Nathan Ayer is a product manager and applications engineer with experience launching consumer products. He has over 10 years of experience developing products, building businesses, and exiting companies. Some of his responsibilities have included creating prototypes, performing engineering design reviews, developing financial models, and driving products to market through distribution channels. He also has experience managing projects, improving business performance, and establishing strategic plans.
1. Nathan Ayer, Product Manager
Phone: (415) 6246732 │Email: ayer.nathan@gmail.com
Linked In: http://linkd.in/131S1QO
****Work Product Evidence On Linked In Profile ****
Enterprise-wide Project Management
Durables/Consumable and Technologies
Enterprise-wide project manager of large, complex commercialization projects for durables/consumables: can create and
manage to a development timetable, interpret/translate design with engineering, interpolate/integrate financials strategically.
Application Engineering, Product Management professional with concrete expertise in
product salability-development and sales acceleration in consumer product and
technology sectors. A move-to-market-focused, driven, hands-on facilitator with a
tenacious commitment to excellence. Direct interaction with inventors/developers, venture
capital and shareholders in driving the products to the buyers. Process: Create a product,
building a business and exit.
Technical Excellence: Profit-making experience using Autocad, review in
Pro-Engineer, Solid Works to Rapid Prototype and perform Engineering Design
and Revision Reviews as both service & manufactured product. Hands-on
Engineering Technician.
Collaborative Engineering Product Management. Design &
Engineering Collaboration with Engineers/Group (Altitude Inc) (Daoust Design
Inc) (Skerpa Design): provided direct input and hands-on work using AutoCad
and Solid Works for Engineering Design and Review Teams. Success in the
identification and analysis of opportunities to establish products for markets
within Consumer and Technology Channels.
Finance: Solid evidence providing competitive analyses of products while
executing field visits/data on packaging and pricing. Coordinated market
research and discussed findings with marketing, research and development,
sales and lab personnel and organized and conducted strategy-planning
meetings. Drove brand with groups, sales, reps, and senior management.
Change Agent: Collaborated as part of a senior management team to
successfully built organizations and to lead organizations out of “Product
Obsolescence” situations and developed and implemented best practice
process changes. [Sled Product]
Global Operations: Experience in international business operations,
including North America and Asia.
Strategic Planning: Successful in establishing strategic direction and vision.
Working with senior operational leaders, I drive a shared organizational vision
for my products defining and communicating executable goals, tactics and
measures of success.
Financial Performance Improvement: Successful at working within the organization to create performance-
based cultures. Critical member/contributor of mgmt. team that increased value of NEOS/ULU with combined exits
Core Competencies
Technical
-Ideation
-Prototyping
-Product viability studies
-Financial modeling
-Life Cycle Calculations
-Concept-to-Launch
-Re-launching
Engineering Review
-Solid Works
-AutoCad
-Pro-Engineer
Management
-Recruiting/teambuilding--Staff
development
-Project management
-Best practices
-IT implementations
Performance Improvement
-P&L management
-Problem identification
-Corrective actions programs
-Cost improvement initiatives
Strategy
-Business planning
-Forecasting
-Innovation
-Informed Opportunism
-Crowdfunding
-Private Exchanges
2. of $9MM. NEOS sold to Norcross/Honeywell, ULU sold to Chaco/Wolverine World Wide. NEOS and ULU were
majority owned and run by Linckia. At ADK implemented a corporate rollout and associated best practices.
Packaging: Managed services of independent creative vendors in developing labels and merchandising pieces
and provided information regarding vendor performance or proposed new vendors. Created and modified existing
advertising brochures and other point of purchase marketing materials and labels for products. Collaborated with
packaging dept sourcing/design of packaging for new products.
3. Nathan Ayer, Product Manager
Page 2
Phone: (415) 6246732 │Email: ayer.nathan@gmail.com
Linked In: http://linkd.in/131S1QO
****Work Product Evidence On Linked In Profile ****
Professional Experience
Product Manager – Drive-to-market-channel distribution (http://www.adkpackworks.com) 2012 - Present
ADK Pack works is a consumer products manufacturer and market innovator in permanent adaptable totes and carry-along
product. ADK Packworks™ has created a semi-rigid, lightweight, internal frame that folds easy for storage and stays upright,
independent of load. A removable cooler can be purchased for greater shopping flexibility.
Applications Engineer – Product Engineer 2005 - Present
(Delivered 10 major products) (One medical device application)
Linckia LLC Venture Firm (http://linckia.com)
With Linckia, innovations need not stay dormant. We have established Linckia to be a concept-to-market
"venture development company" with technical, financial and managerial expertise. By applying our product
development system, the Linckia Process™, our experienced management team and network of providers will
turn ideas into actions and nurture innovations from concept to market giving innovators a rapid return.
Accomplished Application Engineer, Product Manager/Product Engineer within the Consumer Good/Consumer
Electronics Marketplace. Worked with a Venture Funded "Concept-to-Market" innovative engineering-driven
organization that can take an idea, create a functional prototype, drive it through either Foreign Manufacturing or US
and then deliver it to a Channel, Retailer, or Direct-to-Consumer.
Assisted with High-Tech Firms creating AutoCad or Solid Works platforms that were able to plug directly into a larger
ERP Manufacturing Program.
My role was to insert specific expertise within the Process-Step required to drive the creation of a "Sellable" Product.
Insertion point varied. Some inventors required a prototype, some required Engineering Diagrams or Part
Schematics, Inventory List, Manufacturing Resource Planning, or direct insertion into a Distribution Channel.
Presented powerful Financial Modeling Capabilities - able to cost each segment of the process and offer product
viability studies.
Created Evolving “Roadmap” tool-boxing a standard series of actions necessary to launch product and system.
Product Manager
Grate Ideas (http://www.grateideas.com) 2006 -2009
Applications Engineer, Product Manager
Professional Affiliations
Member of Project Management Institute (PMI)
4. Board of Directors, SMART Holdings USA, www.smartvt.org
Field Application Engineers Group
Of-Council board of directors – Economic Development Team SMARTVT.org
Education
Ithaca College, 2005
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics; Double Minor: Business, Theatre
Venture Capital Mentorship: Work Product Examples: http://slidesha.re/14nTC7D