Resume

Dedicated marketing professional combines Master of Business Administration degree with track record of marketing success creating and executing effective online, interactive and direct brand strategies. Results-oriented, decisive leader, with proven history establishing and cultivating relationships to expand sales and distribution channels as well as to secure strategic alliances. Highly creative; adept at developing innovative solutions and launching comprehensive campaigns. Proficient at introducing new products and marketing initiatives that transform business processes, optimize market opportunities, and grow revenue.

Strategic Planning · Channel Marketing · Technology Products · Creative Design · Budget Creation

Program Launch & Management · Promotional Strategies · Strategic Partnerships · e-Commerce

Target Marketing · Market Research & Analysis · New Media Strategies · Team Leadership

Packaged Goods · B2B Sales · Product Positioning · Merchandise Presentations · Networking

INTROFLY.COM, Chicago, IL 2011 - PRESENT

Founder

BEYONDCREDENTIALS.COM, Denver, CO 2009 - PRESENT

Founder

CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY, Boulder, CO - 2009

Content Manager / Senior Account Executive

XIKAR, Kansas City, Missouri - 2005-2009

Global firm specializing in gentlemen’s accessories with $9M in annual sales.

Marketing and Communications Director / Executive

Direct all marketing activities, including promotions, special events, consumer pull campaigns, and advertising. Supervise 3 team members to compose and execute both sales and advertising campaigns for over 300 SKUs while always remaining under budget. Analyze sales reports and prepare promotional materials; collaborate with editorial staff to capture product attributes accurately and to conduct successful campaigns. Communicate with sales team to ensure promotions are timely and appropriate; contact international staff to specialize marketing material to regional consumers.

• Led high-caliber campaigns across 3,000 stores and corporate website leveraging intense customer focus and comprehensive product knowledge, which fueled 40% increase in company sales from 2005 to 2008.
• Created & directed nationwide promotional and advertising campaigns by leading creative teams, vendors and national sales teams toward focused goals.  Successfully positioned company as the most trusted and recognized accessory designer in the industry through effective communication strategies.
• Captured significant increase in consumer e-mail open rate to over 45% and click-through rate to 35%, exceeding industry averages, fueling 40% increase in website sales revenue over 2 years.
• Restructured marketing processes to streamline large-scale promotions.
• Developed go-to-market introduction and penetration strategy for high-end gourmet cutlery and jet-flame lighter products.
• Led creative teams & vendors through development of company website redesign while remaining under budget.  Wrote and edited all content, including all press releases.
• Led creative & marketing teams on all print creation and management: product packaging / brochures / catalogs / point-of-sale / advertising.  Negotiated all vendor contracts.

INTUIT SOFTWARE, INC., Kansas City, Missouri · 2004-2005

Financial and business software provider with $2.6B yearly sales.

Marketing and Sales Representative

Designed local marketing campaigns for business and accounting software solutions, such as QuickBooks and Turbo Tax. Negotiated product placement and price positioning agreements with store managers of large corporations such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, and Office Max. Researched possible sales channels and cultivated relationships with clients.

• Boosted sales floor real estate 3-fold in Kansas City area over 3-year span.
• Guided company to 13% increase in sales in 1 year by instituting effective campaigns and by leveraging extensive product knowledge.
• Facilitated product demonstrations to store employees and customers to provide consumer knowledge and product marketing.
• Facilitated new product launch for regional markets.

EDUCATION

Master of Business Administration, Concentration in Marketing & Finance
Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Concentration in Marketing

Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri

*** Rockhurst University is an AACSB accredited university.  For more information on this prestigious designation, visit http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation ***

*** Earned Dean’s List honors 6 times ** Awarded ROCK Scholarship 5 times ***

Accomplishments

I can play guitar.

I can play drums.

I've hiked three 14,000+ ft mountains.

I can quit my job to start a company...and sleep at night.

I've driven marketing campaigns for start ups and Fortune 500s. 

I've worked at 15 different types of jobs all over the country.

I ran a marathon and lived.

I have an MBA.

My Personality

Q&A

How do you handle stressful situations?
Breathe. Get perspective. Plan, then get back to work.

How has your education prepared you for your career?
It made me take a lot of information in, distill it down to usable information and then create and execute plans of action.

Tell me about a suggestion you have made
Make things more simple. Tell better, rather than longer stories.

What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
Someone who is just in it for the money or creates value by taking it from someone else.

What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
That I'll always make mistakes. Therefore I have no excuses for not creating new solutions everyday.

Describe your work ethic.
Smart, resourceful, collaborative.

Do you have any questions for me?
Why do you do what you do everyday?

References

Kurt Van Keppel, President, Xikar.com

Kevin Melgaard, Chief of Flair, Beyondcredentials.com

 

 

Writing Samples

The Importance of Story In Our Lives

Our next door neighbor is 94 years old. She is a wonderfully positive and generous woman. She lives alone. Before this past Christmas she told Clare and I she had written an autobiography of sorts. A history of her and her family's life.

She wanted to share it with her grandchildren so they would know her role, and their roles, in the family story. Problem was, she had this treasure of a life story on one hand written notebook and no means of typing it to make multiple copies for her many grandchildren around the country. Clare volunteered to take care of it. I helped. We sat at the kitchen table, Clare reading aloud and me typing away.

As we sat together following her struggles of loneliness, great change and great joys all mixed together, it became overwhelmingly clear that all our lives – no matter how long – have a beginning, middle and unavoidable end. They are a story. But do we ever stop to think about where we are in our own story? If we were to stop where we are and read our short history up to this day, would we be interested? Would anyone else? Did we create moments that we want to go back and read again and again? Did we experience things or create memories that others would tell in their stories? Are all the characters interesting? Does our plot ever thicken? Do our stories contain lessons learned, battles fought for good (no matter the outcome), romance, comedy and the tragedy that only comes with love so strong it makes us completely vulnerable?

Do we look back at chapters of our story and say "that was really smart" or "that was the prudent thing to do"? Maybe. But more often we look back and say "that was really STUPID". Those are the moments that stick out in our lives because those are moments when we grew and our plot thickened.