Senior Buyer with over 13 years of progressive retail experience. Well-versed in planning and executing daily and special inventory buys. Proficient in purchasing and procurement environments. Expert at supporting businesses with high-quality, reliable goods delivered on consistent schedule.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Pricing Management and Buyer
Acquistapace's
Covington , LA
09.2019 - Current
Monitored market trends to ascertain best pricing for company's products.
Monitored competitors' pricing activities to make effective decisions that would improve company revenue.
Assessed profitability in effort to make adjustments using both company and marketplace data to develop decisive pricing.
Identified key areas that could be enhanced and implemented successful category management.
Negotiated pricing to determine best deals.
Doubled in store sales for 36 stores within 2 years.
Built premium wine program that became 23% of all wine business
Created private barrel bourbon program for Rouses.
Managed $17.9 million dollar beverage program for Beau Rivage MGM Casino and resorts.
Managed $150 million dollar beverage program for Rouses Market.
Category Manager and Corporate Buyer
Rouses Markets
Thibodaux, Louisiana
02.2009 - 09.2018
Studied technical aspects of managed category to identify key quality attributes and cost containment levels.
Doubled same store sales from 6% to 12% within one year.
Increased wine, beer and spirit total gross margin for from 14% to 18% within first two years.
Identified and reported key performance indicators to define successful category management.
Monitored market to capitalize on latest trends.
Incorporated suggested changes to layouts and promotions to drive sales.
Visited and made wine buying decisions in Washington, California - Napa, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and Sonoma appellations and Italy.
Created single barrel bourbon program for Rouses top tier stores by visiting distilleries and hand selecting bourbon through private tastings.
Director of Wine and Beverage
Beau Rivage Casino And Resort
Biloxi, MS
01.1999 - 12.2008
Resolved customer complaints involving food or beverage quality and service.
Maintained highest standards for beverage quality and service.
Coordinated daily and nightly shift safety and sanitation procedures for bars.
Set and enforced performance and service standards to keep consistent, high-quality environment devoted to customer satisfaction.
Developed relationships with suppliers and vendors leading to special volume pricing discounts and availability.
Enacted progressive disciplinary measures for staff, managed work zones and oversaw opening and closing duties.
Developed and created all wine, spirit and beverage menus for all venues.
Background includes consistent promotions to positions of increased responsibility.
Worked directly with purchasing department to select all glassware, bar equipment, accessories for bar, selection of all beer, wine and spirit products.
Managed all cocktail recipes, wine and beer pricing to maintain overall 21% gross margin for beverage department.
Education
High School Diploma -
Douglas MacArthur High School
Saginaw, MI
05.1976
Some College (No Degree) - Business Administration And Management
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
Skills
Project Requirements
Store Merchandising
Delivery Schedules
Scheduling of employees
Buying decisions for 54 stores
Oversee total profit for $150 million department
Represent needs of department to COO
A respected manager who leads by example
Pricing structure understanding
Prioritizing and time management
Accomplishments
Diversity Champion
Community Volunteerism for Voice, Kaboom Build, Annual Heart Walk, School Supply Drive.
Court of Master's Sommelier Certification.
Supervised team of 350 staff members.
Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
Timeline
Pricing Management and Buyer
Acquistapace's
09.2019 - Current
Category Manager and Corporate Buyer
Rouses Markets
02.2009 - 09.2018
Director of Wine and Beverage
Beau Rivage Casino And Resort
01.1999 - 12.2008
High School Diploma -
Douglas MacArthur High School
Some College (No Degree) - Business Administration And Management
<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.