Sales Marketing

Thomas E. Connors

**** ******* **** #***, ***** River, OH 44116

Cell: 330-***-**** – E-mail: *********@*****.***

FUNCTIONAL SUMMARY

A dynamic Marketing, Branding, and Strategic Planning professional with extensive integrated

product management, advertising, public relations, and corporate communications experience within

the consumer goods, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services sectors. Results-

focused, proven ability to turnaround marketing troubled companies. Talent for proactively

addressing marketing and business development weaknesses – reversing negative sales and profit

trends, increasing market share, and developing and implementing strategically and creatively

designed marketing and business plans. Strong business/financial acumen, with the ability to link

marketing strategy and results directly to overall business strategy and corporate goals.

EMPLOYMENT

THE MARKET GROUP 2003 – Present

Owner – Marketing Consultant

Consulting firm focusing on strategic and integrated internal and external marketing, branding,

advertising, public relations & corporate communications.

Spearheaded the start up of an integrated marketing and communications consulting practice offering

creative solutions that help companies reach their current and potential new customers more

economically, effectively and strategically through marketing, product line management, branding,

advertising, corporate communications, online marketing and strategic planning.

Client List: Jo-Ann Stores; Start to Finish Fitness; Kaiser Permanente; Cleveland Institute of Art;

Andrews school for Girls; Domicile Home & Design;Great Lakes Science Center; Henn Products;

DOTS; City of Cleveland, Health & Human Services; InkStop; Luxemburg Capital; and more.

Long-term Contracts – On-site at client for designated period of time – from six months to a year

– depending on the client’s specifications:

o Adeptiv Solutions, LLC (NY) – Professional Services Consulting Firm –Interim Director of

Marketing and Business Development;

o Stringer Communications (MA) – MarCom Agency – Interim Management Supervisor;

o The CSC Group (OH) – Software Developer and Data Management Vendor – Interim

Marketing Director – business development, re-branding, PR, and more;

o TakeCare Health System, a division of Walgreen’s (OH) – On-site Employer Health &

Wellness Centers – served as Interim Director of Marketing March ‘08 – May ’09 –

responsible for Internal and External Marketing, Corporate Communications, Business

Development, Public Relations, Corporate Integration Initiatives, Re-branding Efforts, etc.

JO-ANN STORES INC. 2000-2003

Associate VP, Marketing and Corporate Communications

Largest fabric and crafts retailer in the country with over 900 stores, and sales of $1.5 billion

Recruited during a crucial business turn-around period to revitalize the Internal and External

Marketing areas, and to develop and implement first ever corporate branding/marketing plan.

Responsible for maintaining the budgets for all internal and external marketing expenses related to ads

or promotional materials whether it is media, creative, direct marketing products, or Web site design.

Managed a budget of $30 million, and three outside agencies.

Analyzed research, customer data, and sales trends and made recommendations for integrated

programs and strategies to improve sales performance and to meet ongoing customer wants/needs.

Working with internal creative director and outside vendors, created and designed all branding,

advertising and marketing campaigns, including new internal and external branding elements:

newspaper inserts, radio, TV, public relations, Jo-Ann Magazine, and more.

Successfully introduced and coordinated the implementation of a Category Management Organization

into the merchandising, marketing and forecasting/replenishment departments. Focused on New

Product Development and Planning. Developed the first systematic and integrated product/category

promotional planning process – based on integrated merchandising and marketing planning.

Fueled annual same store sales growth of 10.5% and 8.5% respectively after successful CMO and

Integrated Marketing/Merchandising Planning and Implementation.

THOMAS E. CONNORS PAGE TWO

HOMEPLACE STORES 1998-2000

Vice President - Marketing & Corporate Communications

Lifestyle retailer, competitor to Bed, Bath & Beyond, with 200 stores in 30 states; company recovered from

Chapter 11 status, but was eventually sold

Recruited by CEO to revitalize the marketing and communications efforts for this retailer. Charged

with guiding company through Chapter 11 -- making sure that company became a more strategic

marketing and branding-focused company, to ensure maximum sales growth.

Developed an integrated approach for building and maintaining the strategic and marketing plan to

ensure systematic and integrated execution across all channels and media vehicles.

Responsible for developing and implementing all marketing, sales and communications plans and

maintaining the budgets for all media and marketing expenses related to ads or promotional materials

whether it was media, creative, direct marketing products, or Web site design; including newspaper

inserts and other advertising programs – radio, TV, catalogs, etc.

Managed a $17.5M marketing communications budget, along with six manager-level subordinates

across three disciplines: store ops, marketing and communications. Successfully identified and

implemented Category Management (true product line/category management) philosophy into the

merchandising, marketing and forecasting/replenishment departments.)

Increased same-store sales more than 15% after first year in the position.

