Sales Project

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CATHY CUSHWAY

**** *. **** ***** . *** Lawn, IL 60453 . 219-***-**** .

******@*********.***

CREATIVE PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT

Providing Corporations & Marketers with innovative solutions for 35 years!

Print Production Manager, Print Buyer and Solutions Professional with

recognized graphic design skills and extensive, multi-faceted experience

with print, brand and merchandising-centric projects. A highly specialized

hybrid of both the creative and business worlds, eagerly poised to bring a

successful history of savings and innovative solutions to your company or

organization.

EXPERIENCE

PREMIER PRINT & SERVICES GROUP, Chicago, IL (February 2013 - July 2013)

Sales Assistant

One of the largest print resource managers in the country, providing

solutions in the areas of: resource management, prepress, commercial

print, forms, envelopes, labels, direct mail and state-of-the-art bar

coding and inventory management systems, services and supplies.

Clients included both Fortune 500 companies & small businesses alike.

. Provided administrative and sales support to one of the top

Salespersons within the company

. High level of interaction with both customers and suppliers

. Submitted orders via the company's order entry system and

managed all associated deliverables

. Supplied all associated file maintenance and organization

. Generated design mock-ups, RFEs, RFQs, proposals &

contracts

. Conducted project negotiation, administered project

direction and established production timelines

. Conducted proofreading of both project design & content

MIDAS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, Itasca, IL (August 2000 - May 2012)

Print Production Manager Print Buyer Print Production Coordinator

An iconic brand and one of the world's largest providers of automotive

services, with shops in over 14 countries, including 1500 in the U.S.

and Canada ($900 million in retail sales in 2011). Midas also owns

SpeeDee Oil Change businesses with 161 auto service centers in the

U.S. and Mexico. Midas was purchased by Sumitomo Corporation of

America in April 2012.

. Supported over 700 franchisees / 1500 shops in the US &

Canada

. Managed the production and fulfillment related processes

involved in B2B / B2C marketing support materials

. Projects included but not limited to: newspaper ads,

brochures, sell sheets, direct mail, POP / POS materials,

displays, ASI products and apparel, signage, interior and

exterior display hardware, instructional guides, books,

workbooks, employee communications, digital assets and

components, awards, loyalty cards, trade show materials

. Supplied direction on creative design and project

engineering; selected project materials and substrates;

generated RFQs, RFEs, proposals and contract content;

provided proofreading of both project design & content;

qualified and selected vendors; trafficked projects

internally and externally; managed budgets and reconciled

invoices.

Managed projects and initiatives across multiple

departments within multiple divisions of several

organizations. Collaborated with executives, account

managers and clients' to understand the client's visions,

needs and requirements. Conducted Q&A sessions to determine

appropriate print method(s), substrates, hardware, and a

host of other key project criteria. Researched material and

labor costs and project timeframes to create a bid for the

client. Presented finalized proposals to superiors or

clients to secure approval. Maintained relationships with

existing vendors, and qualified new vendors. Contacted

vendors to obtain price quotes and establish material

delivery times / deadlines. Evaluated quotes. Used cost-

benefit analysis to determine the best source(s) for the

job. After ascertaining which vendor to use, contacted the

vendor to negotiate and finalize pricing. Worked with the

graphic design department to ensure the integrity of the

client's design. Managed project quality by reviewing

design specs, troubleshooting, proofreading, press checks,

etc. Communicated with clients regarding production stages,

timelines, status, production issues, fulfillment and

logistics. Created and implemented internal processes

resulting in smooth and efficient departmental workflows;

supervised production artists; led weekly departmental

production meetings; managed the coordination and control

of all jobs / work orders and trafficking. Provided

creative leadership, direction and project engineering.

Collaborated with multiple creative agencies, logistics and

warehouse teams.

DOMINICK'S FINER FOODS, Oak Brook, IL (1985 - 2000)

Print Production Coordinator Senior Graphic Designer

Dominick's Finer Foods is Chicagoland's second largest food chain with

over 100 shops across the metro area.

. Translated sales plans and produced version maps that

established the foundation for lay-out, design and

production on a broad range of B2B / B2C printed materials

that generated sales

. Performed key-line, paste-up, graphic design, illustration

and creative / print direction

ACCOLADES & ACHIEVEMENTS

. Awarded "1 Midas Award" for "Commitment to Employee Values"

for taking the leadership role in the highly successful

2011 Midas Managers' Summit

. Oversaw the production and procurement side of Midas's

$1.5m National POP budget

. As an integral contributor on a 10-person Midas Marketing

team, I supported our transition from a single national

marketing plan to a localized plan with up to 50 different

retail offers that drove 9 consecutive quarters of positive

sales and increased customer count (27%; 11 per day to 14

per day). Performing under a reduced budget, I produced

more materials that maximized ROI & reinvigorated the Midas

brand

. Selected and managed the vendors of print and POP / POS

materials through 3 proactive Midas store and POP re-design

initiatives

. Provided high value input in the development and

implementation of new processes to support Midas's multi-

faceted advertising and marketing drives; managed increased

workloads without adding head count

. Instituted new ordering processes that reduced Midas's

physical warehouse inventory by 167 total active parts

(54.50% reduction) / 42,232 total pieces (10.65% reduction)

/ $354,000 extended value (60% reduction)

. Provided significant savings to Midas through aggressive re-

evaluation of materials, services and processes used in

product design and production (example: redesign of a

document envelope resulting in $14,000 - $16,000/year

savings)

. Initiated and participated in the implementation of a Midas

shop survey process that reduced redundant and waste POP /

POS materials, along with other collateral; coming out of

the initial survey, in product cost alone, Midas is

expected to meet or exceed a minimum savings of

$17,500/year plus

. Co-led a team that launched a Midas Branded Merchandise

catalog; sourced a new distributor; built an on-line tool;

selected items; negotiated pricing; generated $120,000

sales within the first year of re-launch

. Acquired and maintained both strong and diverse vendor

relationships equating to additional pricing advantages

. Recognized as possessing innate artistic and creative

skills; started my career as a graphic designer

. Volunteered for "Team Power" initiative at Dominick's which

identified ways to save money; team of eight generated

savings of $400,000 in 1 year

PROGRAM & SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE

MacIntosh & PC platforms; Clients & Profits Agency Software; Microsoft

Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint); Illustrator; Photoshop;

TopForm; Demand Bridge; Windex

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