Kenneth Lucas

Lawn and garden category, vendor negotiations, P/L, product management, private brand launches. Increased sales 27% YoY in 2020. Sourcing manager also and implementing global sourcing strategy and process initiative for private brand warehouse programs.

? Forged innovative and strategic partnerships in Vietnam which led to new category representation in outdoor patio furniture, and new direct to consumer revenue streams ? Drove global sourcing strategy to determine best vendors across all product categories ? Managed and led the product development and industrial design team in the development of fire pits, outdoor patio furniture, pottery, and BBQ grills ? Set the seasonal color card, identified trends for category development, built product line extensions, developed item cost, and created technical specification sheets ? Developed time and action calendars for cross functional teams to ensure timely deliverables ? Spearheaded research and development of new materials and substrates in fire pits, patio, and pottery

? Reduced the number of seasonal vendors by 20% through redundancy depletion, drove category expansion of housewares and home décor, and built seasonal general merchandise assortments ? Aligned vendors and suppliers to raise average unit retails, lower costs, and increase margins ? Increased overall Christmas seasonal margins by 15% via open bid negotiation and factory direct imports share of the overall private label business by 15%

? Increased private label sales by double digits and achieved a 7% increase in YOY resin sales ? Developed and rebranded SKUs for new market platforms Expert Grill, Expert Gardener, Hyper Tough and Mainstays totaling over $1Billion in sales ? Mobilized and fostered strong relationships with cross functional teams, created a collaborative team environment, and worked with over 70 import and domestic suppliers to implement company vision ? Travelled internationally and worked with global procurement to help develop alternative supplier sources to reduce costs, stimulate competition, and drive innovation ? Created qualitative and quantitative reports on color, trends, design, and competition gaps offering recommendations and action plans for continuous improvement

? Increased department sales by 11% YOY, identified the Gluten Free and coconut water food trends, and introduced 500+ products ? Managed and supervised an Assistant Grocery Manager and five customer service agents ? Evaluated vendors & product mix with SAP, managed COGS to increase margins, and provided excellent customer service

? Marketed 350 SKU’s triggering $30 million in sales ? Developed concepts, sourced products, and created the Digital Prism marketing platform ? Crafted private label branding, packaging, artwork, copywriting, and advertising strategies ? Designed and awarded three product patents for a multi-screen digital photo frame ? Identified merchandise segments, designed marketing strategies and implementation based on market share, travelled overseas to collaborate with global procurement, and created product marketing briefs

? Managed projects including vendor bidding and tracking, project progression and timeline achievement, implementation, and communicated progress company-wide ? Expanded POP coverage increasing product visualization and presentation within its market share ? Reduced POP expenditures by 54% through material consolidation and redundancy depletion ? Maximized MDF funds through sales communications with business partners and establishing seasonal promotions and/or rebates across product lines

? Managed marketing channels and strategies for AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless and Tracfone SKUs ? Implemented, presented, and rolled out three MVON handset product lines and accessories in over 800 Sears stores nationwide and 147 store-within-a-store locations ? Increased gross margins by 15% for mobile accessories through financial and market analysis