Director - Design / Development or Vice President Product Develo

8/6/2019 Director - Design / Development or Vice President Product Develo

1/4

Elissa L. Shuck2630 S. South Bahama DriveGilbert, AZ [email protected] ::480.262.5058 mobile ::480.279.4635 office

OBJECTIVE

Obtain a challenging position with a progressive companywhere my career skills can be utilized effectively towarddevelopment of core strengths, expansion of the brand visionand achievement of the organizational mission.

STRENGTHS SUMMARY

High caliber, entrepreneurial team leader with over 25 yearsof diversified experience in sales and sales management,business analysis, brand management and financialsustainability. Motivated developer with a proven record ofbuilding, coaching, and working on successful teams. Ademonstrated track record of achievement emphasizingresponsibility, maximizing strengths, and contributing topositive environments and results. An innovative

collaborator who has been consistently successful inbuilding excellence in to every facet of business andrelationships.

MAJOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS

Successfully co-founded a wholesale LLC; participating inevery facet of strategic planning and launch activities.Hands on involvement included strategic planning relativeto short and long term sales / profit forecasting, P&Lbudget and 3 year business plan as well as ERP solutions,consultant relationships, product development, brand

strategy and distribution strategy. Provided research,information and analysis to investors and Board ofDirectors; maintain relationships with same. First fullyear of operation resulted in $4 million dollars revenuegenerated.

Proactively and effectively managed parent companytransition. Created my own position to develop reportingprocesses, structure and metrics for increasedprofitability and inventory efficiency. This resulted inincreased product margins, supply chain efficiency,improved market deliveries and transparent communication

at all business levels.

Initiated e-commerce site for US division of a Germancompany. Envisioned, researched and developed bestpractices model; worked closely with web developers andin-house IT team. Provided rationale, direction andtraining for internal customer service and operationspersonnel. Result was successful extension of brand touchpoints to loyal consumer base.


2/4

Envisioned and founded a non-profit organization tosupport art education in local public schools. Developedand communicated organizational vision, promotionalmaterials, and program curriculum / evaluation. Cultivatedsuccessful relationships with local school administratorsand teachers. Worked directly with students and teachersin instructor and consultant capacities; launched 9 weekart education program at the elementary school level and5 week survey as well as one week "Art Infusion" programsat the Junior High level. The artist residencies and arteducation courses resulted in desperately needed supportto depleted public school programs, positive relationshipswith schools, teachers and students as well as publiclyattended art exhibitions showcasing student work.

Successful buyer and manager at a major upscale retailorganization. Achievements included turning around poorperforming departments, building and motivating successful,service oriented sales teams and initiating / maintainingvendor relationships. Attained consistent, positive resultsin the areas of product sales, profit and inventory

management in top volume stores. Consistently receivedrecognition as a top performer.

Certified consultant in the use of Professional DynaMetricsbehavioral strengths analysis tools. The DynaMetrics programsprovide insight and resources for matching candidate innatestrength traits to role requirements and are used formotivation and development of team and individualcontribution. Organizations which utilize the PDP modulesexperience increased hiring success, better communicationamong team members and increased productivity and jobsatisfaction at every level.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Weyco Group - Umi BrandManager Design & Development05.10 to present

After successful acquisition of Umi, LLC - role adjusted tofocus on strictly on product design and development.Includes all aspects of development from concept to deliveryas well as strategic planning for future categories and

collections. Responsible for supervision of design team andongoing relationships / communication with overseasdevelopment and production partners as well as technicaldetails such as fit testing and review / approval of moulds,lasts and upper patterns. Responsible for integrating Umiproduct development into Weyco Group processes, qualitycontrol andcommercialization.

Umi, LLC


3/4

Sr. Vice President - Product Development & Brand Management

09.04 to 05.10

Worked together with CEO to assess, target, and developvital industry relationships to launch new footwear company.Worked directly with Board of Directors and providedbusiness intelligence, strategic planning and researchrelated to budget, sales forecast, product development anddistribution. Responsibility and oversight of sales staffand product development including supervision of design teamand ongoing relationships / communication with overseasdevelopment, production partners and technicians. Setdirection for pricing and profit margin targets as well asnegotiation with development partners to ensure targets areachieved. Key partner in establishing important retailerrelationships and positioning Umi as an upscale brand amongcompetitive set in the top children's shoes retailers inthe USA andUnited Kingdom.

Elefanten, USASales Manager Key Accounts / Director Business Analysis12.98 to 08.04

Worked aggressively to sustain and improve over all healthand profitability of USA division. Reported directly to USAdivision president and maintained communication andrelationships with executive management and productdevelopment teams in Germany. Lead sales team and directedall activities related to key account / department storeretail partnerships including profit analysis, inventorymanagement and replenishment. Set and achieved improvedprofit and inventory efficiency metrics. Workedcollaboratively with key retailers to establish appropriateproduct assortments and achieve gross margin and inventoryturn objectives. Strategic research activities related to

product and distribution initiatives including e-commerce,market trends, consumer profiles and competitiveintelligence.

Partnership for Art and Cultural Education (PACE)Founder / Executive Director04.96 to 05.00

Developed and established art education support in localelementary and junior high schools. Strategic relationshipsand collaboration with teaching staff to provideopportunities to enhance school experience and develop artawareness and skills of students. Conducted research and

program development, created general and customized arteducation curriculum and program evaluations. Research andfamiliarity with state and local art education standardsand metrics. Offered PACE post program support by consultingwith teachers regarding art related activities which couldbe infused in to typical school subjects. Designed andproduced all organization materials, brochures; grantproposals/fund-raising.

Nordstrom


4/4

Children's Shoe Buyer and Manager03.90 to 12.98

Success driven by leadership and communication skills andthe ability to turn around poor performing departmentsthrough employee development and cultivating teamwork inan environment of mutual respect, service excellence andsales success. Establish and maintain vendor relationshipsincluding price, delivery and performance negotiations toensure product assortments matched consumer requirements.Responsibilities also included budget and inventoryprojections and planning, event proposals and coordinationand customer relations. Coached sales team in developingstrategic sales skills and consumer relationships toexecute Nordstrom core service values and ensure ongoingobjectives were attained or exceeded. Participated as akey speaker in Nordstrom regional leadershipdevelopment program.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional / Seminars:Certified DynaMetrics Professional, The Pacific Institute

Investment in Excellence, Patricia Seybold Group CustomerScenario Mapping Seminar, Seven Habits of Highly EffectivePeople, Strengths Finder 2.0, Now, Discover Your Strengths,Leadership is an Art, Business Think, Trading Up,The Customer Revolution, customers.com, The 21 IrrefutableLaws of Leadership, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.

Proficiencies:Microsoft Office - Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint,Publisher, Word.

EDUCATION

Arizona State University - Art EducationAdmission with DistinctionRegents Academic ScholarshipDeans Honor List

Mesa High School - Graduated top 3% of students statewideScholastic Art Awards Blue Ribbon Finalist-Gold Key Awards

Documents

Director - Design / Development or Vice President Product Develo