James Beck
Aftermarket Product Manager · KHS Bicycles Inc.
Long Beach, CA
In My Own Words
Looking for a new challenge in Product/Brand Management. Would love to help introduce your products into the USA market. Contract and half-time work is welcome, or a full-time position. I have been in the Sporting Goods industry for the past 20 years, working all aspects from bicycle mechanic, to eCommerce manager, to buyer, and finally product/brand manager. In addition to this experience, I have owned two of my own businesses and managed departments of up to 12 people. I have sourced many products in Taiwan, China, and Vietnam, as well as helped to create several private label brands for companies. I thrive on a good challenge and enjoy building and creating something sustainable and successful!
Work Experience
Aftermarket Product Manager
KHS Bicycles Inc.2015 – Present
? Managed all aspects of three aftermarket private label brands. ? Established items to import, tested, set pricing and designed packaging for hundreds of new products. ? Re-designed brand images and updated packaging styles and templates. ? Daily communication with multiple Taiwanese and Chinese office and factory contacts. ? Regular communication with the inside and outside sales staff regarding trends and new products. ? Provided buying numbers and sales forecasting to the head of purchasing.
Product Manager
Dynacraft BSC2015 – 2015
Managed high volume product lines and licensed products. Partnered with licensors (Marvel, Universal, etc.) to bring licensed bicycles and ride-on toys to market. Worked on unique bicycles, ride-ons, and toys for mass merchant buyers. Daily interface with multiple Asian office and factory contacts. Point of contact for sales, design, manufacturing, and marketing departments.
Senior Buyer and Brand Manager
Bikewagon.com2013 – 2014
• Leveraged established vendor relationships to negotiate up to $250k buys on closeout inventory. • Creating a new brand of in-house long margin products for multi-channel ecommerce sales. • Managing importing and purchasing with Taiwan and China affiliates. • Formatting, synchronizing, and uploaded purchasing data for direct ecommerce publishing. • Consulting on marketing, social media, and company branding.
Owner
Rocky Mountain Air Cooled2012 – 2013
• Merged a weekend hobby of restoring vintage VW Microbuses into a restoration business. • Responsible for assessing, purchasing, and restoring antique vehicles. • Negotiated wholesale accounts, consumer contracts, and transportation bids. • Managed three employees, daily workflow, and supply levels.
facebook.com/rockymountainaircooled
eCommerce Manager, Senior Buyer
Wheel & Sprocket2004 – 2012
• Conceptualized, built, and managed multi-channel ecommerce sales for Wisconsin’s largest cycling retailer. • Created annual revenue in excess of 3 million dollars from a previous non-existent department. • Headed up new revenue sources by manufacturing cycling products overseas. • Mentored and trained all employees- brought up leaders from the warehouse to management. • Created new relationships, and leveraged existing vendor relationship to maintain steady inventory levels.
Brand/Product Manager
EighthInch Bikes2007 – 2012
• Created a brand of urban bicycles and components with worldwide distribution channels. • Created 1 million dollars of new revenue, while eliminating lower margin duplicate vendor products. • Analyzed, replicated, and refined products based on the success of existing vendor products. • Provided customers with unique and stylish lifestyle bicycles and parts to fit a specific cycling subculture. • Established B2C and B2B relationships worldwide, with Asia direct fulfilment channels.
Owner
The Honest Wrench2002 – 2004
Created, built, and ran a small local bicycle business. In addition to tune ups on bicycles, I ran a thriving eBay business of new and used bicycle parts. Was recognized by eBay and asked to take part in a small group of cycling sellers to help bike shops liquidate old inventory.
Technical Support & Customer Service
Apple, Netcom, Etc.1995 – 2001
Worked for various companies doing technical support and customer service. Learned html, unix, and general computer troubleshooting and networking.