Marketing Strategy and Development, Product Management

NELSON PITLOR

**** ********* *****, *********, ** 44087

216-***-**** *******@*****.***

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Creative, yet technically minded professional with a broad and deep experience base who has done everything from field sales, sales force development and training, to award-winning product development and running a company. Strives to conceptualize customer need, and develops new and innovative products and strategies to meet those needs and generate new business opportunities.

• Combines critical technical thinking ability with sales intuition, leading to strong relationships with customers and vendors.

• Focuses on a “Team” approach to best exploit each person’s ability, maximizing overall results

• Offers strong creative writing skills to generate, evaluate, and improve marketing materials

• Combines multi-faceted knowledge of different business aspects to provide new and unique perspectives and solutions, while avoiding non-viable initiatives.

Transferable Areas of Expertise

Marketing Strategy Development B2B Strategic Marketing Product Training Customer Relations

International Product Sourcing and Relationship Development

Multi-Team Product Development Product Evaluation and Improvement

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EXPERIENCE

Technical Consumer Products, Aurora OH December 2010 - December 2011

$250 million lighting company specializing in energy saving products

Product Manager

Lead manager of the $3 million decorative fixture line, the start-up linear retrofit program, the start-up LED luminaires line, and the controls program. Assisted with the overall linear products lines (lamps and luminaires).

• Designed a new product program for decorative fixtures to re-introduce a full line to market by increasing the product offering while reducing the overall need for per-SKU inventory.

• Formulated, developed, sourced, and introduced the TCP Linear Retrofit Program in the summer of 2011. This involved working with vendors, supply chain, production, distribution, and sales to introduce a product line very different from what TCP typically sold. 2012 sales for the line projected to significantly exceed $1mm.

• Developed and launched a program designed to evaluate, troubleshoot, and track engineering changes to products in any luminaire product.

• Traveled with each rep to train them in the new sales techniques required to sell both the LED luminaires and the linear retrofit kits. Presented to the entire sales force during each of the quarterly sales meetings.

• Reduced excess, obsolete inventory by 60% through sales and re-purposing product.

American-De Rosa Lamparts, Commerce, CA November 2009 - August 2010

$30 million lighting company specializing in imported residential fixtures

Commercial and Institutional Product and Sales Manager

Directed technology merger and implementation of the Accessmount technology into the American-De Rosa corporate and product environment. Worked with all departments to establish a “Commercial Lighting” understanding and operation within what had been primarily a “Residential Lighting” company. Designed a comprehensive marketing strategy, and developed a national commercial sales rep network to carry out the strategy. Worked with Chinese suppliers to establish new supply chains for the products. Developed several new variations of Accessmount products.

• Discovered, hired, and trained a rep force of 18 manufactures reps

• Developed a dimming recessed fixture (With regulatory certification), bullet fixtures, pendent canopies, and decorative flush-mount fixtures all based on the Accessmount technology.

• Created an understanding of the commercial lighting market within a residential lighting company.

• Repeatedly Traveled to China to meet with factories to develop new variations of product to supply to American-De Rosa.

Accessmount LLC, Twinsburg, OH July, 2000 – November, 2009

A start-up company based on new lighting mount technology

President

Developed and Patented the Accessmount® system, a removable mounting system for overhead fixtures. Produced a UL-certified, retrofittable fixture mounting system. Won many awards (Including “Technical Innovation of the Year” at Lightfair International). Transitioned the company to build completed fixtures, including the award winning Ladderless® Recessed Downlight, which can be maintained from the ground without shutting off the circuit, effectively competing against LED technology for lower energy usage and a significantly lower overall ownership cost.

• Won six awards for products, four from within the lighting and electrical industries, and five on a national level.

• Researched many separate industries and uncovered needs within each. Made many high level contacts within each industry.

• Filed for and received patents in the USA and throughout the world, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, several European countries (Some pending), and other areas.

• Worked with UL to receive preliminary design input and altered models to meet UL requirements. Received UL certification for all products developed. Switched certifications to ETL, recertified all existing and new products for ETL certification.

• Networked to locate, train and support twenty independent representatives.

• Identified several target markets, and worked with the sales reps to work on the first target: schools and universities. Customers include Carnegie-Mellon, Penn State, Ball State, Bethel, UC Berkeley, Rice, Heidelberg, and others.

• Worked with the local county government to secure $200,000 of 10-year, low interest product development loans, used to develop the Ladderless® Recessed Downlight and the Ladderless® Track Lighting Head.

