Steffan Waters

Tech & Digital Finance @ Lowe’s | Former College Sports Executive | Florida Warrington MBA

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

About

Experience

  • Finance Manager - Tech & Digital at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
    Jun 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

  • Pro Strategic Initiatives Finance Intern at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
    May 2023 - Aug 2023 · 4 mos

  • Editor In Chief at USA Junior Hockey Magazine
    Jul 2018 - May 2022 · 3 yrs 11 mos

    Serve as Editor in Chief and contributor of the nationally-distributed USA Junior Hockey Magazine, a monthly publication covering the junior hockey leagues in the United States and their players. - Oversaw team of 7 freelance writers strategically sourced from various parts of the country, delegating assignments, tracking deadlines, and editing work upon submission. - Coordinated with layout to design the monthly issue for distribution.

  • ATLANTIC HOCKEY ASSOCIATION (6 yrs)
    • Associate Commissioner
      Jul 2017 - Jun 2021 · 4 yrs

      Assisted Commissioner in day-to-day operations and in budget forecasting/allocation while overseeing branding, marketing, communications, and social media strategies for member institutions and 400+ active student-athletes each season. - Aggressively marketed, through improved pricing and positioning strategies, live game streaming to increase year-over-year (3 seasons - 2015-2018) revenue share by 136% and viewership by 78%. - Negotiated the conference’s first-ever fixed-income media rights deal, securing a four-year deal with an average annual value of $150k or an increase of 582% in streaming revenue in just 3 years. - Developed individual marketing and communications strategies for each conference, researching trends and evaluating campaign effectiveness to identify areas and territories of potential growth within the organization. - Implemented comprehensive social media strategy, including development of the first-ever brand style guide and planned annual graphic themes; Achieved a 208% increase in social media followers and 330% increase in post engagement. - Spearheaded redesign of league websites, focusing on improved UX/UI to reduce negative feedback and introduce a modern website experience. Unique visits increased from 47K per month from 2015-2017 to 75K per month from 2017-2021. - Re-allocated external marketing agency budget to establish and lead a team of in-house seasonal content creators. Coordinating production of all marketing collateral and content within the department reduced outsourcing costs for the leagues by $30K annually (roughly 5.5% of the operating budget), allowing for re-investment into student-athlete experiences.

    • Director of Communications
      Jul 2015 - Jun 2017 · 2 yrs

      -Oversaw the league's communications/marketing efforts, supervising a team of two seasonal employees. -Worked closely with national and regional digital, print, and television media outlets to better promote the league, the member institutions, and our student-athletes. -Created and distributed written, video, and graphic content on league website and social media platforms.

  • Elmira College (5 yrs 10 mos)
    • Assistant Director of Sports Information
      Jul 2013 - Jun 2015 · 2 yrs

      -Helped promote and publicize the 19 varsity sports at Elmira College -Primary contact for women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, women's ice hockey, men's and women's tennis, and softball. -Helped implement a successful social media strategy that increased followers, engagement, and website traffic.

    • Sports Information Student Assistant
      Sep 2009 - Jun 2013 · 3 yrs 10 mos

      -Assisted sports information staff at home games by recording game action, taking stats, or calling the game -Trained to use StatCrew for soccer, field hockey, ice hockey, and basketball -Put in charge of the 2012 Field Hockey season, including taking stats at all home games, writing post-game stories, and submitting box scores and stories to the media.