Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Twenty plus years with top companies including General Mills, Rubbermaid, JM Smucker, The Schwan Food Company and Hearthside Foods. Held positions in R&D, Operations and Marketing Contributed substantial value in the areas of packaging, innovation, marketing and project management. Unique career background in creating new ideas, the technical and project management skills to develop and commercialize, and the business experience to bring those opportunities to market. Extremely passionate, creative and driven in developing new innovative products, packaging and brands to grow your product portfolio and drive significant financial opportunities for the company. Specialties: Innovation, Packaging Development, Project Management, Marketing
Provide operational support and effective project management for key business growth. As the operational liaison with Commercialization function, the position will ensure effective use of resources and communication of priorities across the Supply Chain function. • Operations lead and primary supply chain contact (internal) to functional teams. • Project management leadership of new product/offering commercialization projects for assigned new products. Coordinate and support tests & trial, material set-up/readiness, scale-up efforts and launch/post launch metrics. • Collaborate with customers and suppliers to ensure all specifications meet customer expectations. • Develop project management plans and monitor project milestones to ensure timelines are executed on schedule, taking immediate, proactive action with all functions that are at risk of falling behind schedule. • Provide technical direction to customers in meeting business objectives.
Develop new commercialization process and lead a team of project managers in bringing customers products to market. Manage individuals in developing those projects for the customers. Work with sales and customers to set expectations and timeline for projects. Drive revenue with leading the quoting team to bring new projects to the facility. •Hired, managed and trained two full time project managers and one contract employee. •Developed a new commercialization process for the facility including automated project timeline sheets, process flow diagrams, commercialization organizational meetings and improved quoting templates. •Delivered $17M in new revenue through testing and project managing new launches at our facility, equating into over 20% growth over prior year. •Contributed over $500K in revenue through testing charges to customers also equating into over 20% more over prior year. •Led the commercialization team in completing over 100 tests. •Led the quoting team in completing over 200 quotes.
Due to downsizing in marketing I was offered a position to rejoin the innovation team and develop new packaging ideas. Responsibilities: •Create and develop new innovative ideas for the food service business as well as the retail pizza and appetizer categories including microwave technology, convenience and sustainability. Accomplishments: •Developed new Burger King packaging concepts per customers request to improve “authentic” product positioning. •Submitted patent application for new microwave pizza packaging. •Winner in company innovation contest with patentable package concept “Hot Toppers”. •Tested and qualified new susceptor designs for single serve pizza and eggrolls to improve performance over competitors.
Approached by the food service division president who offered a position with national accounts resulting in a promotion to Marketing Manager. *Responsibilities: Marketing project leader on cross functional teams in developing new product concepts for the top 75 restaurant chains. Managed existing $20 million dollar business for central and west coast regions. Develop P&L’s and determine pricing. Presented concepts, consumer research and trends to customer accounts. Accomplishments: *Led effort with an outside agency in developing brand positioning, mission statement and marketing tools to for the National Accounts team. *Successfully launched test markets with new innovative products for Starbucks, Little Caesar’s, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Project portfolio value of approximately $15 million dollars. *Worked closely with the sales organization to understand new trends and how to best meet our customer’s needs.
*Hired by Vice President of Marketing to drive more innovation within the business unit. Position later reported to the division President. *Responsiblities: •Develop new breakthrough ideas and bring them to market in partnership with the category managers. Develop and launch branded concepts in the general food service channels. *Accomplishments: •Created five year strategy road map for the business unit to develop new product innovations. •Developed and launched branded concepts under Freschetta To Go™ & Minh™ Asian2Go™ brands that have delivered over $5M in incremental sales in five months. •Developed two packaging concepts Coffee Plus & Drizzler’s that are patent pending and one new trademark. •Developed Popcorn Pizza concept that was launched in 2009. •Received Division Chairman’s Award
Only senior packaging engineer hired to be part of a newly developed innovation team. Responsibilities: •Develop new concepts that drive significant incremental sales and profitability. Identify new technologies to plan for year three and beyond product launches that align with business unit strategies and goals. Accomplishments: •Invented, created trademarks and developed first to market new products including “Tropicones™” and “Timber Creek Smoking Tray™”. •Timber Creek Smoking Tray™ is patent pending in the US and international. •Developed business case on Timber Creek Smoking Tray for senior management approval of $.5M in capital. •Presented Timber Creek Smoking tray on national radio and television shows and assisted in creating website. (www.timbercreekgrilling.com) •Conducted sales calls on Sam’s Club and Dollar stores. •Conducted consumer research including ethnography, concept testing, IHUT’s and focus groups. Determined costs and developed P&L’s for the business case. Established time lines, identified team resources, assisted in manufacturing plans and resolved technical hurdles. •Presented concepts to Schwan’s executive council and other management teams along with outside companies for co-branding and partnership opportunities. •Assisted team in leading project wrappers which required cost savings efforts and manufacturing solutions to deliver the concept to market. •Developed and led innovation team internship program. Presented, interviewed and recruited students on campus. Four interns have been through the program since its inception. •Identified and presented new packaging technologies to R&D and the business units which included sustainable packaging and steaming/venting concepts.
(International Multifoods was acquired by JM Smucker after Joining) Recruited by former General Mills director as lead packaging engineer. Responsibilities: •Assist in developing the engineering department to design packaging and determine cost savings opportunities under the Pillsbury cake and frosting brands. •Accomplishments: •Completed development and market execution of the Pillsbury Frosting Squeeze bottle called “Treat Toppers™” which was a winner of the 2004 National Ameristar Awards. •Assisted in training and mentoring junior packaging engineers and functioned as technical resource on projects. •Identified 70k in cost savings by redesigning the frosting tub configuration.
First packaging engineer for the division reporting to the Vice President of Marketing. Responsibilities: •Assist in an innovation strategy in developing new products under the Rubbermaid and Shurline brand names. The strategy included a good, better, best approach which required at shelf packaging differentiation. It also required packaging solutions that could function as value added opportunities for the consumers. Developed packaging strategies for supporting the business units and identified needed resources in packaging to support those strategies. Accomplishments: •Created the “Clean Keeper™” packaging line which included injection molded designs that could store brushes or rollers. Winner of 2003 National Ameristar Award. •Implemented over 250K in packaging cost savings. •Designed packaging for 20+ new Rubbermaid convenience tools that were launched in Walmart. •Assisted purchasing in the selection process of packaging suppliers in China and resolved quality issues. •Implemented specification process •Developed template specs and drawings for rollers which reducing time between supplier, QA and manufacturing