Linden Belew

Built own floral as a complete category business, with end-to-end accountability for P&L, growth strategy, merchandising, assortment, pricing, innovation, global sourcing, inventory, supply chain, distribution and commercial execution. Established floral as the company’s largest and fastest-growing add-on category while creating the commercial and operating model required to scale it.

• Own category P&L and business strategy, setting growth priorities and governing sales, gross margin, COGS, pricing, assortment, inventory, sourcing economics and category investment.
• Set the merchandising and commercial agenda, shaping assortment, product architecture, pricing, promotional strategy, innovation pipeline and channel expansion around customer demand, market opportunity and financial performance.
• Architected the category operating model, integrating supplier strategy, global sourcing, forecasting, inventory, distribution, quality and store execution into a scalable business platform.
• Maintain direct engagement with buying and supplier markets, working with farms, growers, producers and manufacturers across North and South America to negotiate economics, secure capacity, assess market conditions and uncover product opportunities.
• Convert commodity and supply-market dynamics into commercial action, recalibrating assortment, pricing, sourcing, substitutions, inventory and promotional readiness as seasonality, availability, capacity, cost and demand shift.
• Accelerate sales and margin performance through active category optimization, leveraging product mix, pricing, sourcing, packaging, freight and inventory to strengthen financial results.
• Shape the innovation and commercialization pipeline, identifying consumer and occasion opportunities and converting them into differentiated products with defined assortment, sourcing, pricing, margin, inventory and go-to-market strategies.
• Expanded the business into new channels, including direct-to-consumer, establishing the assortment, economics, sourcing, packaging, inventory and fulfillment model supporting omnichannel growth.
• Translate enterprise category strategy into a decentralized franchise environment, creating programs that generate value at both the enterprise and individual operator level while remaining scalable and executable.
• Orchestrate the supply chain behind commercial strategy, synchronizing forecasts, supplier production, inventory positioning, logistics, quality and product flow with everyday, seasonal and promotional demand.
• Turn sales, margin, inventory, quality and customer performance data into business decisions, identifying growth opportunities and intervening quickly as performance or market conditions change.
• Mobilize Marketing, Finance, Operations, E-Commerce, Creative and Technology around category priorities, connecting commercial objectives, financial targets, inventory readiness and customer-facing execution.
• Develop the floral team and influence execution across a broad matrix organization, strengthening category expertise, accountability and alignment around business priorities.

Held commercial and operational responsibility for an international perishable-products business, connecting customer strategy and revenue opportunities directly to product, sourcing, production, inventory and logistics.

• Unified sales and operations around a single commercial strategy, connecting customer priorities, assortment, sourcing, production, inventory and logistics to growth, service and profitability.
• Steered commercial performance and customer strategy, weighing revenue opportunities against product availability, economics, quality, capacity and margin.
• Leveraged direct visibility into agricultural markets, suppliers and production to sharpen buying, product and customer decisions.
• Converted customer and market demand into sourcing and production strategies, balancing owned production with external supply to capture opportunity and protect availability.
• Deployed assortment, product mix, sourcing and inventory as commercial levers, responding to changing market conditions while protecting margin and customer commitments.
• Aligned multidisciplinary teams across sales, sourcing, production, logistics and operations, establishing shared accountability for business performance and execution.
• Optimized farm-to-customer logistics and cold-chain performance, safeguarding freshness, shelf life and delivered quality throughout a time-sensitive international network.

Held end-to-end responsibility for a vertically integrated agricultural and perishable operation spanning farm production, global sourcing, buying, packaging, inventory, logistics and customer fulfillment.

• Orchestrated product flow from farm through customer, aligning production, procurement, inventory, packaging, logistics and fulfillment with commercial demand and profitability.
• Blended owned agricultural production with external commodity buying, maximizing internal yield while accessing grower and supplier markets to fulfill assortment, volume and customer requirements.
• Linked crop and production planning directly to commercial demand, strengthening alignment among product availability, external purchasing, inventory and customer needs.
• Navigated agricultural and commodity volatility across seasonality, yields, quality, labor, transportation, availability and shifting market demand.
• Expanded and strengthened global sourcing and supplier networks, improving product access, assortment flexibility, economics and continuity of supply.
• Reengineered production, packaging and inventory processes, increasing throughput, improving product flow and strengthening freight and operating efficiency.
• Unified production, procurement, logistics and operations teams around shared performance objectives, increasing accountability throughout the farm-to-customer supply chain.
• Strengthened cold-chain execution and product handling, protecting freshness, quality and customer experience.

Vertically integrated agricultural production and manufacturing business serving high-volume mass-market retail.

• Created the purchasing and sourcing program from the ground up, establishing supplier relationships, buying strategy and procurement processes supporting manufacturing and national retail demand.
• Balanced farm production with external commodity buying, maximizing internal yield while securing the assortment and volume required for customer programs.
• Scaled buying and supply planning to support 35+ retail brands, converting customer forecasts and merchandising programs into executable procurement and production strategies.
• Cultivated international and domestic supplier markets, maintaining direct grower relationships while adapting purchasing decisions to seasonality, availability, quality, cost and customer demand.
• Integrated assortment planning, customer forecasts, production availability and external purchasing, improving supply alignment and execution.
• Collaborated directly with Sales and Production on major customer programs, aligning product strategy, sourcing, economics, margin and manufacturing requirements.
• Coordinated global procurement and inbound logistics across a highly perishable agricultural supply chain.

Built foundational merchant and buying expertise in high-volume wholesale distribution serving independent and high-end specialty retailers.

• Established direct-from-grower buying programs, improving product access, freshness, economics and supply reliability.
• Diversified the international grower and supplier network across South America, Europe and domestic production regions.
• Balanced buying decisions against customer demand, commodity availability, seasonality, quality and margin, remaining directly connected to daily supplier and market activity.
• Expanded profitability through strategic buying, supplier negotiation, assortment and product-mix optimization and disciplined inventory management.
• Optimized fast-turn perishable inventory and fulfillment, balancing product availability and customer service against aging, shrink and working-capital exposure.
• Capitalized on supplier relationships and market intelligence to uncover buying opportunities, alternative sources and differentiated products.
• Developed the product, supplier and commodity expertise that became the foundation for progressively broader merchandising, commercial and category leadership.