1. MELINDA FISHER
5401 Independence Parkway, Plano, TX 75023 / 773.517.6612 / mindifisher929@gmail.com
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT / MARKETING STRATEGY
Expertise in Office Supplies and Consumer Goods
 9 years managing multiple product lines totaling $250M in sales annually and developing integrated
marketing programs.
 History of turning around under-performing product lines, increasing sales and profitability while
reducing costs.
 Technical Skills: Advanced MS Office, Hyperion, Emptoris, AS400 / Expertise in PC and Mac
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Category Management
Product Development
Ecommerce/Catalog/Email
Merchandising
 Product Promotions
 Team Leadership
 Comprehensive Line Reviews
 Contract Negotiations
 Pricing Strategy
Implementation
 Budget Management
 Sales/ROI Forecasting
AWARDS
High Performance Team Award – Line Reviews Team
Bravo Award – Exceptional Service to an Internal Customer
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
UNITED STATIONERS, Deerfield, IL 2007-2013
Leading US office products wholesaler with annual sales of $5B
MERCHANDISING MANAGER – PUBLIC SECTOR/NEW CHANNELS (2011-2013)
Promoted to create structured processes and improve cross-functional relationships between Merchandising,
New Channels and Public Sector departments. Managed 1 direct report.
Results:
 Raised $300K incremental supplier funding for Ecommerce marketing and promotions.
 Negotiated 10% price reduction for Government and School contracts increasing EBIT by 2%.
 Part of a team that drove sales increases with: Costco(+17%), Sam’s Club(+27%) and Walmart(+88%).
Strategy:
 Developed and implemented category growth strategies in Ecommerce, Government and School Channels and
supported the execution of promotions and marketing campaigns.
 Coordinated Merchandising’s annual review of Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart and W.W. Grainger’s assortments.
 Developed a process to accurately track supplier marketing budgets and insure all annual funding was utilized.
PRODUCT MANAGER (2010-2011)
Promoted to manage Paper Products categories with full P&L responsibility for $150M in annual sales.
Analyzed market, optimized product mix and pricing and developed marketing strategies.
Results:
 Negotiated 11 annual supplier contracts achieving cost reductions of $2.3M.
 Reduced costs by $1.5M in the Computer and Roll Paper categories while increasing sales 4%.
 Repositioned the declining Notebook category to increase sales 2%, outperforming the market.

2. MELINDA FISHER
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Strategy:
 Developed comprehensive marketing plans to merchandise assigned product categories in catalogs,
promotional flyers/emails, online and in cross category merchandising strategies.
 Developed the marketing strategy behind the quarterly Essentials Catalog, delegated assortment
responsibilities to the category team and approved final page layouts.
 Worked with suppliers to improve content and images for better internet/print product positioning.
CATEGORY PRODUCT ASSOCIATE (2007-2010)
Managed 10 categories including Scissors and Art/School Supplies generating $40M in sales annually.
Assisted the Category Product Manager in managing 10 categories including Writing Instruments and Office
Tools achieving $250M in sales annually. Provided Category Product Manager with sales and trend analysis.
Results:
 Negotiated 12 annual supplier contracts achieving cost reductions of $600K.
 Reduced costs by $400K in the Scissors category while increasing sales 5%.
 Assisted the Category Product Manager to increase sales 5% in the Labels category.
Strategy:
 Developed comprehensive marketing plans to merchandise assigned product categories in print and online.
 Implemented a catalog and internet positioning strategy for the scissor category capturing cross
merchandising sales and driving customers towards premium products and away from commodities.
 Created monthly sales and EBIT reports to review category performance and profitability.
LTD COMMODITIES, Bannockburn, IL
Consumer goods retailer targeting B2B / B2C markets
ASSISTANT BUYER 2005-2007
Assistant buyer for the Giftware category. Promoted from Assistant Buyer in Domestics in October 2006.
 Supported buyer in managing Giftware and Domestics categories by attending vendor meetings, reviewing new
products, attending tradeshows, assisting in new product launches and sample management.
 Managed product development for buyer by creating a development timeline, provided design direction to
International vendors, negotiated costs, requested samples and managed deadlines.
 Prepared new products for internet/catalog placement by writing product descriptions, providing creative
direction to Advertising Department and approving final advertisements.
 Performed market research and sales analysis to measure product testing results, identify category trends, drive
new product development and create competitive pricing strategies.
GENENDER INTERNATIONAL IMPORTS, Wheeling, IL
Watch importer of private label brands
MERCHANDISER 2004-2005
Merchandiser for company’s second largest watch label - L.E.I. – resulting in 25% of total sales. Promoted
from Jr. Merchandiser in October 2004.
 Traveled to Hong Kong, China and New York to source and develop new watch styles for major US retailers.
 Performed market and competitive analysis to identify purchasing patterns and created quarterly trend
forecasting reports for merchandising and design departments.
 Directed Jr. Merchandiser, Merchandising Assistant, design department and vendors in the design and
development of new watch styles. Managed product development from concept to production.
 Supported sales team with retail product reviews by recommending assortments, designing product displays
and creating seasonal promotions and holiday gift sets.

3. EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts and Animation - Illinois Institute of Art, Schaumburg, IL 2003