Experience

Russ Bassett

• Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Product & Design Services Manager

  • 2007 - Present

  Promoted to oversee the Design Services Department in support of meeting and exceeding company objectives for a leading designer and manufacturer of a broad selection of technical furniture, console, and media storage products.• Lead a team of designers to create and develop custom console configurations engineered to serve the complex needs of end-users working in 24/7 environments: public safety/law enforcement, utilities, government, and airlines/air traffic control.• Conduct webinars with customers to verify and dial-in custom console designs, configurations, and layouts; convey customer requests to the product development and engineering teams.• Develop CAD, rendering, and design packages; review, log, schedule, and assign all inbound drawing requests.• Oversee the entire development and product support process, from providing initial design quotes to the fulfillment of RMA/warranty replacements to end users. • Manage purchasing contract vehicles, such as GSA, CMAS, TXMAS, and HGACBuy; maintain a growing database of part numbers. • Recruit, train, and develop design staff and provide continuous support to the Sales Department.• Leverage technical and business development acumen to provide ad hoc IT support and perform administrative duties as needed.• Played an instrumental role in the development and sales success of multiple product lines of 24/7 mission-critical console furniture designed to serve the needs of commercial and government entities.• Serve a key role in collaboration with sales professionals and engineers in introducing and developing new product lines and new products, generating incremental annual sales.

• Filing Product Specialist

  • 2004 - 2007

  Promoted to provide customer service and sales support for a network of dealers of commercial filing cabinet product lines.• Delivered product training and customer support for dealers and suppliers to help them address the needs of end-users.• Developed and maintained successful business relationships and built strong rapport with a growing network of dealers.• Engaged in daily communication with the Sales Department to relay customer feedback and help coordinate dealer follow-ups.• Monitored all aspects of the product life cycle, including long-and-short-term development and marketing.• Performed IT support functions as needed to improve and maintain workforce productivity.

• Information Systems Supervisor

  • 2002 - 2004

  Recruited to design and implement innovative technology solutions to meet the dynamic needs of a growing company.• Undertook a challenging, large-scale IT implementation project supporting the Materials Department.• Conducted computer hardware and software support; collaborated with third-party vendors to solve critical issues.• Received product materials from suppliers and processed day-to-day business transactions.