Marketing Experience

Proven marketing effectiveness in adding value for customers and companies. Experience in Market Research and Analysis gathering, recording and analyzing of data about customers, products, competitors, the market, government regulations, economic trends, technological advances, etc. to help launch new products and services, fine tune existing products and services, and expand into new markets. Additional experience in Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning identifying sub-segments in a population according to geographic differences, demographic differences, use of product differences, and psychographic differences, etc., choosing which segments to address and positioning product in the minds of the target market.

Strategic Think Tank Member, 2002 - 2003

Food Lion LLC, Salisbury, NC

Challenge:

Brainstorm a new store concept for nation's 5th largest supermarket chain supporting consumer appeal and economic viability of strategic recommendations.

Actions:

• Under the Consumer Insights Work Stream, studied internal research data and industry articles to help support viability of Convenience and Vibrant Value concepts. Researched consumer values, shopping behaviors, preferences and basket composition, as well as impact of changing demographics and lifestyles on grocery shopping. Researched convenience stores their top selling items and demographics.
• Under the Services Work Stream, researched competitive offering and industry trends of various services, benefits to company, consumer appeal, pros and cons of inclusion, and work with potential vendors on economics, operations requirements, equipment and space specifications, promotional opportunities, managerial reporting, and implementation specifics. Compiled and combined economic information on potential, existing, and piloted services to get an overview of potential annual income.
• Under the Category Offering Work Stream, researched Private Label trends, SKU counts, categories and market share, competitive offering, industry and consumer trends in meal solutions and potential product offerings.

Results:

• Recommendations implemented included moving away from price as sole differentiator, adoption of a convenience section at the front of the store, expanded services, single serving meals and quick meals (ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat meals and ready-to-cook), incorporation of retail anthropology findings into store design and micro-merchandising.
• The concept evolved and was developed into a new brand, Bloom. Today there are over 40 Bloom stores in the U.S.

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Southern Division Diversity Manager, 2001-2002

Food Lion LLC, Salisbury, NC

Challenge:

Advise nation's 5th largest supermarket chain on workforce and customer issues, challenges and opportunities with special focus on Hispanic market.

Actions:

• Researched diversity in markets and competition's diversity initiatives.
• Identified andrecommended opportunities to participate in trade shows, banquets, festival, conferences, career fairs, community meetings and seminars to enhance brand image in local communities.
• Advised Store Operations, Product Category Management, Marketing, Human Resources, Recruiting, and Organizational Development on workforce, service, sales and media opportunities.

Results:

• Recommendations implemented included addition or expansion of Hispanic product category in select stores, advertising in Hispanic television and local Hispanic print and broadcast media.
• Contributed to a 25% increase in Hispanic category sales.

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E-Business Analyst, 2000-2001

One Price Clothing Stores, Duncan, SC.

Challenge:

Position web site of this 640-store retail chain with sales of $330 million in the top 30 results of the top 3 search engines.

Actions:

• Researched search engine optimization techniques.
• Cleaned up code.
• Ensured keyword rich meta-tags (title tags, description tags, keyword tags, alt attribute tags on images, comment tags).
• Redesigned site navigation and content structure.
• Rewrote content with focus on keyword placement, frequency and weight.

Results:

• Achieved positioning on first page of top 2 search engines in 5 strategic keywords.
• Increased corporate web site traffic by 230%.

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Marketing Coordinator, 1999-2000

One Price Clothing Stores, Duncan, SC.

Challenge:

Identify the best way to communicate with female Hispanic market for this 640-store retail chain with sales of $330 million.

Actions:

• Researched and analyzed uses of media, lifestyles and purchasing behaviors.
• Identified Hispanic television media for best reach and penetration of U.S. Hispanics and direct mail for best reach and penetration in Puerto Rico.
• Identified advertsing agencies that could handle the campaigns and coordinated their presentations to executive management.
• Coordinated approved television and direct mail campaigns for test markets.

Results:

• Mother's Day sales in both U.S. Hispanic stores and Puerto Rican stores increased by 20%.

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General Manager, 1997-1998

Comfort Suites, Greenville, SC.
Full P&L responsibility plus forecasting for budget of $1.3 million.

Challenge:

Increase revenues of this 60-room all-suite limited service hotel located off the highway. While visible from the highway, access to the property was not. The property had been recently removed from the state highway signs because a newly built property was considered closer to the exit ramp. These two facts greatly hindered the hotel's ability to generate additional revenues from walk-in business. Addressed the challenge from both operational performance and marketing perspective.

