Davette Hodridge
Lewisville,Texas
Summary
Category Manager develops and executes working capital spend category strategy as part of company sourcing plan. Develops and executes category and commodity strategies, negotiates and awards supplier contracts and conducts commodity and supplier business reviews. Improves company profitability, asset management performance and supports improved customer delivery through thoughtful supply base network design.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Category Manager III
Lennox Industries
04.2024 - Current
- Develop, execute, optimize category performance strategies and own the product lifecycle for parts and aftermarket product categories that drive 10% year-over-year growth in sales and 15% improvement in profitability, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives
- Conduct regular market analysis and monitor industry trends, identifying opportunities and threats to develop strategies that capitalize on market shifts and address potential challenges, leading to a 20% increase in market share
- Implement new processes to improve the customer experience, reducing operational inefficiencies by 30% and increasing customer engagement by 15%
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Category Managers, Pricing Managers, Supplier Management, Sales, Supply Chain, and Inventory Optimization teams to set up and maintain Parts & Supplies vendors, achieving a 10% reduction in supplier lead times and a 12% improvement in vendor performance
- Monitor vendor supply and pricing agreements to ensure compliance with negotiated deliverables, maintaining strong vendor relationships and optimizing supply chain performance, resulting in a 10% reduction in procurement costs
- Establish and track key performance metrics for the category, preparing and presenting regular performance reports to senior management that highlight achievements, challenges, and strategic action plans, resulting in a 15% improvement in category ROI
- Coordinate with Sourcing, Category Management, and Supply Chain teams to update and maintain product costing, information records, and source lists, ensuring accuracy and efficiency, leading to a 20% reduction in product cost discrepancies
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current retail trends and best practices, leveraging insights to inform category management decisions that contribute to a 10% increase in competitive advantage.
Product Manager
Michaels Stores
07.2018 - 01.2023
- Led the product development lifecycle for a portfolio totaling $467 million of private label consumer packaged goods, including analyzing market trends, ideation, conducting market research, and identifying new product opportunities
- Developed and executed comprehensive product strategies to drive revenue growth by 14%, increase market share, and meet customer needs and expectations
- Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, including traveling to Asia to work with sourcing team, marketing, sales, design, and supply chain, to ensure over 240 effective product assortment launches
- Conducted competitive analysis and market research to identify market gaps, consumer preferences, and pricing strategies, resulting in successful product positioning and market differentiation
- Utilized data-driven insights, including sales performance metrics, consumer feedback, and market research, to inform feature enhancements, packaging redesigns, and pricing adjustments
- Managed product budgets, forecasting, and pricing strategies to optimize profitability and ensure cost-effective production and distribution
- Built and maintained strong relationships with key stakeholders, vendors, and retail partners, negotiating contracts, managing inventory, and ensuring seamless collaboration throughout the supply chain.
Associate Product Manager
Michaels Stores
03.2017 - 07.2018
- Collaborated closely with the Product Manager in supporting the product development process and executing product strategies for assigned projects/categories of $220 million
- Evaluated sales performance of categories and private brand SKUs to identify product opportunities and collaborated with the sourcing team to maintain gross margin goal of 82%
- Led Critical Path weekly meetings to inform cross-functional partners from Sourcing, Design, Quality Assurance, Packaging and Merchandising teams on project timelines status updates for key milestone to meet project deadlines and identified and mitigate risks that could impact project timelines
- Set up projects in the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, serving as the primary contact for the packaging team and initiating private brand packaging
- Managed the approval process through the Opal (packaging) system to ensure packaging aligned with organizational and government standards for over 3,236 SKU’s
- Supported the sample review process by managing samples, compiling, and communicating feedback, and facilitating shipping to and from vendors
- Developed and optimized direct report training to improve sample management by 12%.
Associate Category Manager
Michaels Stores
07.2012 - 03.2017
- Executed the merchandising strategy, ensuring effective implementation of merchandising activities for $70 million category
- Coordinated day-to-day merchandising functions by closely collaborating with the Category Administrative Assistant
- Analyzed sales results and provided recommendations for future strategies to optimize category performance
- Developed productive planograms to enhance product presentation and drive sales, while reviewing planogram productivity
- Conducted independent analysis to identify sales opportunities and determined the most suitable course of action for maximizing results.
Assistant Buyer
Zale Corporation
01.2010 - 07.2012
- Assisted in executing the merchandising strategy, ensuring effective implementation of merchandising activities under the guidance of the Category Director/Manager
- Analyzed sales results and provided recommendations for future strategies to optimize category performance
- Developed productive planograms to enhance product presentation and drive sales, while reviewing planogram productivity.
Education
Master of Science degree in Merchandising -
University of North Texas
01.2010
Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Marketing -
Bethune-Cookman University
01.2005
Skills
- Agile Methodologies
- Waterfall Methodologies
- Product Roadmap Architecture
- Market Research
- Business Insights
- Customer Interview
- PLM
- Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Power Point, Microsoft Office)
- Risk Mitigation
- Vendor Management
- Project Management
- Category Management
- Inventory Management
- Private Brand/Label Management
- Forecasting
- Earned Value Management
- Requirements Gathering
- Product Launches
- Cross Functional Stakeholder Engagement
- Ideation
- C-suite level communication
- Emotional Intelligence
- Active Listening
- Leadership
- Strategic Sourcing
- Pricing strategy
- Supplier Reviews
Certification
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL, 35 hours complete certification pending
Timeline
Senior Category Manager III
Lennox Industries
04.2024 - Current
Product Manager
Michaels Stores
07.2018 - 01.2023
Associate Product Manager
Michaels Stores
03.2017 - 07.2018
Associate Category Manager
Michaels Stores
07.2012 - 03.2017
Assistant Buyer
Zale Corporation
01.2010 - 07.2012
Master of Science degree in Merchandising -
University of North Texas
Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Marketing -
Bethune-Cookman University
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL, 35 hours complete certification pending
Similar Profiles
Moses YbarraMoses Ybarra
Counter Sales Associate III at LENNOX INDUSTRIESCounter Sales Associate III at LENNOX INDUSTRIES
Jonathan JonesJonathan Jones
Assembler at Lennox IndustriesAssembler at Lennox Industries
GREGORIO GONZALEZGREGORIO GONZALEZ
Store Manager at Lennox IndustriesStore Manager at Lennox Industries