Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States
Significant sales, marketing, managerial and operations background in both the retail and financial services arenas. Proven educator and trainer at the college/university level and in the work setting. Specialties: Sales training (SPIN method), customer service, team building, facilitating and instructing, operations development, creating & enhancing customer relationships, establishing strategic partnerships, generating positive net income, and crafting new and unique concepts.
• Instruct sales, marketing and management courses in UNI’s College of Business Administration. Serve the Marketing Department and Management Department. Current courses are Professional Selling, Sales Management and the Business School’s capstone course, Business Policy and Strategy. • Teach locally and internationally in UNI’s Graduate MBA Program. Current courses are International Marketing and Marketing Management. Current locations are Pella, Iowa; Hong Kong; and Guangzhou, China. • Serve as UNI Marketing Department Internship/Cooperative Education Coordinator and Instructor. • Serve as a Department Adviser for 75 students. • Serve as Faculty Adviser for two student organizations, Pi Sigma Epsilon and Panther Leadership Service Club. • Previous courses taught include Organizational Management, Principles of Marketing, Services Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Retail Management. • Previously, facilitated, counseled and instructed over 300 business students as part of UNI’s Professional Readiness Program (PRP). The program is a mandatory two-semester program for all business majors designed to develop business professionalism: skills such as assertiveness, confidence and adaptability, tolerance for ambiguity, critical thinking, communication skills, and proper professional etiquette.
Responsible for developing new customer relationships, nurturing and enhancing existing relationships and improving processes and controls within the One3 Design operation. Report directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
Represented one of the largest food distributors in the country. Consulted restaurants, schools, daycare facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, churches, hospitals, casinos, "mom and pop" cafes, concessionaires, bakeries and a variety of other public facilities. Established solid business relationships by providing expertise in the area of menu planning, dietary education, packaging, "plate" costs, food quality and quantity, brand awareness and good solid marketing. Sold a variety of supplies necessary for these business to operate. This included dry goods, perishables such as fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses, frozen and other refrigerated foods, janitorial, and medical supplies. My territory included portions of Northeast Iowa and Central Iowa including Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Tama, Marshalltown, and Iowa Falls. Sales volume in my territory was between $6MM and $7MM annually. Left this position to pursue full-time teaching at the collegiate level. That said, I loved this job!
Managed a staff of inside sales associates in the day-to-day sales and service operations of a $286MM distributor of food, medical and janitorial supplies. Duties included: • Managing a diversity of clients including Godfather’s Pizza, Pizza Ranch, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, University of Wisconsin, Days Inn and Suites and Peterson Homes. Annual sales exceed $62MM. • Overseeing inbound/outbound call center including all telecommunication efforts • Strategic planning including budgeting and sales forecasting • Implementing quotas and creating promotions for staff • Driving an effective utilization of the Customer Relations Management (CRM) database • Adopting Six Sigma standards within the department • Maintaining ongoing product training programs.
Owned a bottle shop and wine cafe. This unique concept featured products for carry-out or dine-in. Product line included fine wines, light fare, gourmet chocolates and exotic cheeses from around the world. Sales during the store’s tenure totaled over $2MM. Closed due to changes in market tastes and demand and increased rent expenses. During ownership, performed a variety of tasks including, but not limited to: • Hand-selling a variety of high-end premium wine and beers to a varied clientele. • Sales and marketing development; public relations and community services • Financial management, including financial analysis, pro forma development, payroll and accounting • Operations management • Customer relations and Vendor relations • Human resource management, including training and development • Inventory management and control