Paul K. Sullivan

2601 Old Camden Square #108, Madison, WI 53718
(262) 442-2083 (Cell-Home)
pksullivan2@hotmail.com

CAREER OBJECTIVES
A marketing/sales/consumer insights professional with experience in a number of business functions in marketing, sales, consumer insights, category management and retail operations; is seeking a challenging career opportunity where the analytic skills can be utilized to grow the business.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

  • Proven ability to cross functional business lines to accomplish goals and objectives, while motivating and building teams.
  • Delivering profitable results in short time periods through ongoing cost reduction efforts, innovative process improvements, technical enhancements and targeted promotions.
  • Well-developed communication and technical training skills – provided classroom and individual technological training to captive exempt and non-exempt professionals.
  • Excellent analytical skills and understanding of business performance and sales forecasting reports, including profit and loss statement, and key performance indicators. Excellent written and oral communication skills to drive the business.
  • Development of creative marketing and category management strategies, through syndicated data, and market research.
  • Independently managing area of responsibility with careful planning, organization and goal setting.

CAREER EXPERIENCES
2009-PRESENT


2007-2009
FISKARS BRANDS, INC
Senior Sales Analyst (Sales/Business Analyst)
Madison, WI

  • Moved to the business development analysis position (including special projects) grow the industrial (B2B) and retail businesses through analytics.
  • Provided sales analysis for the major craft retailers (Jo-Ann’s, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and others) in the areas of point-of-sales, space-to-sales, market segmentation, product segmentation.
  • Provided analytic support for customers with a total estimate of $23-25M in retail dollar; growing the overall craft category (trimmers, scissors, and other craft product) in a specific retailer nearly 10% over the previous year.
  • Worked with product management teams on new product roll-outs and projection calculations for retail growth.
  • Worked as an internal consultant on the Walmart and Target teams creating gap analysis to grow the business at these retailers by a projected $300-500K in retail dollars in the craft categories.

JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC (DIVISION: POWER SOLUTIONS, Batteries)
Category Analyst (Marketing/Sales/Consumer Insights)
Milwaukee, WI

  • Provided Category Management (Marketing/Sales/Consumer Insights) and analytics for all segments of the lead-acid battery business, including seasonal trending, promotion development, and internal pricing strategies, and customer strategic initiatives.
  • Worked with executive team on pricing models for manufacturing, and other Go-Market-to-Strategies for retail customers.
  • Worked with the business development creating strategies for obtaining and retaining current and prospective new retail businesses.
  • Worked with customers across multiple retail channels (i.e. auto parts, mass, original equipment, and wholesale channels) to facilitate marketing strategies including pricing analysis, assortments/product mix and other internal strategies. Created distribution and other retail operations efficiencies through the use of market/competitive intelligence tactics.
  • Worked with retail customers on driving consumer traffic, through the use of Consumer Insights by using tools such as customer intercept studies, decision tree studies, secret shoppers, product awareness studies, consumer panel data, NPD, scanned based/POS data and other syndicated data tools.
  • Created market research studies to understand consumer trends and behaviors to understand why, how, and where the consumers purchase products. Research studies included a qualitative and quantitative analysis.
  • Developed product plans and strategies for marketing and sales execution; including but not limited to branding opportunities, customer intimacy strategies, pricing models, market research, product development, logistics, and market/competitive intelligence research.
  • Administrator for Cognos Cubes in conjunction with retailers scanned based/POS data. This data is utilized for the creation of analysis and reporting functions for trending and consumer insights.
  • Created and implemented strategies to grow a lost leader product mix; growing the segment in 2008 by over $500,000. The growth stemmed from design enhancements to the existing product which lowered costs, and created other manufacturing efficiencies.
  • Created significant cost savings of over $2M annually for the company by using retail labor-cost modeling.
  • Utilization of syndicated data sources for business planning in conjunction with sales planning Including IRI and NPD, and industry shipment data.
    Provided analysis for plan-o-gram creation, while creating efficiencies in the process to enhance product visibility and sales for customers like: Costco
  • US, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Sears/Kmart, AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, Pep Boys and O’Reilly Auto. Utilized tools such as Vendor Net, Retail Link and other online vendor tools.

2005-2007
TJ MAXX STORES
Regional Field Loss Control- Operations Auditor/Regional Operations Analyst
Assistant Store Manager—Merchandising/Operations/Customer Service
Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL

  • Promoted to the Regional Field Loss Control/Operations Auditor, and was transferred to the regional office in Chicago, IL. Responsible for operational efficiencies in over one hundred stores within a nine state region.
  • Report directly to the Senior Regional Vice President and the Regional Loss Prevention Managers. Moved the average audit score 20 bases points within two consecutive quarters.
  • Created action plans, marketing strategies for product movement and development and training plans for stores to improve upon any deficiencies and implementation of process improvements and best practice introduction.
  • Provided technological support and training for major system upgrades; including but not limited to firewall installations, POS hardware/software upgrades and other database maintenance.
  • Also provided adhoc market research analysis on various product categories such as stationary, books and other hard good categories.
  • As an Operations Manager, responsible for business planning, payroll costs, supply costs, and any other budgetary concerns.

2004-2005
LINENS’ N THINGS STORES
Merchandise/Operations Manager
Palatine, IL

  • This store had a 6.0% ratio to sales in shrink, with sales volume of $5.6 million, a year later lowered shrink percentage 3.1% ratio to sales of $5.7 million.
  • Tracked sales of key product items to ensure in-stock levels and provided key insights into customer buying habits through the customer loyalty surveys.

2001-2004
K-MART STORES
Area Manager—Softlines/Hardlines Manager and Project Manager
Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL

  • Accepted five promotions and a transfer to the Chicago market in less than three years.
  • Fixed a number of stores from an operational and merchandising perspective, by re-instituting operational efficiencies, cash flow procedures, and other internal controls, and creating a strategic process for the continual training of both exempt and non-exempt associates.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES


2002-PRESENT
MHS ENTERPRISES, LLC
Purchasing Consortium of-the Willing (PCOW) Family Owned/Operated Business Retail Consulting (Grocery)
Director of Technology Operations

EDUCATION


2006
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)—MANAGEMENT
University of Phoenix—Milwaukee Campus

2003
MASTERS OF ARTS (MAOM)—ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT
University of Phoenix—Milwaukee Campus

2000
BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA)—ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
University of Wisconsin—Whitewater

SPECIALIZED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
FACT BASED SELLING SOLUTIONS, BY DELTA ASSOCIATES, LLC

LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS MODEL, PARTS 1 & 2, BY JOHNSON CONTROLS INC

PERSONAL ENRICHMENT-- VOLUNTEERISM

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF EFFORTS IN GUATEMALA, WITH POTTER’S HOUSE ASSOCIATION

COMPUTER SKILLS
Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Access, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Adobe PageMaker, KRONOS payroll systems, RMU/RF Technologies (handheld merchandising units), Siebel CRM, Business Objects, Cognos Power Play and Triversity POS systems.