Actions:

• Analyzed booking sources.
• Identified that although built for the business traveler and next door to Michelin North America headquarters, the hotel had little corporate business.
• Conducted customer profitability studies on group and corporate sales contracts.
• Identified highly-discounted and unprofitable room blocks had been negotiated with two different airlines.
• Did not renew one airline contract and replaced with profitable $450,000 rooms contract from Michelin North America.

Results:

• Speficic action contributed to increase in rooms revenues of 16%.

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Rooms Division Director, 1996-1997

Factory Mutual Conference Center, Norwood, MA.
Full P&L responsibility plus forecasting for budget of $1.7 million.

Challenge:

Improve room revenues of this 150-room hotel with 25,000 sq.ft. of meeting space. Although affilitated to Best Western, the hotel was built to accommodate the housing needs of this company's world-wide staff and conference attendees. Increasing revenues through sales to the general public had to be managed around the company's research and engineering activities. Addressed the challenge from both operational performance and marketing perspective.

Actions:

• Analyzed booking sources.
• Identified that the hotel was not taking advantage of Boston city-wide sellouts that did not overlap with the company's housing needs.
• Negotiated with Boston Hotel Reservations Service for premium-rate booking referrals during Boston city-wide sellouts.

Results:

• Speficic action contributed to increase in room revenues of 10%.

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Reservations Manager, 1990 - 1993

The Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, MA.
Full P&L responsibility plus forecasting for budget of $6 million.

Challenge:

Increase revenues and reduce departmental operating expenses to improve the profit margin of the Rooms Division of The Grande Dame of Boston, a 373-room 4-star, 4-diamond luxury hotel, with 20,500 sq.ft. of meeting space. The economic boom of "New England Miracle" had ended and the area had entered into a severe recession. The hotel, along with all others throughout the city, was practicing deep rate discounting and margins were being squeezed. Addressed the challenge from both operational performance and marketing perspective.

Actions:

• Developed historical database of rate, occupancies, cancellations and no-shows with market segment breakdown.
• Devloped advanced booking tracking database to determine booking pace.
• Analyzed patterns in booking activity history and pace to forecast demand and determine pricing and sales strategies.
• Trained staff on salesmanship including feature-benefit and top-down techniques.
• Conducted customer profitability studies on group and corporate sales contracts.

Results:

• Speficic action increased booking conversions from 33% to 60% of inquiries.
• Speficic action contributed to increase in room revenues of 9%.

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Director of Sales & Marketing, 1988 - 1989

Park Inn International, Atlanta, GA.
Responsibility for guest room and meeting room sales budget of $400,000.

Challenge:

Charged with improving revenues of this 180-room distressed airport property. The facility had been repossessed by the bank and was operating with minimum resources. Although close the the interstate and a major international airport, it was located across a railway. It had no curb appeal, the restaurant had been closed and one floor had been leased out at deep discount to a humanitarian outfit for lodging of transient immigrants.

Actions:

• Researched and analyzed market needs and competitive environment.
• Identified niche markets for budget meeting and lodging facilities in the unmet needs of a large minority association, a local labor union and military base.
• Repositioned property to serve to serve these markets and made sales presentations.

Results:

• Won $22,000 meeting facilities contract from Ford Workers Union.
• Generated $39,000 in meeting room revenues from the Atlanta Laotian community.
• Won $216,000 rooms contract from Fort Gillem.
• Increased guest room revenues by 25%.
• Increased meeting room sales by 13%.

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General Manager, 1987 - 1988

Park Inn International, Salisbury, NC.
Full P&L responsibility plus forecasting for budget of $1.7 million.

Challenge:

Increase revenues of this 125-room hotel located off the highway in a small town. Though strategically located off a busy interstate, between two major cities, and 2 miles from the headquarters of a regional grocery chain, the hotel was failing to achieve its room revenue goals. Addressed the challenge from both operational performance and marketing perspective.

Actions:

• Analyzed booking activity for sell-out patterns.
• Identified customer preferences for specific room types from sell-out patterns, interviews and customer requests in reservations.
• Realized the hotel's holistic approach to room pricing did not capitalize on individual room types as sources of additional revenues
• Created new room categories and increased pricing 35% from high-demand room types (rooms with front parking, rooms facing the pool, rooms with jacuzzi tubs) impacting 30% of inventory.
• Features were incorporated in room descriptions to assist with sales value proposition.

Results:

• Ensured that even at lower occupancy levels, higher revenues were achieved.
• Speficic action contributed to increase in room revenues of 25%.

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