycle from 8 months to 90 days- Building the business cases and working tightly with our designers to create new Family Card Games and the industry's new format for Room Decor that are effective for teaching and deliver fun in both classrooms and homes - that will be essential to opening distribution in new retail channels- Leading our participation in trade events and in many cases serving as "the voice of the company" in person or on YouTube voiceoversTransformation from a niche publisher in Education Supply stores to being a well-recognized consumer game and decor brand will take time - but we've grown bookings 20% in the past year, and as long as paper is available, that should be sustainable.

Work with VP-level management to create and implement sales promotion strategies.Compose creative briefs and work with copywriters and art directors to design and produce mailings, emails, signage, and promotional materials.Create and implement trade show strategy; coordinate in-house production, external vendors, and transportation; manage events on-site.Conduct Sales staff training via face-to-face team meetings, weekly conference calls, and individual coaching.Research new distribution channels and market development approaches; present findings and recommendations to senior executives; create go-to-market procedures and reporting tools to assess progress.Develop and maintain routine and ad-hoc sales reporting for VP-level management and Sales staff.

Performed revenue and unit-volume forecasting to support financial and inventory planning.Led annual cross-functional teams to determine pricing schedules, product retirements, and trade allowance policies.Coordinated market intelligence with Product Line Managers to drive development of new and updated SKUs.

Before the pandemic, and before the Communist Party of China started strongly discouraging casual tourism by Americans, the goal for weninchina.com was to inspire US families to travel to China to meet the people and see the country for themselves - to break down prejudice and promote a more global worldview.That no longer seems to be a viable aim, at least not while the current confrontational stance is in place.After the pandemic, widening the scope to encourage family travel to East Asia - Japan, Korea, Taiwan in particular - would be appropriate (and I had already started various article series in anticipation.) This will involve a change of name, and perhaps of format as well. For now, weninchina's activities are limited to Twitter where I share East Asian / Asian-American items of interest and commentary.As our daughter (now a high-schooler!) gets more involved, if she wants to try her hand at travel / culture oriented media, I want this little project to be a space where she can learn to run her own business - and be an authentic voice as someone who bridges both East Asia and America.

Developed sourcing & inventory management systems to handle the company's growth from $3 million to $10 million annual revenue in two years, while reducing total inventory and increasing turnover.

Accountable for utilization, maintenance, and leasing for a fleet of 1200 railcars.Developed rail scheduling guidelines to provide more-consistent service using 10% fewer assets.Managed production allocation and distribution for a network of 18 flour mills across North America.

Staff supervision, scheduling, inventory control, and profit/loss responsibility.Customer service training, store layout & merchandising, and special events planning.