130 Ann Scott Drive

St Johns, FL  32259
(904) 502-5595

Melissa.R.Guthrie@gmail.com
Melissa R. Guthrie
Profile

 

Experience
I am an experienced industry veteran looking to join a winning team.  I am seeking my next opportunity as a vehicle for continual learning, growth, and upward mobility.  My desire is to continue to leverage my experience in Sales or Team Management to make an impact on an evolving organization.

 

Dec. 2021-Present               Drummond             Jacksonville, FL

Promotional Sourcing Division Manager

§  Opened promotional division for an existing print firm that was bringing formerly outsourced services in house.  Led the division that successfully executed $11 million in revenue in 2022.

§  Created and executed pricing strategies, presentation best practices, and industry tools to benefit efficiency of a Sourcing and Ordering team to provide deliverables to Sales Team.

§  Conceptualized and implemented cradle to grave workflow for new division – including process creation, role definition, work instruction write-ups, promotional division policies, and integration of new team with various internal departments and external providers.

§  Trained and coached a fully remote team, in a continually changing environment.

§  Established preferred vendor program – created relationships and onboarded new vendor partners, establishing best practices for partnership, negotiating finance terms and volume discounts.

§  Maintained and communicated vendor CRM with inside team to drive volume spend to leverage back-end benefits for the company’s bottom line.

§  Nurtured vendor relationships by coordinating teams to work together and implementing strategic areas of partnership growth.

§  Spearheaded IT automation and integration initiatives, between existing company platforms and new promotional division platforms – including Propago, ePace, Smartsheet, and ESP.

 

Sept. 2012-Dec. 2021          Swag Promo, LLC         Atlanta, GA

Sept. 2012-December 2021

Account Manager

§  Enjoyed unique opportunity to start up the business of Swag Promo, LLC.

§  Built company with President/Founder and defined the processes and culture of a brand new promotional distributorship out of Atlanta, GA.

§  Full time remote work, grew Jacksonville sales to $1 Million by Year Two.

§  Nurtured vendor relationships and attended tradeshows as needed.

§  Trained and led a regional team of three to increase business for the Florida territory.

§  Executed customer solutions including basic promotional collateral, warehousing and transport logistics of tradeshow materials, or e-commerce/company store solutions.

§  Partnered with IT for e-commerce integration of end user promotional ordering sites.

§  Conducted quarterly and annual customer business reviews.

§  Acted as brand compliance partner to achieve “on brand” results  for customers.

§  Gained the trust and loyalty of buyers at prestigious national and global firms.

§  Swagger Award Winner 2015

§  Recognized on Industry Counselor Magazine “Hot List”, published 2019.  https://www.asicentral.com/news/magazines/counselor/may-2019/2019-hot-list-melissa-guthrie-swag-promo-llc/

§  Swagger Award Winner 2019

 

 

Nov. 2004-Sept. 2012   Promo Depot/Acosta   Jacksonville, FL

November 2009-Sept. 2012

Senior Account Manager – Strategic/National Accounts

§  Promoted to solely handle National and Strategic Accounts.

§  Gained further experience with ideation, execution, and implementation of national programs such as online company stores, e-commerce employee incentive programs, direct mail campaigns, and kitting and fulfillment projects.

§  Managed the logistics and timeline of all projects and delegated some project components to sales and marketing support team.

§  Maintained pipeline of various project opportunities and closed sales, consistently achieving set monthly quotas.

§  Sales Person of the Year (2010 Fiscal Year)

§  Team Lead as of July 2011

 

September 2008-October 2009

Account Manager – Strategic/National Accounts

§  Same basic functions as Account Manager- Inside Sales but transitioned up to work on Promo Depot’s National Accounts Team.

§  Daily responsibilities included working with clients across the country to accurately fulfill orders while maintaining and expanding relationships.

§  Coordination and management of many multi-faceted projects simultaneously.

§  Worked alongside Director of National Accounts to connect the details and manage each project with maximum efficiency and accuracy.

§  Further developed existing client relationships within strategic/national accounts and penetrated various opportunities while expanding contacts within those accounts.

 

August 2005-August 2008

Account Manager – Inside Sales

§  Created and maintained client relationships with leads including call-in and showroom walk-in customers.

§  Managed and multi-tasked an array of different project components to fulfill orders for client base; maintained contact with clients throughout process of order.

§  Used various computer programs for data entry of orders and upkeep of prospect and client contact information.

§  Worked with various internal departments to complete orders and achieve the customer’s goals. Included instruction and delegation of project components to the sales support, art, and production departments.

§  Held responsible for and consistently attained monthly quota goals.

§  “Sure Bet” Most Quotas Met Award – 2007

 

November 2004-July 2005

Account Coordinator

§  Fulfilled administrative duties underneath sales team, including pricing and inputting orders.

§  Maintained contact with clients throughout process of order.

§  Used various computer programs for data entry of orders and upkeep of prospect and client contact information.

§  Helped clients create themed programs or ideas for their advertising campaigns, as well as coordinating artwork in house.

§  “Can Do” Spirit Award – 2005

§  Employee of the Quarter – 2005

Jan. 2003-Nov. 2004    Alluvion Staffing    Jacksonville, FL

 

April 2004 – Nov 2004: Account Manager

§  Performed cold calling in territory to expand it and gain new business.

§  Called contact lists of old clients to regain business relationships.

§  Formed new business relationships with new clients.

§  Maintained high activity levels and set appointments with clients.

§  Shared with staff job orders and requirements for each client.

§  Took appropriate steps in follow up with clients and accounts.

§  Took new orders over phone and input into system.

 

Jan 2003 – May 2003: Recruiting Administrator

§  Answered and transferred 8 telephone lines.

§  Input all candidate applications.

§  Pre-screened candidates over the phone, and set appointments to meet with recruiters.

§  Greeted candidates and drove them through application process.

Education
University of North Florida        Jacksonville, FL

Bachelors Degree, Psychology; December 2007

Graduated Cum Laude while attending school part time and working full time.