Kathleen Murray

• Founded the business during the 2020 Covid Pandemic when the world shut down, corporate business was stagnant and restaurants were closed.
• Recognized a need in the market for open air dining options and quickly launched Saucy Kat Italian Food Truck.
• Following the success of the food truck opened Lola's Ristorante with a focus on corporate catering and private venues.
• Manage all business administration, brand design and development, marketing, advertising, staffing and payroll
• Sourced vendors, negotiated contracts, forecasting and inventory management.

• Designed and developed Velocilinx brand, logo, style guides, packaging, marketing materials and developed innovative creative strategies to maintain brand consistency across projects and raise brand awareness.
• Formulated and monitored budgets to manage expenses, control costs and allocate resources to maximize profitability and grow business operations.
• Developed, implemented and executed annual strategic sales and marketing plans.
• Negotiated contracts and closed lucrative sales deals using strong negotiation and persuasion skills with customers and suppliers to achieve mutually beneficial agreements.
• Developed key strategic partnerships with large global retail customers to strengthen and expand business opportunities.
• Established and cultivated solid business relationships with new and existing customers.
• Hired, trained and built high-performing sales team with continual coaching in successful selling methods encouraging cross-selling to drive revenue.
• Planned industry trade shows, oversaw and managed booth and conventions with the mission of expanding sales & market opportunities.
• Exceeded sales goals and increased profitability applying proactive management strategies, business planning, time management and resource allocations.
• Conducted competitive analysis and research, evaluated industry trends and led creative direction to increase revenue through effective marketing, social media and branding campaigns.
• Directed photo shoots for print and digital media and oversaw implementation of editing, and post-production processes.

• Compelling public speaker with strong communication skills utilizing fast paced, critical thinking skills for public debates and media interviews.
• Attended fundraisers, ceremonies and events by connecting with current and potential voters while campaigning for district 21.
• Drafted Parents Bill of Rights with the intention to sponsor upon election to the Illinois Senate.
• Met with constituents to discuss important issues.
• Designed logo and marketing materials and developed campaign strategies for media advertising.
• Raised campaign funds, manged budgets and quarterly reporting of campaign committee.

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· Aggressive and competitive top sales performer, skilled at negotiation and closing multimillion dollar deals.

· Grew Home Depot Account from $1M to $120M within 2 years and over $100M annually.

· Responsible for Costco getting into the plumbing category and growing Costco private label business to over $200M annually

· Traveled to and managed accounts and relationships at regional US buying offices and multiple international divisions

· Trained regional field rep agencies and set up, trained and developed a local sales office, team & warehouse in Atlanta to support Home Depot business.

· Developed, implemented and executed short and long-term sales strategies to gain market share, uncover new sales opportunities and increase revenue.

· Consistently exceeded sales targets, achieved KPIs and increased profitability through effective sales and marketing strategies.

· Performed monthly sales forecasting and competitive analysis to determine product performance levels and need for new product developments.

· Managed the largest accounts fostering long-term growth and forging strong strategic partnerships with Costco, Home Depot, Sam's Club and Walmart.

· Designed, created and launched private label plumbing brands such as WaterRidge at Costco and Glacier Bay & Pegasus plumbing brands in partnership with Home Depot

· Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to secure new customers and drive new business development.

· Collaborated with executive team to define and propel organization's mission & vision and to guide operational strategy

· Increased profit margins by effectively maintaining financial controls, controlling budget, expenses and overhead and optimizing product turns.

· Collaborated with factory management teams by developing and implementing comprehensive quality assurance plans to monitor product quality and adherence to regulatory standards and customer standards

· Sourced, vetted and qualified factories to develop long-term partnerships with key suppliers to generate greater cost efficiency, obtain favorable pricing, improve quality, reduce risks, and create greater value for products.

· Oversaw new product development, production planning and supply chain functions to verify inventory levels and budget adherence.

· Coached sales team in product specifications and selling techniques to foster performance development of staff through ongoing mentoring on best practices

• Global sales lead for Home Depot companies managing relationships and traveling monthly to each of the 9 regional US buying offices, Atlanta headquarters and China sourcing offices
• Conducted product knowledge training seminars nationwide to educate HD Managers on plumbing product knowledge
• Developed and implemented effective sales strategies and led nationwide sales team members to achieve sales targets.
• Forecasted sales and established processes to achieve sales objectives and related metrics.
• Met with customers to give sales presentations, negotiate contracts and promote services.
• Trained and developed exceptional sales leaders.
• Drafted comprehensive sales plans and approved budget expenditures to meet project goals.

• Collected data and research for Judge Robert Hunter for development of his court trial handbooks and websites
• Developed and designed a website to provide a resource directory for sports and activity targeting underprivileged children

• Delivered counseling services under close supervision of psychologists.
• Collected case histories covering personal, work and social details for permanent records.
• Identified psychological, emotional or behavioral issues and diagnosed disorders using information obtained from evaluation techniques.
• Shadowed experienced clinicians to gain in-depth knowledge of treatment, diagnosis and assessment techniques.
• Worked with clients living with mental and developmental delays and employed successful strategies aimed at addressing symptoms and improving quality of life.
• Implemented crisis intervention techniques to help individuals through complex situations.
• Collaborated with other healthcare professionals to coordinate care plans and implement continuity of care.
• Facilitated group therapy sessions to provide interactive and supportive environment for clients to process experiences and learn new coping skills.