KAISER PERMANENTE 1996-1998

Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications

Ohio Division of the country’s largest Health Maintenance Organization; position eliminated due to

executive-level positions regionalized in Washington D.C. area

Directed health plan’s marketing, advertising, strategic planning, media relations, marketing analysis

and sales support departments. Managing a budget of $5.5 million, and supervising four senior level

directors and managers, along with their twelve subordinates.

Created and executed the first region-wide Strategic Integrated Marketing and Communications Plan –

consisting of overall new positioning platform – working tirelessly to protect and preserve the overall

image of the health plan through integrated communications and marketing efforts to all its targeted

audiences.

Responsible for creating all the plans and maintaining the budgets for all media and marketing

expenses related to ads or promotional materials whether it is media, creative, direct marketing

products, or Web site design.

Successfully built, implemented and managed a true Product Line Management system into the

marketing area – consisting of Six Product Lines including; Large and Medium Corp. Market; Small

Business Market; Traditional HMO; Non-Traditional HMO; Medicare; and Individual Membership

Plan.

Increased membership in the healthcare plan by over 25,000 lives through an integrated sales,

marketing and communications plan, while totally re-inventing overall image and awareness for the

health plan.

DIX & EATON, INC. 1992-1996

Sr. Director, Account Services – Marketing & Corp. Communications Practice Group

The largest Public Relations and Communications firm between Chicago and New York

Spearheaded and directed the start-up and ongoing development of the marketing communications

practice group. Supervised three managers; responsible for clients’ marketing communications budgets

in excess of $5.0 million.

Successful brand strategist with a proven ability to grow revenues and market share for diverse clients.

Developed and implemented successful and award-winning marketing communications, media and

public relations programs for Diebold Inc., Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Key Bank, The PIE

Mutual Insurance Co., University Hospitals and Health System, Capital American Financial, Glencairn

Forest & Kinross Lakes Real Estate Development, Case Western Reserve’s Weatherhead School of

Management, and more.

Increased overall agency billings by 40% in one year, and re-tooled practice area as well.

THOMAS E. CONNORS PAGE THREE

HESSELBART & MITTEN 1987- 1992

Account Supervisor/Director of Healthcare Marketing Group

Regional Marketing Communications and Sales Promotion agency with billings over $65 million –

specializing in consumer, health care and business-to-business communications

Directed advertising, public relations, sales promotion, marketing communication and branding

programs for: Meridia Health Systems, Revco Drug Stores, Humana International Medicare Programs,

Picker International, and Smith & Nephew Medical.

Supervised total billings of $5.0 million, along with three managers and their subordinates.

Championed and directed advertising agency new business initiative.

Created start-up healthcare marketing division, directing all new business acquisition programs and

supervised ongoing client activities, with billings of over $3.5 million.

AULTMAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM 1985-1987

Vice President - Marketing

Regional healthcare system consisting of 700+ bed acute care/tertiary hospital, six for-profit companies

and a managed healthcare/healthcare insurance company

Pioneered and directed healthcare system’s inaugural marketing, advertising, branding, strategic

planning, media services and sales departments. Managed a budget in excess of $4.0 million,

supervised three senior level managers and twenty subordinates.

Implemented Product Line Management by assessing the feasibility of new product/services

introduction, developed new products and market strategies based on market demand and competitive

analysis, i.e. Senior Care Program; Women’s Pavilion; Heart Center; One Day Surgery Center;

Orthopedic Center; and much more.

Executed a successful sales and marketing communications program for AultCare, the hospital-based

managed care insurance company – enrolling over 20,000 subscribers in the first year of operation

vs. a budget of 8,000 subscribers – one of the most successful launched managed healthcare plans

in Ohio, at the time.

DURKEE FOODS INTERNATIONAL 1979-1985

International Foodservice Sales & Marketing Manager

Division of SCM International Ltd. - Food Company headquartered in Cleveland, OH

Instrumental in developing, negotiating and maintaining large volume contracts with multi-national

accounts such as: Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Cadbury Chocolates, Burger King Intl., Sheraton

Hotels and Resorts International. Established and directed an integrated distributor/broker sales

network throughout the Caribbean, Canada and parts of Europe. Traveled extensively developing

distributor and broker networks, etc.

Marketing and Brand Management Focus: assessed the feasibility of new product introduction,

developed new products and market strategies based on market demand and competitive analysis.

Expanded sales volume in Caribbean, Canadian and other non-U.S. territories by 50% to reach

sales of over $2.5 million.

EDUCATION

MIAMI UNIVERSITY, OXFORD, OH May 1979

Bachelor of Science Business Administration; Marketing & Business Management double major

TECHNICAL AND PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

Windows XP, MS Office, MS Projects, MS Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, WebEx

Keywords: Marketing, Branding, Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Strategic Planning

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