George Blair
Experienced Sales Professional
Park City,UT
Summary
High-performing sales, marketing, and account management leader with success in building brand awareness, growing share in both new and mature markets, and driving sales growth and profitability. Dynamic leader with strong communication and interpersonal skills; adept at building, empowering, and motivating teams to greater levels of performance in the competitive retail and wholesale channels. Proficient in developing lucrative, long-term relationships with strategic partners through a consultative approach that ensures an excellent customer experience.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Manager - North America Wholesale
GOAL ZERO
09.2021 - Current
- Reporting to the Head of Global Sales as an integral contributor within internal and external sales teams and have been a stakeholder on many cross-department initiatives
- Apart of a tight knit global sales team, responsibilities range from new product GTM strategies, item level and account forecasting to sales team development, creating sales programs across multiple unique channels all within a hyper growth phase company
- Engaged in all new channel and business development at the wholesale level for the US and Canada
- Effectively lead a high performing sales team of 33 independent reps who collectively oversee 550+ accounts across a multitude of channels with a total order book of roughly $10m annually
- Personally responsible for several Strategic accounts like Scheels, Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, Backcountry.com, MEC Canada & Best Buy where I have grown the total revenue by over 50% in 2 years
- Oversee the Co-Op spend across the specialty business and many key accounts ranging from $500 to $25,000 per account and analyzing all ROI data of executed marketing campaigns
- Consistently working with all internal teams like finance and logistics to be sure our strategic account partnerships are as balanced and efficient as possible so that we are poised for long term, sustainable growth
- This includes analyzing chargebacks, defective allowances, and general terms regularly
- Working with our Marketing and Product Development teams, I was able to standardize our training and new hire on-boarding to streamline the process and be sure all team members are speaking the same brand language
- Constantly analyzing market opportunities for our team across many channels like Outdoor, Sporting Goods, Hardware, Home resilience, Vehicle/Overlanding, B2B and Gov/Mil
- Key stakeholder in developing and effectively launching a CRM platform for our domestic partners and international distributors to use for all brand assets and to streamline the ordering process.
Northeast Territory Manager - Arc'teryx
AMER SPORTS
05.2017 - 05.2021
- Reported to the eastern market director and partnered with all internal teams, including marketing, finance, and operations, to design and implement short and long-term strategies for driving sales within the regional channels of both business-to-business and direct-to-consumer
- Managed all account needs for 50+ specialty dealers and REI locations in the Northeast territory, generating $2.8M annually; drove partner performance by engaging with mid-level and senior stakeholders regularly
- Instrumental in a 25% year-over-year sales growth for a mature and high-performing territory by addressing the needs of the partner's business and offering solutions for growth
- Included product selection, delivery timelines, curated digital marketing campaigns, and staff training
- Served as liaison between territory managers and the commercial team as a member of the territory manager council which included construction of seasonal sales programs, building special programs for strategic accounts, and outlining key sell-through tactics for leveraging brand marketing initiatives
- Identified and implemented the most effective sell-through campaigns for key partners by tracking specific promotions and ROI by account
- Developed customized annual and seasonal proposals that aligned with both partner's needs and growth targets of the brand
- The process ultimately became the standard for all marketing and Co-Op proposals for the Eastern sales team
- Performed as a key contributor to the Boston Epi-Center team collaborating with the regional marketing director, local brand store manager, and Eastern market director to collectively enhance the customer experience from an omnichannel approach, resulting in a 5% growth in 2020
- Received the 2019 Arc'teryx Territory Manager of the Year Award by both the ELT and peers for exceeding annual sales targets and acting as a responsive team member.
General Manager
NORTH RIVER OUTFITTER
10.2013 - 05.2017
- Reported to the CEO and executed the strategy for expanding the company's retail business model from fashion-only into additional sporting goods and children's categories
- Oversaw daily operations of all stores, monitored web engagement for e-commerce channel, led team of three customer service representatives, developed budgets, and implemented merchandising plans
- Tripled growth of stores from three to nine locations, generating $10M in total annual revenue
- Drove a 20% increase in company profitability through development and implementation of highly effective budgets and merchandising plans
- Built seasonal, cross-category product assortments from 200+ vendors, providing men's, women's, and children's fashions and sporting goods
- Continually enhanced performance and accountability of 40+ managers and sales associates through team management, coaching, training, goal setting, and recognition.
National Sales Manager
CLOUDVEIL MOUNTAIN WORKS
05.2011 - 10.2013
- Reported to the president to re-establish the wholesale channel after the brand was purchased by private equity
- Prepared and maintained the annual strategic plan for country sales and directed the sales organization with a focus on account growth and profitability
- Managed all key metrics, including: demand planning, top-line sales, gross margins, returns, and discounts
- Increased sales by $5M, delivering 50% of the company's total revenue
- Collaborated and strategized with the design team to develop seasonal product assortments optimized for the wholesale channel.
Colorado Sales Representative
TECNICA GROUP USA
06.2008 - 05.2011
- Executed all aspects of the wholesale channel for assigned categories, generating $5M+ in annual sales as the lead sales representative for Tecnica ski boots, Blizzard skis, and Tecnica outdoor footwear
- Delivered 200%+ growth in sales for Blizzard skis while maintaining consistent year-over-year growth for Tecnica ski boots over a three-year period
- Provided all strategic planning, account management, and marketing collateral for 120 partners, including two of the largest national accounts at the time, Vail Resorts and The Sports Authority.
East Coast Manager
TECNICA GROUP USA
07.2006 - 06.2008
- Reported to the general manager and oversaw Eastern US sales and marketing for the newly acquired Blizzard Skis brand.
Sales Associate
AMER SPORTS
09.2004 - 05.2006
- New England and Mid-Atlantic Sales Associate for Salomon Sports.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - International Studies
Fort Lewis College
Durango, COSkills
Sales team training
Profitability Optimization
Business Planning
Sales Tracking
Account Management
New Business Development
Strategic Planning
Brand Development
Key Account Management
Sales strategy development
Consultative Sales
Sales Planning
National account management
Strategic account development
Sales Reporting
Relationship Building
Goals and performance
B2B sales
Timeline
Sales Manager - North America Wholesale
GOAL ZERO
09.2021 - Current
Northeast Territory Manager - Arc'teryx
AMER SPORTS
05.2017 - 05.2021
General Manager
NORTH RIVER OUTFITTER
10.2013 - 05.2017
National Sales Manager
CLOUDVEIL MOUNTAIN WORKS
05.2011 - 10.2013
Colorado Sales Representative
TECNICA GROUP USA
06.2008 - 05.2011
East Coast Manager
TECNICA GROUP USA
07.2006 - 06.2008
Sales Associate
AMER SPORTS
09.2004 - 05.2006
Bachelor of Arts - International Studies
Fort Lewis College
Professional Development And Certifications
- Strategic Account Management, Queen's University, 2023
- Becoming an Effective Leader, University of Queensland Business School, 2021
- Business Development Foundations, LinkedIn, 2021
- Key Account Management, LinkedIn, 2021
- Omnichannel Strategy and Management, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, 2020
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media and E-Commerce, The Wharton School, 2019
Professional Development And Certifications
- Strategic Account Management, Queen's University, 2023
- Becoming an Effective Leader, University of Queensland Business School, 2021
- Business Development Foundations, LinkedIn, 2021
- Key Account Management, LinkedIn, 2021
- Omnichannel Strategy and Management, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, 2020
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media and E-Commerce, The Wharton School, 2019