John Herbst Resume - Project Management

1. JOHN HERBST
Streamwood, IL 60107
www.linkedin.com/in/creativeproductdevelopment
johneherbst@wowway.com 630-401-5056
PROJECT MANAGEMENT / PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Product Development Project Manager with Extensive Retail and Commercial Experience
Demonstrated success developing ground-breaking products that help companies enter new markets and strengthen
existing sales relationships.
− Manage product development projects from ideation through concept refinement, design, prototyping, engineering,
tooling, production startup, certification and on-going product maintenance.
− Achieve cost savings projects in product and manufacturing processes.
− Inventor of 9+ patents.
− International experience in Asia.
Product Experience:
− Electronics − Electrical − Certifications − Mechanical
− Plastics − Metal − Sewn Goods − Motors
− Wood − Corrugated Paper − Microprocessor − Machinery
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
GKI / BETHLEHEM LIGHTS, Aurora, IL 2014 – 2016
Holiday + LED Candle Products
Product Development Engineer
Managed projects for quick development of technically complex price-sensitive holiday items. Oversaw budgets, timelines,
design, engineering (using Pro-E CAD), prototyping, tooling, certification, production startup and vendor communication.
Interacted directly with corporate management, division management, product managers, inventors, vendors, Asia based
QA / QC team, operations and supply chain.
• Developed Christmas tree project with investment of $80K, resulting in 20 SKUs in 6 months.
• Managed outdoor lighting project with $33K investment, 4 SKUs, completing development in 7 months.
• Resolved quality and design issues in many existing products, enabling continued product sales.
• Implemented quality program and necessary supporting business processes. Created product specifications and
quality plans for all products (none existed), enabling Asian-based quality team to inspect product to specification.
• Brought all projects in on time and under budget.
KACELIA, Bannockburn, IL 2013 – 2014
Chiropractic Products

2. Director, Product Development for Startup Company
Developed all products and internal business processes. Managed design, engineering, materials selection, tooling,
costing / budgeting, time line, specifications, quality, bills of material (BOM), and production startup.
• Implemented and managed purchasing system that included vendor selection and all vendor communication, bringing
1 product to market in 6 months.
• Reported to managing partners and regularly presented progress to board of directors (company owners).
HEATHROW SCIENTIFIC, Vernon Hills, IL 2010 – 2013
Laboratory Products
Senior Product Development Project Manager
Managed complete project process for development of electronic pipettors, centrifuges, mixers, and other equipment.
Oversaw ideation, development, design, engineering (using SolidWorks CAD), prototyping, tooling, certification, launch
and vendor related activities for product development projects.
• Maintained all project documentation, including dashboards, meeting minutes, timelines, product requirements,
technical files, product specifications, and quality plans.
JOHN HERBST johneherbst@wowway.com PAGE TWO
HEATHROW SCIENTIFIC (Continued)
• Presented project updates at stakeholder gate meetings, obtaining consensus to move the project forward. Projects
included:
o Pipettor: Investment of $65K in 8-month development, resulting in 4 SKUs, resulting in #4 top-selling SKU.
o Midrange Centrifuge: Investment of $95K, 1 SKU in 12-month development, resulting in #9 top-selling SKU.
o Added features to mature centrifuge, thus extending product life, resulting in #12 top-selling SKU.
o Created and documented many processes for product development. This provided a method and reference for all
team members to follow.
o Developed electronic reference library, providing common location for product documents.
o Standardized documents needed for vendor to quote a product by creating a quote package.
FOCUS PRODUCTS GROUP, Vernon Hills, IL 2010
Hotel Room Hardware and Accessories
Product Manager, Focus Bath Division
Managed product lines, including: Shower Rods, Makeup Mirrors, Hair Dryers and Coffee Makers. Responsible for
pricing, adds / deletes, product development and sales support. Reported to division President.
• Completed and implemented a full product line Adds / Deletes analysis. Also developed a plan-o-gram for Lowes.
• Improved a curved shower rod mechanism that enabled further sales of the product.
FELLOWES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Itasca, IL
Office Products

3. Senior Product Development Project Manager, Office Team 2005 – 2009
Managed new product design and engineering. Product lines included Desk, Partition and Ergonomic accessories.
• Reduced product costs on mature product lines by $1M+.
• Co-developed new product development (NPD) communication process, reducing development lead time 3 months.
• Rewrote NPD process documentation for use as team teaching tool and reference guide.
• Developed 25+ new-to-the-world products from ideation through market launch, adding $7M in annual sales.
o Developed deep-dive competitive comparison; managed IP and consumer testing.
o Managed design, engineering, specifications, packaging, testing, budgets, timelines (MS Project), communication,
and risk. Prepared presentation materials for stakeholder Stage-Gate meetings.
Senior Product Engineer, Consumer Electronics Team 1998 – 2005
Product lines include mice and keyboards, touch pads, USB hubs, surge suppressors, UPS, cables and PDA accessories.
Supervised Engineer and Engineering Assistant.
• Developed 44+ products from ideation through market launch adding well over $6M in annual sales.
• Managed 125 active finished goods and identified and implemented $250K in cost savings.
ADDITIONAL RELATED EXPERIENCE
FELLOWES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Itasca, IL
Product Engineer, Records Storage Business Team
Developed 500+ new products and managed 340 active finished goods. Managed 5 employees.
• Managed project that resulted in cost savings of more than $1M.
LESTER B. KNIGHT AND ASSOCIATES, Chicago, IL
Management Consultant
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Bachelor of Science (BS), Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Champaign, Urbana, IL
Six Sigma – Green Belt
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
Served on local church business council | Served on local School Board of Directors