William Mark Edwards
Dade City, FL 33523
Cell: 352-***-****
Email: **********@*****.***
SUMMARY
Goal-oriented, customer-focused sales professional with extensive account and sales management experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry. Expertise includes marketing, brand building, and market knowledge. Proven customer service skills with the knowledge to increase profit margins. Skilled in forecasting, promotions, smerchandising, competitive analysis, strategic planning, and expense control. Fluent with syndicated and customer data. Excellent presentation and communication skills. Knowledgeable in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. Consistently exceeds sales and performance objectives.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CROSSMARK –Tampa, FL 2/1996-7/2012
Account Executive – Publix, Albertsons, Winn Dixie, Goodings Supermarkets
• Managed clients’ account business by effectively directing promotional planning, execution of promotional strategy, and end-result analysis.
• Fully responsible and accountable for all client trade funds and spending for the entire Southeast division.
• Managed multiple Trade Planning systems of clients, which tracks plans, spending, forecasts, and growth.
• Directed all post-promotional analysis as required by clients for specific accounts.
• Directed retail project creation for targeted CROSSMARK retail work in assigned accounts in Southeast division.
• Developed extensive knowledge of Publix buying strategies in order to expand client business within client’s brand objectives.
• Played lead role in strategic planning with clients for entire Southeast market customers. Customers included direct accountability for Publix, and planning for Winn Dixie, Associated Grocers-Miami, Southeast Wholesale-Miami, and all Alabama market customers like AG of the South, Mitchell Grocery, Rouses, and Piggly Wiggly.
• Consistently achieved annual broker commission forecast by driving client business development and growth.
• Grew Chock full O’ Nuts brand coffee at Publix from a $4.5 million dollar brand in 2008 to a projected $10 million dollar brand by end of 2012.
• Successfully drove Chock full O’ Nuts coffee brand ad frequency at Publix from zero weekly ads to 5 weekly ads annually in the past 3 years. Brand trending at +22% in dollars year to date.
• Sold into new distribution at Publix, 5 new items on Hills Bros. Cappuccino, which was the only void account in the Southeast. Brand is now a $1.4 million dollar brand at Publix.
• Sold Mix 1, an adult fitness beverage, into new distribution at Publix 4 years ago on the very first presentation. New vendor was also set up by Publix. Brand is now a $700,000 brand at Publix.
• Grew Mueller’s brand pasta at Publix, from 2 weekly Buy One, Get One Free ads per year, 8 years ago, to 11 Buy One, Get One Free weekly ads in 2012.
• Mueller’s brand has grown from a 4 million pound per year account at Publix to a 19 million pound brand, making it the # 1 pasta brand at Publix at over $19.5M in category dollars.
• Publix has selected Mueller’s brand the last 5 consecutive years to be in their annual Publix Italian Days themed ad, Publix’s single largest ad themed event.
• In 2012, during Publix’s annual Pasta Category Review, sold 7 new Mueller’s items into distribution.
• Sold into new distribution the past 3 years, 8 new items from N. K. Hurst Co. New business accounted for over $1.3 million dollars in new business for client, and over $2 million in category dollar growth for Publix. Publix volume up +26.6% in dollars over the past year.
• Placed Kashi Cereal into permanent, direct warehouse distribution, which had previously been DSD through KeHE.
• Grew Kashi brand over the past 6 years to over $8 million dollar cereal brand at Publix.
• Sold 6 new Coty/Sally Hanson depilatory items into new distribution at Publix in April 2012.
• Expanded Knouse Foods Musselman’s apple sauce brand into chain-wide distribution at Publix in 2005. The brand now represents over $3.7 million dollars in Category sales at Publix, up 31% YTD.
• Sold 3 Buy One, Get One Free ads in 2012 on Oberto brand beef jerky. Brand share growth up +14% YTD vs. 2011.
• Increased targeted commission revenue at CROSSMARK by +15% in 2011 and +13% above forecast year-to-date goals for 2012.
Scott Paper Company Orlando, FL/ Tampa, FL 1995
Account Manager – Albertsons, Winn Dixie, Kash ‘n’ Karry, Affiliated Grocers of Tampa, U-Save Supermarkets
• Supervised, trained, and developed retail broker sales force in the Orlando and Tampa markets to achieve volume and distribution objectives.
• Managed all phases of sales volume for select direct accounts in the Orlando and Tampa markets.
• Grew Kash n’ Karry volume by 115% and revenue by 152% with 12 new item placements.
Scott Paper Company 1984-1986; 1987-1994
Account Representative; Sr. Account Representative – Winn Dixie, Albertsons, Super Food Services, Goodings, Piggly Wiggly
• Planned and implemented trade and marketing programs, including sales strategies, profit, and sales attainment for all Orlando market customers.
• Executed sales forecasts, sales expense controls, and profit center management with customers.
• Achieved 8 consecutive years of volume increases at Winn Dixie’s Orlando Division.
• Successfully hired, managed, and trained retail merchandisers for store call coverage.
• Participated on a team that developed skills for consumer sales positions.
Scott Paper Company 1980-1982; 1982-1984
Sales Representative; Senior Sales Representative
• Called on 150 retail grocery stores in the Central Florida market.
• Grew Patrick Air Force Base Commissary account 12% to $350,000 annual sales.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• 7-time recipient of the Florida Sales Representative of the Year Award
• 2-time recipient of National Sales Achievement Award
• 2-time recipient of Top Sales Achiever Award from American Italian Pasta Company
• Pillsbury Southeast Region Broker of the Year Award Winner
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration
University of South Florida- Tampa, FL