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Buyer - Men's Athletic Training

- Responsible for developing and executing both in-store and online consumer-centric product strategies and assortments for the DTC Men’s Athletic Training Apparel, Footwear and Accessories businesses totaling approx $60M annually.
- Own and advocate an “end in mind” and “edit to amplify” approach to product and influence the development of assortments with these principles as a priority.
- Work closely with the Category Buying Director to develop yearly priorities and provide leadership and functional excellence to the DTC team to help drive these priorities.
- Communicate category buying strategies to cross-functional Geo and Global partners on a consistent cadence to ensure seamless collaboration. Present these same strategies to executive leadership and key category stakeholders at seasonal gates.
- Work closely with planning and allocation to develop methods for analyzing performance and make tactical adjustments to leverage opportunities for increased profitability.
- Coach, train and develop the Buying Coordinator and serve as a knowledge resource and leader for the rest of the team.

Instructor

•	Responsible for selling Women's Action Sports Apparel, Footwear, Snowboarding Outerwear and Boots for the West Coast territory.
•	Grew the West Coast Women’s Specialty Action Sports business 259% in FY11.
•	Utilized my advanced skills in communication, presentation, product planning, forecasting and marketplace analysis to help lead the go-to-market process for the women’s action business in North America via the lens of the West Coast Marketplace.  
•	Communicated brand objectives and priorities to specialty retailers during seasonal sell-ins and used these objectives as the foundation of seasonal assortments. 
•	Leveraged the brand and retail marketing resources to gain real estate and market share in specialty doors. 
•	Facilitated the use of RBP resources as they related to each specific account to help ensure seasonal brand, product concepts and innovation stories were realized at the retail level. 
•	Continually harvested and analyzed marketplace insights from buyers and consumers and created monthly pulse reports based on these insights. Communicated reports up the pipeline to all functions: Marketing, Sales, Finance, RBP, Design and Product Creation

Specialty Sales Rep

•	Oversaw and facilitated the execution of certain business deliverables including budget and inventory management, employee development, merchandising and product and community education.
•	Consistently challenged the team to create weekly in-store events to help create a deeper sense of community and a stronger connection between consumer and the brand, which ultimately increased profitability.
•	Trained and mentored employees to help them reach their personal and business goals. Lead by example.

Assistant Manager

•	Developed, executed and maintained a strategic merchandising and assortment plan for all menswear for eight brick and mortar stores and e-commerce which totaled 64% of the entire company’s inventory.  
•	Actively researched the market via Internet shopping, attending trade shows in San Diego, Las Vegas and LA, competitor analysis, and focus groups. Utilized these insights along with the vendor’s brand initiatives to create profitable and meaningful seasonal assortments. 
•	Closely monitor all aspects of the merchandise life cycle including adjusting open-to-by on a weekly basis, planning, markdowns, promotions, marketing and merchandising to ensure the highest level of gross margins and profitability.
•	Maintained strong professional relationships with vendors to ensure smooth and effective negotiations.

Sr. Buyer

•	Supported four Account Executives in managing the business of key major accounts that included Macy’s, Pac Sun, Dillard’s, Gliks, CCS, etc. 
•	Consistently worked cross-functionally with commerce, marketing, design, and product creation to ensure the business needs of each key account was met. This consisted of acting as a liaison between the commerce team and each function at Quiksilver accordingly. 
•	Worked diligently to increase the accounts profitability by staying organized, proactive and educated on sales and brand initiatives.

Sales Assistant

•	Managed the inventory of the entire store by consistently analyzing sales reports, trends and consumer insights to ensure the right amount of the right inventory was in the store at all times.
•	Supported the Visuals Manager in creating merchandising directives to ensure the seasonal brand and product stories were told on the retail floor in a compelling and sustainable way.

Assistant Merchandising Manager

•	Oversaw eighteen employees in three locations. Responsibilities included hiring, termination, corrective action, calculating payroll, creating monthly schedules, conducting monthly staff meetings and acting as a liaison between employees and owner.
•	Monitored all aspects of the merchandise life cycle including purchasing at trade shows in LA, Las Vegas and New York City, managing open-to-buy, assortment planning, markdowns, promotions, etc.

General Manager & Sr. Buyer

Find out detailed information about Kari Keating, Buyer - Men's Athletic Training in Portland, OR

Kari Keating: Buyer - Men's Athletic Training in Portland, OR

Kari Keating

Nike

The Bar Method

Nike Action Sports

lululemon athletica

Sun Diego Boardshops

Quiksilver

Quiksilver

Tobi Blatt

California State University-San Marcos - College of Business Administration