KELLY K. ACOSTA Athens, Georgia / 706-***-**** /acyu0w@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Seasoned ad agency owner and accomplished marketing executive offering over 20 years of integrated project experience. Adept in pitching and closing new accounts, discerning project requirements and communicating client needs to creative teams. Able to build executive level relationships and manage daily workflow of concurrent projects to ensure deliverables are completed on time, on budget and on strategy. TRADEMARK CAPITAL, Director of Marketing Athens, GA, August ‘15 August "16 Trademark Capital is a boutique investment management firm that provides tactical ETF portfolio solutions aimed to maximize wealth by minimizing large losses.

● Responsible for strategic marketing, creative messaging and branding activities aimed at asset gathering and retention among third party distribution partners and their financial advisors.

● Leverage the investment industry’s most respected independent research and thought leadership to create targeted communication messages that met the needs of existing clients and prospects.

● Manage internal and outsourced teams of marketing professionals that included website developers, editorial content originators, copywriters, designers, printers, market researchers, event planners, and public relations/advertising to develop high quality and cost efficient marketing campaigns and materials.

● Direct key marketing campaigns for retail channel including mutual funds, separate accounts and packaged products.

● Collaborate closely with firm’s senior management and legal and compliance departments to ensure proper standards and risk controls.

TOP DRAWER, Marketing Consultant Athens, GA, October ‘12 – Current Top Drawer provides clients with a full offering of services including developing and implementing marketing plans, budget development and tracking, market research, focus groups and surveys, public relations, social media strategy and management, website development, content development, collateral design, branding, event management, media buying and advertising campaigns. YOUR PIE FRANCHISING, Director of Marketing Athens, GA, December ‘13 March ‘15 Your Pie is the originator of the quick serve, brick oven, customized personal pizza category. Selected as one of the Inc. Magazine Top 100 Growing Franchises in the US, Your Pie currently has 21 stores open in the Southeast and 25 in development throughout the U.S.

● Developed marketing plans to increase new customer visits and existing customer frequency.

● Aligned with Operations and Franchise leaders for ongoing refinement of marketing strategies.

● Leveraged market specific sales/order data, historic marketing initiatives performance and customer analytics to optimize market level programs and grow overall brand performance.

● Provided training for market wide and store level leadership around marketing execution.

● Managed promotional, social media, public relations agency relationships to benefit the system.

● Created programs that grow loyalty program membership at the store level through increased loyalty app downloads. Managed ongoing email communications to loyalty program members

● Creative Director for six limited time offer rollouts throughout the year systemwide

● Collaborated with franchise business partners to drive new store sales through consultation and recommendation of effective strategies.

● Analyzed sales results of key promotional efforts to provide conclusions and recommendations.

● Gained and shared in depth market and competitive knowledge for assigned markets to include: competitors marketing strategies; emerging threats; market pricing; store level marketing needs and market level opportunities.

● Formed Co Ops, managed budget and established appropriate marketing processes.

● Managed grand opening and special events systemwide. GISH, SHERWOOD & FRIENDS, VP, Director of Digital Nashville, TN, June ‘12 October ‘12 GS&F is an advertising agency that delivers proven results for clients, providing experienced marketing, creative, interactive, media, public relations specialists under one roof. The agency serves accounts, including A. O. Smith, Avenue Bank, Bridgestone, Hunt Brothers Pizza, International Comfort Products, LP Building Products, Nashville Predators, Tennessee Titans, and University of Tennessee Medical Center.

● Strategic thinker, matching product campaigns with market needs and communicating benefits and features to targets.

● Directed team of six developers; collaborating with Creative and PR teams on integrated campaigns.

● Responsible for business development, forecasting, revenue tracking, sales/quota tracking, budgeting, long term planning and staffing.

● Member of Senior Leadership Team, driving direction of the agency.

● Savvy social media professional able to connect online with businesses and consumers, develop strategies to drive traffic to client web sites through managing successful campaigns and creating optimized web content.

● Well versed in understanding client needs and translating those needs into practical visual designs and effective digital products.

● Business development analyst that expanded target markets and determined key industries that increased revenue.

● Talented negotiator and closer with a track record of securing and retaining long term clients

● Effective problem solver with ability to analyze multiple design, sales and marketing issues, securing expanded market position and improved margins

FOUNDRY PARK INN & SPA, Marketing & Sales Manager Athens, GA, June ‘10 April ‘12 The Foundry Park Inn & Spa is a historic, boutique hotel located in Athens, Georgia featuring an award

–winning Day Spa, conference and banquet facilities, two restaurants and a music venue.

● Managed $1.5 million marketing budget, supporting promotion of all outlets on property

● Developed social media presence for hotel outlets on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

● Rolled out Facebook advertising campaign targeting “Engaged” status profiles to advertise

● Foundry weddings equating to over 50 booked weddings, resulting in nearly 750K in revenue.

