Sales Manager

Christ Anton Kallas II

Elk Grove Village, IL ****7 321-***-****

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

Innovation Brand Manager

Data driven, innovative leader in marketing, delivering a background in CPG brand management.

Proven success developing, implementing, and innovating organizational marketing strategies, communications, and collateral. Executed brand marketing plans, while coordinating at strategic and tactical levels with cross-functional partners. Experienced creating multi-channel strategies around product, price, promotion, and placement to drive growth.

Skills at a Glance

Brand Development

Strategic Planning

Innovation Management

Product Commercialization

Business Analysis

Consumer Research

Professional Experience

FERRARA CANDY COMPANY – Chicago, IL

Associate Brand Manager – Iconic Brands (November 2019 – Present)

Responsible for the management and innovation of the ‘Iconics’ Brand Portfolio with 18 total brands representing $143MM in gross sales annually with a focus on nostalgia brands Lemonheads, Bobs, Spree, Fun Dip, & Pixy Stix worth $66MM; responsible for strategy implementation, managing P&L, commercialization, and developing innovation

Develops and executes multi-year strategic brand plan by providing appropriate category, consumer, competitive insights, and analyses

Identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes growth opportunities in partnership with cross-functional partners in Finance, R&D, & Consumer Insights

Leads commercialization team in assessing opportunity feasibility and developing go-to-market strategies

Manages portfolio profitability, including assortment optimization, demand forecasting, inventory management, business case assessment, and monthly performance reporting to leadership

Participates in planning and execution of shopper and consumer marketing campaigns and activities

MIKES HARD LEMONADE – Chicago, IL

Associate Brand Manager – Innovation Brands (September 2018 –November 2019)

Entrepreneurial ownership of innovation brands and innovating mature brands. This includes launching Jugo Fuerte, a new to world line extension targeting Hispanic consumers, or launching nationally a regional brand like Cayman Jack. The strategies of both are different, but the goals are the same: to use data driven decisions to curate a brand that resonates with its target consumers to drive portfolio growth.

Develop and executed annual business plans for Cayman Jack, a brand with $28M in sales and 30% growth in fiscal 2018 making it the second fastest growing brand in the mike’s portfolio behind White Claw

Manage innovation by managing cross-functional partners in compliance, sales, logistics, and leadership to ensure timely launch of innovations and line extensions

Liaise with agency partners to create PR events, campaigns, social/digital media, and POS materials

Manage all marketing communications, both internal and external, through the creation of a cross-functional editorial board

MIZKAN AMERICA, INC. – Mt. Prospect, IL

Business Operations Analyst / Associate Brand Manager (August 2015 – August 2018)

Develop strategic business case, viability analysis, and financial modeling for sales territories comprised of $115M of gross sales during fiscal year 2017; including retailers Walmart, Target, Publix, and Meijer as well as key distributors UNFI, Supervalu, and C&S. Collaborate with National Account Managers, Sales Directors, and Category Analysts to create private label pricing strategies at key retailers. Developed, curated, and distributed a weekly sales dashboard to support all business units.

Led Four Monks product reformulation and relaunch which was projected to lead to over $1M in incremental sales growth

Led cross functional teams through the full product life cycle of conceptualization to distribution

Directed new product development & commercialization for all private label items for 50+ retailers

Developed pricing and promotional strategies for Mizkan’s Holland House brand at Target resulting in distribution expansion to 1300 new stores

Used consumer insights, both Nielsen & IRI, to analyze brand and SKU positioning, while tracking KPIs

AMERICAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GROUP – Rockford, IL

Marketing and Sales Analyst (March 2013 – March 2015)

Created and executed improved business processes to increase efficiency and tracking of growth targets for use during monthly sales meetings. Supported management by facilitating team building initiatives to develop top-performing teams

Executed new policies in a start-up environment to create efficiencies and guide the development of company culture.

Developed and supported the company’s pay-per-click campaign and online marketing strategies, managing a $5K monthly budget.

Additional Experience:

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce – Marketing Intern (May 2012 – March 2013)

Mosaic Marketing Solutions – Marketing Field Specialist (July 2012 – January 2013)

Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre, Inc. – Marketing Intern (August 2011 – June 2012)

DCCC – Deputy Field Organizer (July-November 2011)

Education

University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign, IL

Master of Business Administration – (Expected Summer 2021)

Bachelor of Science, Political Science – 2010

Technical Skills: Advanced Microsoft Excel, Advanced Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Publisher, Retail Link, IRI Consumer Insights, Nielsen Consumer Insights, ConstantContact

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