LAWRENCE H KING

PRODUCT / BRAND / MARKETING MANAGER PROFESSIONAL

I am a creative professional with a strong work ethic and thorough knowledge of bringing consumer products to market from initial concept to product launch based on current trend research, VOC and trend reporting agencies.Products include all types of consumer and business products (B2C / B2B) including medical devices following FDA guidelines. I have proven abilities in a team environment leading and directing a multitude of departments with a focus on quality and company profitability. I have vast experience in Microsoft Office, forecasting, negotiating, sourcing vendors, creating and tracking purchase orders, writing Bills of Materials, project timelines, specification sheets, making technical jargon understandable for consumers, analyzing market trends and sales, training Sales and Customer Service on all new products and features, presenting to all levels of customers, creating all types of marketing collateral and selling tools, .com content writing, and keeping track of every step regarding product development to guarantee on time delivery of quality products to set standards.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Home Healthcare Provider 06 / 2020 – 09 / 2022

In-house care of family member with brain injury

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Robert Half / Deval 11 / 21- 02 / 2022

State of Virginia

Remote Position - Temporary

Application Administrator

Reviewing applications for covid relief for monthly rent for residents of Virginia

Other temp positions

SUREFIT Home Décor – Wheeling, IL 10 / 2018 – 02 / 2020

Producer of home textiles for indoor and outdoor

Product Manager – Bath

Responsible for developing and overseeing Hookless shower curtains, hooked shower curtains, bath accessories and collections for retail accounts and Hospitality.

Working with cross functional teams including Sales, Design, Graphics, Customer Service, Supply Chain and Purchasing.

Daily correspondence with factories in China, Taiwan and India, negotiating price and delivery

Creating marketing collateral for sales calls, trade shows and packaging

Writing copy for catalog and website for all company categories / SEO Marketing

Attending / planning Market Shows in New York City and Las Vegas

Producing product roadmap and competitive analysis for Bath categories

Sourcing textiles, resin, metal, plastic and sustainable materials

Created new lines: Hookless Kids, Hookless Premium and Hookless Sustainable

Major customers: Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Meijer, QVC, Lowes,Home Depot.Menards and all major hotel chains

ORBUS Display Group - Woodridge, IL 02 / 2017 – 02 / 2018

County’s largest Supplier of Trade Show Display Merchandise

Product Manager

Responsible for sourcing new products, moving all newly developed products through a Stage Gate development process and growing product categories

Daily interaction with overseas factories, coworkers in UK and China offices, Sales, Marketing, Graphics,CAD designers,QC,Shipping and Manufacturing

Starting Global Team for better communication between all country offices

Directing the creation of instruction manuals

Negotiating contracts for product features & purchase prices / Setting selling prices to ensure margin goals

Input of new product information in PIM system and Global Project spreadsheet

Supervising a staff of 2 Product Coordinators and 2 Engineers

Managing projects from initial concepts through rollout

Creating sales presentations / training sessions to Sales and Customer Service for all new product lines and innovations

Reviewing all products (over 2000 items) via SKU rationale for discontinuation or product updates

Travel to Asia and Europe for sourcing, special projects and Global Product Development

Developing new line of LED lighting, outdoor tents and displays, improved VELCRO / adhesives sourcing

Creating product landscapes and roadmaps to track competition and launch new products

5S Training – overseeing all CAD drawers, PD, Marketing and Sales departments to be 5S efficient

Home Products International – Chicago, IL 06 / 2016 – 11 / 2016

Manufacturer of Home storage and garment care

Consultant – Project Manager, Imports / Channel Marketing Manager,Storage

Responsible for all correspondence with overseas factories

Working with Product Managers, Channel Managers, Import Coordinator and Industrial Designers

Working with national accounts presenting injection molded plastic storage pieces

Visiting major retail accounts for product reviews / Staff interviews

Creating sales presentations / competitive analysis spreadsheets

LDR Global Industries – Chicago, IL 04 / 2015 – 12/2015

Supplier of plumbing and bath products

New Product Development Manager

Responsible for developing new categories to compliment current product lines

Creating product roadmap showing category directions for 2016-2018 fiscal years

Creating product landscapes to compare competitive lines for each category

Daily interaction with Marketing, Sourcing, Purchasing, Graphics and Sales

Daily interaction with Asian factories / Taiwan sourcing team

Assisting Sales on customer sales calls / creating presentations

Sourcing trips to Asia

Writing copy for packaging and customer use

Developing new products using textiles, wire, injection molding, etc.

Selling to Hardware and Mass stores under the EXQUISITE brand. Main objective to develop new lines and categories to broaden customer base and make LDR a one stop shop for small accounts and gain greater presence at Big Box stores.

Taylor Precision Products – Oak Brook, IL 08 / 2008 – 06 / 2014

Manufacturer of bath scales, kitchen scales, timers, thermometers, garden and weather devices

Sr. Product Manager – Weather and Outdoor Decor

Responsible for all development of the Weather line of Taylor, Springfield and private label branded weather products geared towards adult consumers.

Daily interaction with Asian factories regarding design and production

Daily interaction with all internal departments including Engineering, Graphics and Sales

Directed all aspects of design, new innovations, price and packaging for line

Liaison with outside vendors and designers

Responsible for trend research, competitive analysis and item specifications

Working with all materials including plastic, metals, resin and glass

Write copy for ALL categories, Weather, Bath and Kitchen for AMAZON.com and other online customers

Taylor acquired Springfield Precision Instruments adding to the line. Category leader at Ace Hardware, Do-It-Best and Amazon.com. Other customers: Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowes, Target, Tractor Supply, Fleet Farms, Wal-Mart, True- Value and various other Hardware Chains. This category also has many business to business customers.