Phoenix Products, Inc., Berea, KY December, 1999 - June, 2000

A small boat manufacturer expanding into the military aircraft parts business

Product Manager; Project-Oriented, Non-Permanent Position

(Worked part-time nights and weekends for two additional years)

Took early, prototype military aircraft panel, and refined the design. Worked with local independent shops to manufacture the parts required for this panel. Successfully introduced new product to market.

• Identified new and desirable features, most critical to new sales. Significantly reduced size and weight over old design. Worked with mechanical draftsman to update all drawings. Researched military design criteria, and worked within all required parameters.

• Developed relationships with several local machine shops, stamping plants, plating shops, plastic fabricators, paint shops, and others to manufacture the parts required for this panel. Worked as partners to improve manufacturing techniques and lower overall costs.

• Developed relationships with the Army aircraft program manager’s office, and worked with the engineers in the office to successfully receive a (very rare) blanket approval for installation in most applicable aircraft.

• Successfully introduced new product at national meeting. Received the majority of attention, and Phoenix Products, inc. was heralded as one of the few desirable companies with which the Army aircraft program manager works.

Synthes (USA), Paoli, PA June, 1996 - November, 1999

$400 million medical company specializing in orthopedic trauma implants

Sales Representative

Sold orthopedic implants and instruments to hospitals in the eastern Ohio area (Akron suburbs, Canton south to I-70). Used as a resource for surgeons treating difficult fractures. Operating room presence often requested for consultation and guidance. Territory required 24 hour-a-day, 365 day-a-year on-call status. Taught surgeons surgical technique for new products. Conducted workshops for operating room personnel and surgical residents.

• Achieved 34% growth first full calendar year at company, 26% growth second year (Surpassed quota all full years at company). Standardized two entire hospital surgery departments to Synthes, with two more under negotiation. Returned two hospitals (previously lost to competitors) to Synthes as new customers.

• Voted “most valuable in class” during advanced training at company.

• Conducted semi-annual workshops at several hospitals (50-100 people each workshop); developed standard for workshops with head of education at one hospital.

Medi-USA, Arlington Heights, IL October, 1991 - May, 1996

A small medical company selling vascular support garments and braces

Sales Representative

Sold vascular compression stockings to hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, home health care stores, and pharmacies in the Eastern Great Lakes area (OH, MI, Western NY and PA). Provided doctor detailing and marketing support to retail accounts.

• Senior sales representative” at company. Achieved the highest bonus possible the first year at the company; doubled sales within four years in the company’s second most mature territory; increased dealers by 115%.

• Created several successful marketing programs for different home health care dealers; created the competitive sales techniques currently included in the training manual; test-marketed a new hyperextension orthosis and created the protocol for sales successfully being used by the entire sales force; researched and outlined the sales process for doctor sales, and gave a presentation to sales force.

• Provided training (inservice or certification) to all orthotic fitters at each account.

• Designed the company’s certification program; gave to the entire sales force and is now followed by all sales representatives; at request of management, trained the home office staff in all areas of vascular support stockings.

• Discovered several “drawbacks” to a new hyperextension orthosis, and made recommendations followed to solve them; created list of (previously unrealized) advantages for hyperextension orthosis now being used; frequently called upon by home office and other sales reps to trouble shoot for problem accounts.

Bioplasty, Inc., St. Paul, MN June, 1989 - September, 1991 A small (Now defunct) medical company selling burn and plastic surgery products

Wound Care Specialist, Northeast Sales Territory (7/90 - 10/91)

Sold biologic wound care dressings in a large geographic territory from Maine to Delaware and west to Ohio. Customer base was a wide demographic group including burn unit directors, nurses, operating room managers, plastic surgeons, purchasing agents, and others.

Sales Representative - Full Line (6/89 - 7/90)

Sold plastic surgery products and biologic dressings to the Ohio market.

• Territory sales (Northeast) averaged 110% of forecast (all other territories were at 80-90%); territory (Ohio) was at 115% of forecast after one year (all other territories missed quota); territory (Ohio wound care) had 35% increase after one year; developed two new burn unit customers (33% increase).

• Successfully introduced the Bioplasty Skin-Graft-Mesher, with every target account trying or purchasing at least one within one year. Introduced the MISTI textured implant to the Ohio plastic surgery market.

• Trained doctors and nurses in the use of biologic dressings, a concept with which few were familiar.

OTHER EXPERIENCE:

a/d/s/, Boston, MA Summer, 1988

Sales and customer support internship in a consumer electronics company.

EDUCATION:

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering; Certificate of Management in Marketing, May 1989 (Dean’s List, 2 Semesters)

COMPUTER EXPERIENCE:

Proficient with Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, Internet Explorer, and others.

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