Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas

• ● Directed client training and development for large floral design, arts and crafts, and decor industry leader; led content development, managed creation, editing, and finalization of communications and training materials for delivery to end-users.
• ● Managed development of content for trade shows, annual meetings, and key trainings. Led project management of trainings, determined workshop frequency and calendar. Presented and acted as subject matter expert at workshops and conferences. Presented products and projects in front of diverse audiences of 200+ people of varying skill sets.
• ● Served as Strategic Business Partner for Brand Marketing team, worked with leadership to develop communications strategies and campaigns, selected most impactful communication channels, targeted special segments effectively, reviewed and edited content, maintained consistent messaging, connected with customers to improve impact and end-user engagement with programs.
• ● Designed layouts for social and print media, crafted clear and engaging messaging, selected impactful visual aids, and matched content with brand to ensure consistency and aligned business goals and programs across all outlets.
• ● Partnered with Director of Education to provide guidance on market trends and new product development.
• ● Continually evaluated success of training programs, identified gaps in knowledge as well as access to development content, and recommended improvements to management; leveraged findings to inform new product development related to end-user feedback, market, and consumer trends.
• Notable Accomplishments
• ● Contributed to launch online training programs, recorded and produced how-to videos, developed detailed written instructions, and worked with photographers, videographers, and graphic designers to finalize and publish new offerings; content became most viewed videos on YouTube for company.

• Spearheaded business operations for large-scale floral design company; led development of ongoing business plan, business development strategies, customer contracts, and client relations; led ongoing troubleshooting and resolution to escalated business, customer, and compliance issues.
• Established sound business processes that helped company grow 30% year-over-year and completed ongoing profitable projects, and developed profitable referral pipeline.
• Ensured total compliance with state and federal regulations in regards to operations and employee relations.
• Negotiated terms and conditions with vendors, subcontractors, and materials partners; managed and developed agreements related to systems and services, products, and maintenance-leading to increased revenue, enhanced business relationships, and lowering of overall cost of goods under 30%
• Served as point-of-contact and facilitated communications with clients leading to consistent contract initiation and execution; directly responded to and delivered RFP's, proposals, and statements of work to potential clients, developed customized solutions, determined technical expectations and service levels, and delivered transparent pricing and terms.
• Manage team of 30 Design, Sales, and Administrative personnel, determined success metrics, assigned project duties, collected status reports, and provided ongoing training and coaching; built team from scratch, maintained high retention, and was able to develop cohesive unit that produced high-quality results and supported projects effectively.
• Responsible for leading all marketing, customer persona creation, journey mapping, ideal message creation, and consistent branding.
• Focused on developing key relationships with industry influencers as well as position company as a leader in the industry; B2B networking; acted as mentor and subject matter expert.
• Spearheaded key account actions coordinated with client stakeholders, vendors, and field teams to present solutions to highly visible prospects; leveraged industry and market knowledge to gain foothold in historically competitive, trend driven, and fast pasted industry.
• Continually improved project management actions, including estimating, scheduling, and purchasing; developed comprehensive project schedules with deadlines and deliverables; worked with clients to resolve issues and eliminate risks; improved profits with cost effective and high quality materials, estimation of labor, and vendor relationships.
• Developed and implemented business process improvements, focused on internal communication procedures, project tracking, job descriptions, and responsibilities; able to streamline complex issues, improve overall productivity, grow and empower team.
• Oversaw field projects, monitored and managed expenses related to travel, labor, and materials, reviewed project deliverables, service reports, and customer communications; trained field teams on new operations; ensured top quality and service of all field activities while upholding quality guidelines under extremely tight timelines.
• Streamlined branding, digital marketing, and social media strategy, conducted market research to implement strategic marketing initiatives for lead generation and profit optimization; oversaw continuous technology based marketing enhancements; leveraged SEO techniques, industry directories, and social media to secure new referral partners and clients.
• Managed and led performance evaluations for team; responsible for hiring and firing; collected feedback, documented results, and compile customer feedback for use in employee reviews; reviewed employees achievements, goals, and improvement twice-yearly; enacted progressive disciplinary plans when needed; mentored employee career development.
• Led implementation of company programs, developed action plans; instructed associates on new operational and organizational objectives; program objectives included increasing sales, streamlining processes, raising visual standards, and improving customer retention.
• Oversaw P&L and operational costs, managed labor costs, inventory control, sales targets, and margins; reviewed finances quarterly to ensure goals and budgets were met; develop corrective financial strategies and actions when needed.

Notable Accomplishments

• Led floral design for $1M wedding, managed $85K floral budget, coordinated quick turnaround for all deliverables, and led all client communications; delivered designs that exceeded client expectations and garnered repeat business.
• In response to COVID-19, led rescheduling of 35 events, developed new workflow and client communications, outlined FAQs, and redeveloped contracts and agreements; successfully rescheduled all events garnering positive customer feedback and ensuring business stability.