Business Development & Consultative Sales

Michael R. Stephani

**** *** ****, ********, ** 14864

607-***-****; Cell 607-***-**** Email: sk1b2p@r.postjobfree.com

EDUCATION

B. S. in Management Science from Lock Haven University 1985, Lock Haven, Pa., 17745

EFM (Education for Ministry) 2 years

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Director- Business Development & Sales; Argyle Design & Overseas Mgt., LLC. April 2007 – Present

• Responsible for all sales, conflict resolution, design, engineering, and overseas production of over 50 home consumer packaging companies total packaging budgets exceeding $2.5 million

• Designed new componentry needed for the brands (i.e. bottles, jars, box/bag packaging, home fragrance accessories, etc.) to detailed specification in Excel 2007.

• Planning/Plant selection/Logistical coordination of each project (hundreds of concurrent projects at 11 overseas factory sites)

• Responsible for setting strategic direction and daily collaboration between multiple teams from “C” level to tactical mgt level to art/design and onto manufacturing to see strategic vision through to tactical reality

• Negotiated all vendor agreements; specialist in Chinese culture and negotiating tactics

• Developed inspection regimes in accordance with MIL105E standards

• Currently have product in tier-1, tier-2, and mass merchant store chains across the country

• Generated bi-annual newsletter highlighting industry trends, new materials, new processes

• Responsible for all Marketing activities, plans, literature, and trade show preparation

• Responsible for all sales, margin attainment, design and follow-through

• MFCI trained and MFCI facilitator

• Responsible for delivering results on-time and in-budget

• Experienced navigating quickly changing political environments and cultural differences

• Rigid box; fiberboard; corrugated; thermoform; flexible; cut & sew; molded

Product Manager; Image Packaging, Inc.; 2003 – April 2007

• Responsible for all Sales & Marketing efforts for gift box & cut and sew packaging sales

• Responsible for designing company-wide web-based quote-to-order-delivery information tracking system

• Responsible for design, engineering, and overseas production of over 40 home fragrance, bath & spa companies consumer packaging & POP displays Production at overseas factory sites

• Key responsibility to develop business plan within home decor/giftware business sector

• Key Responsibility for gift box/cut and sew vendor relations in China; initiation, development, due-diligence, and quality assurance program in accordance with MIL 105E standards.

• Key responsibility to research business development, trends in home decor

• Key responsibility to create new marketing strategy on shoestring budget to enter new markets and expand in existing areas of home décor supplier

• Travel as needed to approve production and to research, source, and identify new materials, technologies, and innovative product design forms that adhere to our product development philosophies.

• Every project time-critical and urgent; very high success rate

Faculty; Elmira Business Institute; September 2003 - July 2004 (2 year Business College – a storied institution of higher education since its inception in 1858)

• Taught college level courses in Business Math; Business Organization & Management; Economics; Business Law; Business English; Oral Communications, and Freshman Seminar (the psychology behind high achievement)

President - Exotrope, Inc.; 1997 –2003

• One of 4 founders of multi-LATA, multi-service ISP, data center & software development company

• Sold the graphics filter to “A-list” clients including Juno Online, Sun Microsystems, Scholastic, Catholic Online, Freeserve (U.K.’s largest ISP), and Peruzzo International (one of Italy’s largest software integrator)

• Lead management team that raised 5.8 million dollars in the private equity market

• Lead development team that created BAIR distributed client-server system and educational web-centric information management systems

• Coordinated strategic and tactical management teams to successfully develop and deliver consumer product on-time, in-budget

• Oversaw development of an artificial intelligence graphics recognition software system that was recognized as an “Editors Choice” in 2000 by PC Magazine

• Led seven Product Development teams dispersed over three continents while simultaneously running the corporation of 112 people

• Managed customer call center with order fulfillment responsibility and help desk function ability that was 24/7 and staffed with 40 people at peak hour

• Lectured Peoples republic of China at 2-day seminar on graphics filtering in Beijing

• Routinely made National and Internationally televised presentations with Political figures

Sales Manager: 1994 - 1997 CXR Dairy Service Agriculture Products

• Sales & Marketing Manager to a now-defunct Alfa-Laval Dealership in NE Pa., a regional distributor for Alfa-Laval products.

• Developed regional marketing program that successfully generated the greatest number of unit sales for automatic milking machines nation-wide for Alfa-Laval, exceeding sales of all other Alfa-Laval dealerships in the United States.

• Sold building supplies and labor services to agricultural sector

Proprietor; Stephani Chemical Company; In 1992

• Sold Industrial Parts washing equipment and supply-base chemicals to railway remanufacturers and other large industrial users.

• Was named sole source of industrial cleaning agent to the NYC Transportation Authority subway unit. Other essential transactions included sales of industrial parts-washing machinery to such companies as Arrowlock and Ingersoll Rand.

• Sold company in 1994 as exit strategy and with it, the multi-year NYC transit Authority Railway contracts.

Account Manager/Sales Support Specialist; Paxar Corporation; Between 1986 – 1992

• Top salesperson 3 years running for thermal transfer label printers and preprinted graphics in NYC; expert at prepress, rotary press (flexo), Offset, platen letterpress, and Screen print

• Finished a fast-track two-year management-training program in 18 months.

• Worked on the plant floor of a large printing operation; became well versed in all aspects of package printing methods and design elements for specific printing presses.

• Took a NYC sales territory and tripled its revenue in less than 4 years

Business Manager; Penn-York Opportunities

• Salesperson and client placement responsibility.

Honors: Received lifetime achievement award from Lock Haven University; June 2000. Editorial Advisor for Business Facilities magazine, 2001. Testified before US Congress COPA commissions. Lectured MII (Ministry of Information Industry) in the Peoples Republic of China. Lead speaker at two press conferences beside Governor Pataki. Captain of HS wrestling team; President of HS Photo club; Editor of HS Newspaper. Inventor of patent-pending home fragrance stone diffusers.

References:

Charles Grund: VP Wachovia Securities

Offices: 160 North Main Street; Elmira, NY 14901

607-***-****

Home phone 607-***-****

Mark Procopio: NY State Police Captain

New York State Police

3859 Meads Creek Road

Painted Post, NY 14870

Home phone – For security purposes, please send letter.

Vince Lotito: President VVL Associates

1 Lauren lane; New Egypt, NJ

609-***-****

More References Available Upon Request

Contact this candidate