LARRY LIFSON

(630) 963-3620

Downers Grove, IL 60515 larrylifson1@gmail.com

PRESIDENT / VP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

P&L / Strategic Partnerships / Supply Chain / Key Accounts / Licensing / Operations Multichannel Wholesaling & Retailing / Branding / Change Agent / B2B / B2C / Global
I have been consistently successful in envisioning and swiftly executing opportunities from concept to multimilliondollar sales and operations improvements. My solid leadership skills have helped me achieve things others felt were not possible in large companies, startups and turnarounds. Strengths include Capturing and closing exclusive deals Implementing unique market-entry strategies and managing complex business relationships Overcoming seemingly insurmountable time and logistical constraints to seize great opportunities Coordinating multi-functional international resources to deliver programs and products on time MBA in Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. BA in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania. Founding member of a major industry trade association - The United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel. Current member of Kellogg Innovation Network. Mensa member. Selected Accomplishments Established a licensed-products program. Convinced major licensors to give PersonalizationMall (PM) the rights to license products in categories they had covered and waive factory-inspection requirements. Concluded license agreements with the NBA, Marvel, NBCUniversal, National Geographic, Elvis Presley Ent., and more. Opened a new channel. Established PMs B2B division to complement B2C. Provided products for MercedesBenz, Microsoft, Ritz-Carlton, U.S. State Department, Estee Lauder, Time Warner, United Way, Sara Lee, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Avon, McDonalds, and United Airlines. Forged relationships. Cemented wholesale relationships with major catalog, web, direct selling, and TV-retail partners such as Disney, J.C. Penney, Sears, and Home Sho pping Network. Launched the companys e-commerce website. Syndicated Personal Creations catalog. Saved a $10M+ order. A major Wal-Mart order for whiteboards seemed to have an unworkable lead time. Met with ACCO managers, suppliers and shippers. Mapped out every milestone (approvals, testing, etc.) that had to be met in order to ship. Delivered the program on time which solidified the relationship with Wal-Mart. Boosted sales. Introduced new product line to the market and wholesaled to gift stores, jewelry stores, catalogs, TV-shopping channels, and retail chain stores. Established the Crystal Gifts corporate division, providing custom items for Girl Scouts, National Park Service, Jaguar, and Harrahs. Drove growth rates of +35%. Led a turnaround. ACCOs survival was in doubt because of poor delivery performance. Changed ACCOs culture and won back customer confidence. Retained key customers and major programs, won tens of millions of dollars of business. Helped ACCO win Supplier of the Year, Most Improved Supplier, and other awards. Employment History Vice President of Business Development - PersonalizationMall.com 2010 to 2012. Responsible for business development, negotiating agreements with licensors to add licensed products and working with major U.S. retailers on strategic partnerships. Helped brand this $73M, retail, internet gifts company. Led a team of 20. Consultant / Project Manager ACCO Brands Corp. 2008 to 2010. Delivered multimillion-dollar programs to major retailers. Established processes to manage excess / overstock inventory. Introduced a spend-management program. Established supplier-performance metrics for this $1.1B office-products supplier. Vice President of Business Development Corporate Image Group - 2006 to 2007. Recruited to assist in winning, retaining and managing large accounts. Also in charge of overseas sourcing, customer service, and client programs for this $3M promotional-products company. Chief Executive Officer Crystal Gifts and More, Inc. - 2000 to 2006. Exclusive U.S. distributor for the gift line of one of the worlds largest crystal manufacturers. Vice President of Business Development Personal Creations - 1996 to 2000. Established wholesale division and direct-import program. Oversaw direct-selling division, business development, syndication, electronic media, and customer service for this $40M retail, internet, gifts organization. Led a team of 30. Earlier: Employed by Spiegel, Inc. and J. Crew Group, Inc. in Import, Travel Management and Buying positions.