Areas of Strength & Effectiveness

Professional Experience

Alliance Trading Group | Portland, OR | Jan 2018 – Present

Director of Soft Goods & Design | Jan 2023 – Present

Alliance Trading Group provides comprehensive end-to-end design, sourcing, and development services for national and international companies.

• Overview: Tasked with researching the markets and finding new opportunities to offer in house designed soft goods products that can add new revenue streams for the company.  In addition, to being responsible as the account manager for 3 of our top 4 customers.

Project/Category Manager

• Overview: Brought into the role to project manage both existing and new customer projects as an expert in soft goods. Role scope expanded to include Category Management. Currently managing over 1/3 of the company’s active customers. 

• Clients: includes Leupold & Stevens, Peak Design, and Puffin Drinkware.

• Cost Reduction: Lead cost reduction experiment proposing a design change that would have saved the customer $500K per year.

• Results: Reestablished business with a potentially lost customer resulting in an initial order of $144K.

Nike | Portland, OR | Mar 2017 – Jul 2018
Digital Creation Lead

• Overview: Initially worked as a content manager rebuilding Nike’s entire licensed logo asset library before earning a full-time position as a Digital Creation Lead. 

• Logo Library: Reduced the logo library count by 1/3 resulting in the elimination of over 5K seasonally maintained files.

• Operations: Combined assets, and restructured processes to reduce the project completion scope by 10X

Columbia Sportswear Company | Portland, OR | May 2004 - Nov 2016

Designer of Global Innovation | May 2014 – Nov 2016

Hired as the first designer for Columbia Sportswear's in-house equipment division.  Promoted to a senior-level position in 5 years.  Managed 5 designers during a 4-year sales growth period before transitioning into the innovation department. 

• Overview: Led design strategy for innovation department for new product ideas and launches.

• Operations: Organized the company’s in-house prototyping facility which included purchasing capital equipment, maintaining machinery, and training peers on proper operation.

• Innovations: Successfully created various assets used to demonstrate and sell innovations. Ex: Created new technology (still being utilized) to weather-test materials in-house to help benchmark against in-market competition and improve performance.

• Sourcing: Sourced new fabrication partner saving over $10K on the first project.

• Testing Devices: Designed and constructed numerous vital testing devices that were used in the house as well as trade shows saving the company up to $40K.

• Competition: Awarded first place in the company-wide innovation competition, resulting in defining the department’s next major project.

• Presentations: Presented innovation technologies nationally and internationally including Columbia’s European sales meeting in Geneva.

• Repairing: Repaired a $30K Bundesmann rain test device that had never been operational since Columbia purchased it.  The device was continually used to benchmark new fabrics after its repair.

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Technical Engineer | Dec 2013 – May 2014

• Overview: Completed all technical packages used to communicate new designs for factory resources.  Conducted prototype review process accompanied with completing revised spec documentation.

• Redesigning: Redesigned backpack while on development trip, saving company over $20K.

• Operations: Solely performed the task of documenting the entire season's “Bill of Materials” which is commonly achieved by two employees.

Senior Equipment Designer | May 2004 – Dec 2013

• Overview: Coordinated design team in backpack and glove divisions; designed, presented, and developed marketable products for 2 categories that were sold around the world.

• Managing: Managed team of 5 designers during 4 years of constant equipment sales growth.

• Award: Created 2 award-winning backpacks featured in Backpacker magazine for 2 consecutive years.

• Patents: Granted 2 patents for innovative shoulder strap design.

• Design:

  • Designed 50% of the backpack styles which accounted for 75% of sales. Product was sold unchanged for 14+ years

  • Designed 50% of the glove line accounting for 60% of the glove sales.

Education

B.A. in Industrial Design| College for Creative Studies, Detroit MI