Communications Director and Chief Storytelling Officer

Peter Plishka

**** ********** *****, ******** *******, GA 30002

404-***-**** ************@*****.***

Professional Career Summary

Communication / project lead. Researched and created programs and campaigns to support company initiatives and strategies, such as:

- storytelling: web articles, press releases, blog posts, email messaging, and copy editing

- written content to educate the internal teams to smartly market and promote company services, products, and culture

- developed a strategy and created programs for live events, virtual presentations, and webinar series (10 episodes)

- provided sales training and professional development strategies for employees (up to 150 at a time)

- company lead in numerous cultural initiatives to implement new quality of workplace benefits (physical and mental health programs)

- created social media content to market products, services, and education

Educator. I have created, presented, and facilitated numerous professional workshops. Experienced as a guest speaker and panelist, on the topics of company culture, merchandising, retail strategy, and sustainability in business operations. Co-created several conferences on conscious leadership.

Clear communicator. Often tasked to succinctly describe and promote new products and services for media, websites, social media, and for collateral materials. Keen ability to summarize and explain ideas and projects between departments.

Motivating leader. With collaboration and coordination as strengths, having led the efforts of different stakeholders, in achieving significant sales increases, meeting team deadlines, and managing conflicts.

Specialist in international product development. Working directly in North and South America, Europe, Thailand, India, and Vietnam, and indirectly in Indonesia, Philippines, and China, in sourcing product designs, and collaborating with agents and their factory contacts. This has enhanced my skills in communicating between diverse groups, often with varied cultural priorities and time zones.

Qualifications

team leader – creative, resourceful, compassionate

program facilitator – discussion leader for panels, webinar programs, and conferences

idea facilitator – curious, insightful, driven, excited to enhance existing programs and look for opportunity gaps

project manager – distill and communicate priorites, disciplined in leading to execution

computer proficiency: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Mac and PC

Professional Experience

Universal Companies, Abingdon, VA

Director, Customer Relations 2019-2023

developed relevant curriculum for online courses intended for marketing and spa professionals

created a series of webinar programming, for both live/interactive events and pre-recorded content on the subject of mental wellness, financial responsibility, subject matter training, marketing education

established and maintained relationships with numerous industry associations, for collaborative projects

contributed insightful content to the marketing communications of the company (email campaigns, website content, training videos)

Natural Body International, Atlanta, GA, 10 locations

Director of Communications, Buyer 2007-2019

company lead on all communications, including

ocreated strategy and content for web/digital outlets

otrained internal team on marketing initiatives

oled philanthropic initiatives, collaborating with Earth Share of Georgia and Nature Conservancy to develop volunteer and fundraising efforts

oresearched new service and retail opportunities, observed market trends, and utilized focus groups to determine relevance

retail buyer, responsibilities included

oestablishing and maintaining relationships with vendors

oselecting seasonal and year-round merchandise for sale

oeducating staff on retail products

Storehouse Furniture, Atlanta, GA, 60 locations

Senior Category Manager, accessories and accents 1994-2006

contributed to, and eventually led, the accessories team in double-digit sales growth 2001-2006 (approximately $15million)

co-created an online sales program, building out a small package warehouse for distribution

established productive relationships with suppliers and agents in foreign countries (Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, China, India, Italy, Central America)

presented new programs/training sessions to groups of up to 150 at a time

Education

University of Texas, Austin

Bachelor’s Degree in English/Education

Albany State University, Albany, GA

Graduate school work in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Mercer University, Atlanta, GA

Graduate school work in Rehabilitation Counseling program

Volunteer Highlights

Advocacy board experience:

A Home For Everyone In DeKalb, Board Member – 501(c)(3) organization that advocates on behalf of unhoused individuals and families. Its mission is to coordinate cold-weather shelters and provide rapid rehousing assistance. https://www.ahomeforeveryoneindekalb.org/ Communications Committee Chair.

Decatur Parents Network, Leadership Team – community organization that supports parents of school-age children in acquiring skills to understand and deal with youth, focused on the topics of substance use, mental health concerns, and typical social development. https://www.decaturparents.net/ Developed and facilitated webinar and in-person event programming.

Green Spa Network, past Board Member - a spa-industry trade organization, established for the purpose of developing and disseminatiing environmentally sustainable business practices and philosophies. https://gsnplanet.org/ Created and facilitated 3-day conference entitled “Conscious Collaboration”.

Recommendations as posted on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-plishka-72abb55/)

Angie Parris-Raney, Advertising Director, Health & Wellness, ABMP

Peter is such a joy and a good human! We spent a lot of time together collaborating on mutual projects in the beauty and wellness professions between our organizations. Always thoughtful. Always creative. And always with a sense of humor. He listens well, asks curious questions, and finds creative solutions that are mutually beneficial. He's mindful of follow-up and effectively orchestrates all the steps to follow a project to completion. If you get the chance to work with Peter, you are in for a treat!

Mehrad Nazari, Ph.D., MBA, Author, Speaker + Founder Enlightened Negotiation®

Embracing the new discoveries in behavioral sciences and honoring time-tested wisdom traditions is the core competency of a successful visionary leader. Peter is a naturally gifted leader with the ability to understand the wholistic approach in any organization and inspires a participant to actualize their mission collaboratively.

I have attended many conferences as a keynote speaker. But one event that Peter had organized, “Conscious Collaboration,” clearly stood apart. His attention in creating a unified and convincing voice engaged the audience. Particularly, his focus on the practical application of each subject and a meticulous selection of speakers, who provided guidance for all the parts of an organization, exceeded participants’ expectations. And, he is a fun person to work with!

Anna Boyd Bralley, Director of Product Development, Universal Companies

You rarely come across a standout talent like Peter. I enjoyed working with Peter for over 3 years at Universal Companies, collaborating on several project teams and managing tradeshows. Peter’s ability to juggle multiple projects was unlike any I’ve seen before and made a dramatic difference in the productivity level of our team. Peter is empathetic, creative, analytical, flexible, and detail-oriented. Peter has a wealth of experience and a deep understanding and love of the spa and wellness industry. Peter is an asset for a marketing team or as a key PR leader. As a team member or a leader, Peter earns my highest recommendation.

Camille Tillman, Vice President of Marketing, Universal Companies

Peter was a truly valuable member of our team at Universal Companies. His professional versatility and breadth of knowledge in the spa industry allowed him to move among a variety of projects. Again and again, he successfully met the demands of many deadlines. He facilitated inter-team collaboration while maintaining a high level of professionalism both in and out of stressful situations. Without a doubt, Peter would be an exceptional addition to any team.

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