Experience

The Tiger Sports Shop

• United States
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Operating Officer

  • Dec 2021 - Present



Garnet & Gold

• Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Operations Manager / Marketing / Inventory / eCommerce

  • Feb 2015 - Dec 2021

  • Strategizes, executes, and manages all eCommerce initiatives on B2C Magento eCommerce platform with website annual sales exceeding $1 million dollars. • Maintains e-mail marketing database and creates comprehensive e-mail marketing and digital campaigns to increase online presence in emerging media outlets. • Regularly monitors the competitive landscape by examining strategies of best-in-class brick and mortar and online retailers to understand emerging trends and recommend changes based on customer and competitor insights. • Utilizes traditional and digital marketing efforts to create relevant, value-added and engaging customer shopping experiences and to ensure maximum customer acquisition, engagement, retention, loyalty, and revenue. • Leverages insight into sports retail to monitor and manage inventory performance and develop financial strategies to achieve sales plans for pre-season, in-season, and hot-market opportunities. • Collaborates and works closely with third-party agencies to increase eCommerce traffic and sales, improve conversion and profitability, and optimize online advertising and marketing efficiencies. • Creates yearly partner-specific marketing calendars to capitalize on relative sporting events and sales cycles to increase gross revenue. • Provides overall strategic direction on all new product introductions from key vendors including financial forecasts, merchandising, and marketing directives. • Oversees systems implementation and improvements with eCommerce and site-based development of integrated POS and warehouse inventory systems. • Responsible for strategic planning and financial oversight to ensure accuracy in corporate financial reporting. Show less



Coton Colors

• United States
• Wholesale
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Inventory & Sourcing Manager

  • May 2011 - Feb 2015

  • Managed top-down product demand forecast based on open-to-buy and financial targets to maximize sales and attain desired inventory targets. Provided product forecasts and proactively identified risks or opportunities with recommendations to optimize sales to inventory ratio. • Tracked, analyzed, and reported 12-month moving average figures to gauge the direction of the current product line trend with the removal of seasonal fluctuations. • Attended weekly planning and budget meetings to discuss companywide financial targets including product gross profit margins, estimated EOY inventory valuation, and inventory overages or shortages. • Identified and analyzed product mix potential by utilizing GMROII analysis to identify top SKU effectiveness by collection and profitability by product. • Planned and procured in-season purchases and tracked orders with on-time delivery. Responsible for price negotiation, purchase order creation and issuance, maintenance, and receipt of finished goods. • Managed purchases of more than $1.9M annually – Maintained average initial product gross profit margin of 74.6% with an average blended gross margin of 45.6%. • Coordinated and managed information about product line management, product creation and development, and go-to-market processes. • Developed a vendor guide strengthening partnerships and establishing a clear understanding of requirements and standards. • Established, implemented, and tracked quality assurance control-related standards, reports, and procedures to monitor and minimize product defect rate – In 2014, effectively managed to fulfill more than 675,000 units with low defect/return rate. • Maintained strong vendor relationships by traveling to China annually to meet with an export agent and visited and evaluated current and potential manufacturing facilities. Show less



Nebraska Book Company, Inc.

• Wholesale
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Product Category Manager - Men's Apparel and Headwear

  • Oct 2009 - May 2011

  • Developed, planned, and executed seasonal product assortments and financial plans with annual departmental sales exceeding $19.8M. Initiated sales plans using corporate goals and strategies to maximize sales and profits. • Sourced and assembled corporate-wide product mix; negotiated prices and established production and delivery guidelines with 50+ vendors.• Communicated with vendors on an ongoing basis regarding product availability, pricing, minimums, terms, graphic options, shipping schedules, and other related concerns. • Prepared merchandising tools such as style/SKU reports, product flow, and assortment pages, and merchandising grids. • Communicated vendor and product information to the planning management team including product assortment plans, lead times, and product style sheets. • Partnered with planners to review decisions impacting the product category including sales and margin forecasting, seasonal markdown direction, and pricing and promotional activity. • Established buy plans for key items and provided item forecasts to vendors to ensure proper execution of merchandise strategy.• Prepared and analyzed sales reports identifying opportunities that included a review of vendor performance, product, size, color, and graphic trends. • Performed weekly analysis of sales and inventory availability of key items or seasonal products and provided recommendations to store planners for fulfillment orders. • Tracked, analyzed, and evaluated current fashion and market trends and offered actionable insights for trend introduction to the collegiate retail environment. Show less

• Regional Buyer - South Region

  • Jan 2010 - Aug 2010

  • Executed general merchandise purchasing for 10 stores in the South region totaling over $5.7M annually in retail sales. • Generated sales plans and market growth strategies for the region. • Managed Open-to-Buy process by store location to support inventory goals including sales, gross margin, and inventory turnover. • Selected product assortments with style and graphic options for diverse markets. • Maintained proper size, color, and style balance to meet demands for each location. • Performed weekly analysis of sales and inventory availability and initiated fulfillment orders. • Executed allocation plans and managed purchase orders for timely and accurate delivery. • Recommended and executed markdown schedules and sale events to liquidate aged inventory or overstock situations. • Effectively communicated purchasing plans with key personnel while adapting plans to meet the store’s individual consumer needs. • Diagrammed, organized, and directed visual presentation of each store and recommended changes to enhance sales. Show less

• General Merchandise Buyer

  • Jan 2004 - Jul 2010

  • Developed product assortments for collegiate retail store with an annual sales volume of more than $2.75M. • Maintained 44% gross margin while companywide standard set at 42%. • Consistently met and exceeded corporate annual growth factor of 5%, 2004-2008. • Attended trade fairs to select and assemble product mix. • Collaborated with licensed manufacturers on exclusive product development. • Worked with campus licensing director reviewing product standards, resolving vendor issues, and examining market trends. • Regularly reviewed sales analysis including style evaluation, vendor performance, stock sell-thru, and margin analysis. • Managed plans for stock levels and identified growth opportunities and risks in assortment and developed contingency plans. • Created, designed, and planned production of licensed product catalogs, brochures, and in-store advertising. • Participated in promotional activities and met with the management team to ensure sale events were executed effectively. • Managed implementation and maintenance of eCommerce site and E-marketing plan. Show less