Product Manager – Bath Scales

Responsible for all development of the bath scale line of Taylor, Salter, Biggest Loser and private label branded bath scales and a line of Home Touch branded Trouser presses geared towards adult consumers.

Daily interaction with Asian factories regarding design and production

Daily interaction with all internal departments including Engineering, Graphics and Sales

Directed all aspects of design, new innovations, price and packaging for line

Liaison with outside vendors and designers

Patent pending on bath scale design / concept

Worked with various materials including plastic, glass, bamboo, metals and LED and LCD lights

Developed private label, licensed lines for Bowflex, Homedics, Nautilus and Biggest Loser brands

Project Manager for FDA certification of body fat scale line (medical devices)

Wrote scripts and gave direction for product videos shown on AMAZON.com

.com content writing – translating technical jargon into easy-to-understand copy for all readers

Creted Marketing collateral in all forms for .com, social media and trade magazines

Responsible for trend research, competitive analysis and item specifications

Bath scales are largest category in the company worth $60,000,000 at retail. The bath scale category grew $11,000,000 while running the category. New growth happened at Wal-Mart, Costco, QVC and The Container Store.

InGEAR Corporation - Buffalo Grove, IL 2007 – 2008

Manufacturer of luggage, sport bags, backpacks and insulated items

Director of Insulated Products

Responsible for all development of insulated coolers and meal carriers geared towards both adult and adolescent consumers.

Daily interaction with Asian factories and all internal departments including Graphics and Sales

Directed all aspects of design, new innovations, price and packaging for both lines

Liaison with licensors, outside vendors and designers

Developed private label licensed lines for Rubbermaid, Blue Ice, Wilson, Champion and Laura Ashley

Responsible for trend research, competitive analysis and item specifications

Overseeing a staff of 1 Product Manager and 2 Assistant Product Managers

Position included frequent trips to Asia to work with factories for production and development, sales calls to all major Mass accounts and attendance at industry trade shows

Precious Moments Inc - Rolling Meadows, IL 2006 – 2007

Established 30 year brand in the giftware industry now doing business on their own

Product Development Coordinator

Responsible for development of plush items, giftware and bisque porcelain figurines for mass market accounts, gift stores, catalogs and websites.

Directed all aspects of development including product design, packaging, production and pricing

Liaison with outside illustrators, sculptors and packaging designers

Copywriting for packaging, catalog and website

Thermos - Rolling Meadows, IL 2003 – 2006

Award-winning 100 year old company producing containers that keep food and beverages fresh and temperature controlled away from home

Marketing Manager, Soft Cooler Line

Directed all aspects of marketing activity including product design, production, pricing and negotiations with factories in Asia

Took on additional responsibilities introducing a line of reusable ice products, developing a line of catering bags and designing soft lunch kits for youth and adult markets following set product development processes

Developed licensed product with Barbie, NASCAR and Warner Brothers

Managed sales efforts including training, public relations, customer service, trade shows and key account calls to major mass, specialty, warehouse and food & drug accounts all with national distribution

Produced all marketing materials including catalogs, sell sheets, hang tags, print advertising, press releases and sales presentations

Led cross-functional teams for each project interacting with Purchasing, Graphics, Engineering, Customer Service, Logistics, Quality Control, and Sales

The insulated category grew from a 3 million dollar category to an 8 million dollar category from 2003 to 2006. The new lines introduced gained shelf space in new retail accounts like Target, Dick’s Bass Pro, Farm & Fleet, BJ’s, Lowes and were purchased by catering/hospitality accounts. Press coverage was attained through all major morning programs and major family publications.

H2O PLUS - Chicago, IL 1999 – 2003

A manufacturer/retailer of water-based, oil-free skincare products and accessories

Brand Manager, Accessories (2000 to 2003)

Managed an assortment of 80 permanent private label items including garments, personal care products, home products and bath products

Created seasonal lines for Holiday, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day including specialty gift sets

Sourced all promotional items for retail locations, website, and catalog including all GWP and PWP items

Introduced dog care line, children’s line and home fragrance line resulting in increased store sales

Negotiated with vendors including setting price, quantity and freight arrangements

Coordinated in-house design team to develop / design packaging and writing copy

Interacted daily with cross-functional teams of Design, Packaging, Materials, Logistics, Production, Quality Assurance, Purchasing, Merchandising, Training, Marketing and International Sales

Purchasing Agent (1999 to 2000)

Placed purchase orders through an MRP system for tube components, accessories and in- house building supplies for all departments

Arranged freight schedules, negotiated rates and ensured on-time delivery

Saved the company $100,000 through negotiating with current vendors and sourcing new vendors both domestically and internationally

Additional Experience

Bradner Smith & Company - Chicago, IL 1997 – 1999

Purchasing Agent

Responsible for purchasing all paper stocked in the facility and for all special orders

Donald Bruce & Company - Chicago, IL 1995 – 1997

Purchasing Agent

Purchasing responsibilities for earrings, lockets, religious items and children’s line

EDUCATION

Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Science in Retail Merchandising, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL

Associate of Arts, emphasis in Marketing, Morton College, Cicero, IL

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