Danielle Cruz

• Responsible for recommending and leading strategic efforts for product ideas and trends that support the growth and expansion of clients resulting in $20M in new business for 2020
• Direct product recommendations, ideas and/or trends that support Staples Promotional Products growth initiatives
• Primary lead or contributor for new product introductions
• Understands, collects and shares retail and industry trends that translate into promotional products with customers of Staples Promotional Products
• Researches, develops, and executes products for the assigned clients programs, new business, or other corporate initiatives in the promotional products industry considering price/value relationships
• Evaluate design ideas based on factors such as appealing appearance, design-function relationships, serviceability, materials and methods engineering, application, budget, price, production costs, methods of production, market characteristics, and customer specifications
• Stays current with publications, attends shows and consult with product development, marketing, production, and sales to research design concepts for target market

• Responsible for invoice management, order tracking, receiving, and sending
• Scheduled and organized trunk shows
• Analyzed sales figures, customer reactions, and market trends to anticipate product needs and plan inventory appropriately
• Conducted market research to generate new wholesale business and continued fostering relationships with existing wholesale accounts
• Set and recommended mark-up rates, mark-down rates and selling prices for merchandise
• Completed seasonal windows, dressed mannequins and arranged in-store displays to showcase available products.
• Educated staff about coordinating clothing racks and related displays to boost effectiveness of promotions.

• Supported the planning and execution of networking and fundraising
  events by making timely arrangements for successful execution of
  events
• Assisted in the production of Kansas City Fashion Week by
  coordinating with models and choreographers to finalize the
  sequence of entry and exit of each model on the ramp and
  communicating with technicians to arrange for music systems,
  mics, lights, cameras, projectors, etc., necessary for the event,
  creating seating charts, and ensuring the stage is decorated and set
  up as per the directions of the art director.
• Secured sponsors for events and donations for swag bags by
  maintaining community relationships.
• Built and maintained relationships with advertising agencies and utilized several media platforms to promote featured designers and
  the council by way of events and publishing and seek attention from
  imminent people in the society
• Lead stylist on Moda Shoots
• Responsible for the set up and tear down of various venues
• Conducted research of the fashion markets all over the world to
  identify opportunities and threats and its effect on the organization

• Assists merchandiser with product flow and inventory management
• Assists the buying team by attending market and selecting new style assortments for Kansas City store
• Analyzes financial reports to calculate markdowns and margins
• Maintains and interprets data for merchandiser
• Achieved 8% sales increase by spatial planning and educating sales teams about product benefits

• Partnered with clients to create content promoting businesses and products
• Wrote editorial pieces to push product to consumers
• Wrote fashion, beauty, event, and lifestyle editorials for various publications owned by the Kansas City Star
• Discussed projects and completed assignments by utilizing email and telephone communication.
• Wrote and proofread blog and social media posts, website copy and articles.

• Pitched, researched, and wrote content for the site
• Led team of 8 writers in production of content for daily blog posts
• Managed editorial calendar
• Developed SEO strategies to drive traffic on the site
• Covered events such as restaurant openings, KCFW, gallery openings, and local events
• Completed proposals and set up contracts with sponsors
• Managed sponsored campaigns to generate revenue for the website
• Planned events to generate awareness of Sarah Scoop and raise funds
• Wrote and proofread blog and social media posts, website copy and articles.
• Shot video and still photos to accompany news stories.

• Supervised 27 team members and provided constructive feedback, resulting in higher morale and increased employee retention
• Increased customer service rating by 54% through personable service and resolving guest complaints
• Acted as liaison to corporate headquarters
• Initiated two key partnerships which resulted in 30% revenue growth club.
• Implemented marketing strategies which resulted in 12% growth of customer base.
• Provided guests with above-and-beyond service, including making reservations, setting up and guiding tours
• Created lasting relationships with guests that built customer loyalty and drove revenue