Ag Professional w/ 7+ years of Sales, Marketing, & Agronomy experience

GARY B. CUNNINGHAM, JR.

Lithia, FL *****

Phone 813-***-****

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

AGRIBUSINESS / SALES AND MARKETING / ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

Dynamic Agribusiness/Agronomy professional with recent Master’s Degree seeking a sales position with a progressive company committed to crop production and protection. Skilled in market research, business development, and marketing initiatives, as well as back-end production and distribution. Thorough working knowledge of EPA and OSHA guidelines. Demonstrated ability to foster positive client relationships that lead to mutual trust and ultimately, revenue generation. Recognized at Crop Protection Services, Inc., for closing more than $100k in new sales in 2009.

Certifications: CDL Class C with Hazardous Materials Endorsement, Forklift Operations

Software Proficiency: MS Office Suite, AS400, ICS, QuickBooks

EDUCATION

Master of Agribusiness, Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2011

Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing & Management, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL, 2006

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

TECHNEKES, Morrisville, NC 2011

Sales Associate (contract)

Managed prospecting and customer service activities for client company targeting farmers for seed sales and crop protection services.

* Prospected and generated leads via telephone cold calling; assessed market conditions, competitive landscape, and client trends to evaluate opportunities and recognize challenges.

* Built strong rapport with customers; drove customer satisfaction, loyalty, and recurring revenue stream.

* Consulted with clients to understand business needs, challenges, and gaps in existing service; identified and recommended solutions.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Gainesville, FL 2010 – 2011

Agricultural Research Assistant, 2011

Provided comprehensive market research and analytics on both current and future agricultural products and tools, specifically methyl bromide alternatives in the strawberry industry.

* Performed target market research via in-person survey visits, identifying consumer trends and unmet market needs.

* Offered monitoring tools and support to design marketing research programs that improved new product development, increased awareness of critical market conditions and trends and guided marketing and sales programs.

* Partnered with professors, the USDA, local growers, and chemical reps to present results outlines to project stakeholders.

Full-Time Master’s Student, 2010 – 2011

CROP PROTECTION SERVICES, INC., Plant City, FL 2002 – 2009

Manager

Oversaw a warehouse staff of 5 employees as part of a, 8-member total staff for distributor of chemicals and fertilizers to local farmers and ranchers of strawberries, citrus, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

* Employed broad knowledge base in diagnosing a variety of crop field problems and more than 600 products targeted towards them, resulting in long-term client relationships based on trust and proven performance.

* Faciliated sales both one-on-one and in organized meetings with exsisting and potential customers, updating farmers on new products in the industry and innovative solutions to new problems.

* Allocated workload, documented performance, and directed teams towards the achievement of client distribution objectives. Managed inventory, controlled material handling, and maintained documentation.

* Prepared and submitted timely, comprehensive, accurate reports regarding operations, maintenance records, and inventory.

* Developed and implemented standard operating procedures for work activities such as recordkeeping and progress reporting in order to inform management of current status or updates.

* Implemented and complied with OSHA guidelines; formulated and maintained quality control objectives while maximizing quality and reliability, and minimizing costs.

* Established record of forklift safety while fulfilling customer orders.

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