Marietta, Georgia, United States
I am a versatile and results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in the natural and organic industry. I have a passion for continuous improvement, team building, change management, and mentorship. I have successfully led and supported multiple startups, CPGs, and retail corporations in all aspects of their operations, product development, category management, planning, budgeting, eCommerce, marketing, and sustainability efforts. As the founder and president of Big Spoon Consulting, LLC, I provide strategic advice and consulting services to clients across the industry, from facility and plant assessments, to financial modeling, process management, change enablement, and sale and marketing leadership. I leverage my deep operational experience in multi-unit, food-focused, quality-centric organizations, as well as my master's degree in African history and executive MBA short courses in mergers and acquisitions and digital innovation, to drive innovation and spur organizational growth. I am an expert at delivering premier experiences, creating value propositions, developing brands, negotiating with suppliers, and managing complex projects. My goal is to help my clients achieve their vision and mission in the natural and organic industry.
Lead retail and foodservice sales for premium all-natural bakery focused on baklava and other Mediterranean pastries.
Work with founder and CEO to develop and grow Yaza Foods retail and foodservice business in grocery, restaurants, club stores, universities, and C-stores. Activities include strategic planning, SKU development, budgeting, promotional planning, presentation and communication with retail leadership and brokers regarding category review, line extensions, and performance reporting.
Lead outside sales efforts of La Farm Bakery products to regional and national grocers, non-traditional retail thru Aramark, Sodexo, Compass, and Constellation, as well as unique opportunities and partnerships with organizations like the US Open and NC Courage Soccer club. Handle major supplier and IT service provider contracts and RFPs, and assist in forming a strategic vision for the company.
Consultant to startups, CPGs, and retail corporations on all aspects of operations, product development, category management, planning, budgeting, eCommerce plans, assortment, and marketing efforts. Short and long-term engagements, projects, and adviserships. Facility and plant assessments, in addition to operational planning, financial modeling, process management, and change enablement. Full client list available upon request, recent examples include: * La Farm Bakery - combination of contract and consulting work focused on expanding wholesale business, identifying operational efficiencies, cost reductions, systems integrations, and strategic initiatives. * Avery Dennison - consulting project focused on identifying applicability and use cases for new proprietary technology in the grocery sector. * 1520 - consulting and contract work for a rapid delivery grocery concept operating in New York and Chicago; work focused on assortment strategy, promotional spend, operational best practices, and fundraising. * Yaza Foods - contract work establishing sales and promotional strategy for a new cultured-dairy CPG.
JOKR is a rapid grocery delivery company operating in New York City and Boston. Up to twenty hubs served over 300,000 customers and delivered more than three million orders. As Head of Commercial and Supply Chain at JOKR, I was responsible for all assortment, category management, ad and non-traditional revenue, on-site and category view, supplier relationships and negotiations, warehouse operations and demand planning.