● Created Athens Tonight Facebook page to promote Melting Point daily specials, driving 5K likes

● Used revolutionary new ticketing platform, TicketBiscuit to track key performance indicators

● Responsible for marketing and supporting the Sales Team in their respective markets

● Managed email database of over 600K and utilized data in targeted email marketing efforts Increased TripAdvisor ranking from #18 to #5 in ten months

● Developed hotel’s Loyalty Club Program to compete with flag hotels point based loyalty programs

● Rolled out Musak in room hotel advertising to promote all outlets to hotel guests during their stay SLICED BREAD, Managing Partner Athens, GA, March ‘04 – May ’10 Sliced Bread was an advertising agency serving local, regional and national client roster. Sliced Bread worked with big brands, fast paced entrepreneurs, recharged management and new start ups. Since its inception in March 2004, Sliced Bread grew in two years from two employees to 21, and to generate revenues of 1.7 million+.

● Established Sliced Bread brand in local, regional, national markets

● Recruited and led team of 21 talented marketing, public relations and design professionals

● Created the Retreat brand, one of the nation’s premier high end collegiate housing developments and managed the marketing and direction of the brand for 6 years. The brand today has grown from one development in Athens, Georgia to developments in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.www.landmarkathens.com

● Created and implemented marketing plans for several high profile, multi million dollar projects

● Skilled market researcher, experienced at preparing focus groups and market feasibility studies

● Personally managed a roster of over 60+ clients

● Set company wide sales objectives and formulated plans to expand business

● Negotiated profitable partnerships and revenue sharing relationships

● Developed advertising campaigns, web sites and marketing materials for franchise development. Clients: Jittery Joes Coffee, Your Pie, Barberitos and DePalmas Italian Café

● Developed clear, congruent identities for businesses and disseminated message effectively via print, web, direct mail, billboard, utilizing teams of brand ambassadors, events, promotions and other media and promotional channels

● Oversaw photo and video shoots, directed food styling, hired models and designed sets GALIS/KIMBROUGH DEVELOPMENT, VP of Marketing Athens, GA, September ‘02 – January ‘04 Galis/Kimbrough Development is a commercial and investment real estate firm that specializes in developing and marketing multi million dollar new urban communities throughout the Southeast.

● Developed and managed marketing budget of nearly 2 million

● Expanded database by 75% in 18 months

● Completed media relations plan, assembled press kits and distributed them to targeted media

● Developed and implemented business development, sales, marketing, and PR strategies to acquire new and retain existing clients and investors

● Positioned CEO as authority on new urbanism to increase company's profile.

● Coordinated grassroots efforts to rally government support for Galis/Kimbrough developments

● Led creative team to build web sites and collateral packages for three new urban communities

● Conducted focus groups to acquire market research and perfect marketing strategies Mi8 CORPORATION, Marketing Director New York, NY, September ‘00 to October ’01 Mi8 is an application service provider offering Internet based application services based on Microsoft Exchange Server technology and targeted small and medium businesses (purchased by Apptix).

● Successfully proposed, tracked and maintained 3 million dollar budget.

● Responsible for concept/creation of advertising, collateral, direct mail, and email marketing.

● Worked successfully with high level, Fortune 500 clients and partners worldwide including Microsoft, Cicso Systems and Research in Motion

● Developed strategy for industry trade shows, conferences, workshops and speaking engagements

● Drove creative direction and wrote content for marketing materials including, company brochure, fact sheet, testimonials, case studies, whitepapers, press releases, corporate style guide, data sheets and customer care materials

● Collaborated with product development to formulate marketing strategy for new and existing products/services

● Executed email marketing campaigns and promotional programs to generate sales leads. Consistently achieved superior response rates

CYBERSETTLE, Marketing Manager New York, NY, March ‘98 September ‘00 Cybersettle, the official and exclusive online settlement tool of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, is the first company to offer an online settlement tool. In September 2000, the company moved operations out of New York City, which led to my leaving the company.

● Created marketing campaigns targeting law firms, legal associations, and insurance agencies

● Built and maintained relationships with key media and analysts, maintained online news bureau, conducted proactive/reactive media outreach, produced media kits, news releases and by line articles, administered legislative outreach, supervised media monitoring, planned media tours, organized speaking engagements, and trade shows

● Oversaw brand positioning across all marketing channels: advertising, PR, direct mail, email campaigns and web site

● Collaborated with advertising agencies to develop campaigns, media plans and creative concepts

● Conducted surveys and analyzed survey results to generate leads, yielding superior response rates EDUCATION

SALEM COLLEGE Winston Salem, NC

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Communications; specialization in Marketing and Public Relations. Graduated cum laude

Contact this candidate