Areas of Strength & Effectiveness
Expertise in Product Innovation, Design, and Development for Global Fortune 500 Companies
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Proven Track Record: Leads teams in a successful execution of product from concept to development. Won multiple awards, and 2 patents in multiple countries.
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Results-Driven: Created products for Columbia Sportswear that remained in the market for 15+ years with no design changes and accounted for 75% of category sales annually for almost a decade.
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Alignment: Designs products that will enhance a brand image while meeting the needs of a Product Line Manager’s vision.
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Global Experience: Extensive experience overseas working with factories or liaison offices to bring products to market within set budgets while maintaining the designed aesthetic.
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Presentation: Adept in presenting visual and oral concepts in front of large audiences (presentation boards or entire product lines).
Project Management and Optimized Operations for Continuous Improvement
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Optimization: Always looking for ways to save costs in every role via improving designs and operational efficiency saving up to $500K. As Digital Creation Lead for Nike improved project completion scope by 10X.
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Prototyping/Technical Drawings: Executes technical drawings that are clear and concise so that factory partners can achieve high-level prototypes. Highly experienced with hands-on prototyping.
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Machinery: Skilled in operating and maintaining types of machinery such as laser cutters, high-speed video equipment, and numerous shop tools.
Team Building and Cross-Functional Collaboration
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Collaboration: Collaborates with teams that lead to a more streamlined process and improved product development.
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Communication: Empathetic communicator who prioritizes inclusive ideas to help foster best product outcome and team success; led teams of up to 5 designers.
Technology Guru
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Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and Vision Research PCC; Moderate knowledge of Alias Wavefront, Rhino, and Tema Motion Analysis.
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.
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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
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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.
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Clients: includes Leupold & Stevens, Peak Design, and Puffin Drinkware.
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Cost Reduction: Lead cost reduction experiment proposing a design change that would have saved the customer $500K per year.
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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
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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.
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Logo Library: Reduced the logo library count by 1/3 resulting in the elimination of over 5K seasonally maintained files.
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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.
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Overview: Led design strategy for innovation department for new product ideas and launches.
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Operations: Organized the company’s in-house prototyping facility which included purchasing capital equipment, maintaining machinery, and training peers on proper operation.
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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.
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Sourcing: Sourced new fabrication partner saving over $10K on the first project.
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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.
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Competition: Awarded first place in the company-wide innovation competition, resulting in defining the department’s next major project.
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Presentations: Presented innovation technologies nationally and internationally including Columbia’s European sales meeting in Geneva.
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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.
Technical Engineer | Dec 2013 – May 2014
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Overview: Completed all technical packages used to communicate new designs for factory resources. Conducted prototype review process accompanied with completing revised spec documentation.
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Redesigning: Redesigned backpack while on development trip, saving company over $20K.
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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
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Overview: Coordinated design team in backpack and glove divisions; designed, presented, and developed marketable products for 2 categories that were sold around the world.
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Managing: Managed team of 5 designers during 4 years of constant equipment sales growth.
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Award: Created 2 award-winning backpacks featured in Backpacker magazine for 2 consecutive years.
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Patents: Granted 2 patents for innovative shoulder strap design.
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Design:
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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.
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Education
B.A. in Industrial Design| College for Creative Studies, Detroit MI
Expertise & Industry Knowledge
Creative Direction • Sportswear • Tech Packs • Sketching • Concept Development • Apparel • Footwear • Brand Development • Product Design • Trend Analysis • Design Strategy • Industrial Design • Textiles • Art Direction • Sewing • Adobe Creative Suite • Outwear • Mood Boards • Trend • Backpack • Advanced Prototyping • Increasing Brand Image • Calculated Decision Maker • Construction Analyzation • Manufactural Analysis • High-Level Presentations • Forward Thinking Design • Trend Evaluation • Radical Ideation
Awards & Patents
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Designed Treadlite 22, voted best “workhorse” in Backpacker’s 2012 Editor’s Choice Edition
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Designed Silver Ridge 35L, voted best “little big pack” in Backpacker’s 2013 Best New Gear Edition
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First place in annual company-wide “Innovation Design Competition” for 2016
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Patents:
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2010 Techlite Shoulder Straps (2 utility patents)
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2018 Omni Heat 3D (7 design patents pending)
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