GREGG CARSON

**** ****** ***** **.

Cypress, Texas 77433

acsnj1@r.postjobfree.com

832-***-****

RETAIL / INVENTORY CONTROL / SALES / TRAINING

Manager with 30+ years of management experience in sales, training, strategic planning, personnel development, staffing, budgeting, large-scale distribution, and customer service.

• Call Center Training Management

• Sales Management

• Distribution Management

• Advertising & Promotions

• Inventory Control Management

• Retail Department Management

• Sales Forecasting & Purchasing

• Customer Service

Managed inventory allocation and inventory procedures to stores with total annual sales of over $300,000,000. Managed high-volume departments in a retail environment. Managed the training for a Call Center that handles over 1,000,000 calls per year. Directed sales operations that generate 100,000 new customers per year. Managed newspaper distribution area of over 50,000 customers.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Houston, Texas 1997 to 2012

Hearst Media, parent company of the Houston Chronicle, is one of the nation’s largest diversified media companies. Call Center Training Manager (2012)

Sales Manager (2004 – 2011)

Zone Manager (1997 – 2004)

Managed the Call Center training for customer service calls to the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Beaumont Enterprise, and the Midland Reporter-Telegram that included training of technical computer skills and customer satisfaction methods as well as upselling and retention skills. Directed the kiosk, telemarketing, and door-to-door sales crews that totaled over 100,000 sales per year. Managed independent distributor field operations for newspaper distribution including ensuring quality customer service and increasing circulation of the newspaper.

• Created new training manuals, agendas, and testing procedures to ensure proper training and retention as well as coordinating additional on-going training for the call center representatives.

• Increased annual kiosk sales from 23,000 in 2007 to 31,000 in 2011 (35% increase) during a time of decreasing circulation. Created tracking spreadsheets and coordinated sales promotions, contests, and incentives to help meet the sales and retention goals.

• Increased kiosk sales exposure by adding the Houston Texans, Houston Astros, Houston Rockets, Houston Dynamo, Discovery Green, and the Renaissance Festival to the kiosk sales rotation.

• Achieved the telemarketing sales goals each year. Increased paid-in-advance telemarketing orders from 9% in 2005 to 28% in 2011. Increased 6-month sales retention of telemarketing orders from 16% in 2005 to 41% in 2011.

• Coordinated targeted door-to-door sales campaigns with independent contractors, independent distributors, and distribution management to meet specific sales goals by district.

• Conducted meetings and negotiated contracts with independent contractors to build strategic relationships and create high performance teams. Coordinated, resolved, and followed up on customer service issues to ensure customer satisfaction.

• Recognized multiple times as the monthly top performing zone manager and sales manager and selected as the Houston Chronicle Circulation Sales intern mentor for 6 consecutive years. GREGG CARSON Page 2

TOYS R US, Houston, Texas and Dallas, Texas 1987 to 1997 Assistant Inventory Control Manager

Allocated merchandise to 43 stores in the Houston region with total annual sales of over $300,000,000. Coordinated sales analysis and forecasting, inventory planning, advertising, and promotions to ensure inventory levels and sales goals were met for each store. Purchased and ensured proper inventory levels for diapers, formula, posters, etc. for all stores in the region.

• Established a development program for a new department head position.

• Maintained a company best 98% in-stock level on the 500 top selling items in the Houston region by forecasting sales and coordinating inventory level needs with the national buyers.

• Coordinated the advertising efforts in the Dallas and Houston regions with a budget of over $6,000,000.

• Created an Inventory Control manual and conducted inventory meetings for all store managers in the Houston region.

• Created new procedures on a direct shipment program for the Houston region that was adopted by all stores nationwide.

• Successfully helped open 15 new stores with regards to proper inventory levels and vendor supplies. J.C. PENNEY, Dallas, Texas and Bartlesville, Oklahoma 1982 to 1987 Merchandise Manager

Coordinated purchasing, inventory levels, and SKU maintenance for various departments including: Men’s, Sporting Goods, Children’s, Lingerie, Shoes, Home Furnishings, and Housewares. Ensured in-stock levels of top selling and advertised items to attain sales goals. Coordinated hiring, staffing, and training of personnel to ensure quality customer service and sales.

• Successfully increased the shoe department annual sales to over $1,000,000 by reorganizing the department, ensuring proper inventory levels of the top selling shoes, and proper training of the sales associates.

• Successfully coordinated the Men’s and Children’s departments for a new store Grand Opening. This involved purchasing new goods and attaining proper inventory levels and quality merchandise presentations. EDUCATION BBA / Business Management, University of Texas at Arlington, 1982 Highlights of Continuing Professional Education

• Leadership Training, Ken Blanchard

• Sales Training, Jeffrey Gitomer

• Diversity Training

• Life Orientation Training

• Direct Marketing Training

• Effective Management Skills Training

COMPUTER SKILLS Excel, Word, Outlook, DISCUS (internal customer database)

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