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Vice President of Sales and Marketing

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” ~ Peter Drucker

??Leadership/Team Building?: In positions as VP Sales and Marketing and as President we always improved revenue, profit, and inventory turns??.

Financial Oversight?: Created daily performance tracking?. *Implemented forecasting and inventory buys to improve financial and shipping performances. *Educated employees about financials to alter behaviors. 

Strategy Development/Execution?: *Created planning at Streamlight creating 450% organic sales growth?. *Created robust planning at UK, 5.11, Massif and Brunton so each brand portfolio grew??.

Operations Management?: *Reduced headcount while raising output - Sales per employee increased. ?*Underwater Kinetics reduced scrap/rework by using LEAN/Continuous Improvement techniques - 50% reduction

Branding: ?*Pelican, Streamlight, UK, 5.11, Massif and Brunton - All premium brands??.

Marketing Strategy?: *Positioned all brands by increasing distribution within current channels, expanding into other channels of distribution delivering lower development cost, higher absorption and accelerated ROI?* Rebranded Streamlight and UK including logo, collateral, etc.

??New Business Development Leadership: ?*+98% of the years I have directly managed business development we have increased revenue?. *+95% of the years I have directly managed business development we have increased profit. *Created channel specific programs and lowered costs, improved profits and increased sales. *From Pelican until today, we constantly diversified sales channels to protect from overdependence on a customer enhancing the profit per customer and delivering sustainable growth* At every level I’ve been proactive in meeting with customers and suppliers to get input. ??

Product Development/Management: ?*At Streamlight we took that NPI process and used it to be first to market with new LED technology resulting in rapid, sustainable growth in top and bottom lines.

Responsible for all aspects of Brunton's North American Sales effort. Plan, execute and leads a team daily to grow Brunton's market share in the outdoor, camping, hunting, fishing, Consumer Electronics and specialty channels in North America.

• Product categories include navigation, optics, portable power, solar panels and task lighting.
• Since my start date I’ve increased the number of retail outlets carrying Brunton by almost 7X 
• I improved profit, grew sales and increased the number of sku’s at retail.
• I captured, grew and struck long-term deals with the largest mass and specialty retailers in the country. 
• Launched 22 major new products and repositioned Brunton as an outdoor innovator with our trade partners and users.
• Sales department restructured to improve coverage and profitability. Established and launched a direct telesales effort.
• Refined pricing to deliver maximum GM to dealers and company.
• Established sales operations and big retail teams to improve efficienc

Massif is one of the largest domestic suppliers of flame resistant combat clothing to the US DOD for use by combat personnel stationed in theater and operating outside the wire.
• Created, from the ground up, a domestic and international distribution network including sales management and sales reps for an ultra premium priced line of high performance flame resistant combat clothing and civilian tactical apparel targeting the military, SOF, public safety operators and retail consumers.
• Successfully planned, executed and sustained all aspects of a civilian and commercial sales and marketing effort including business planning, pricing strategy, infrastructure build out, etc. on time and under budget.
• Successfully secured new distribution both domestically and internationally to ensure flow of product to the user. 
• Surpassed every single planned volume, profit and revenue target growing assigned channels to become a strategically significant company revenue producer with little supp

Vice President of Business Development

• Created and launched a consulting and product development practice, secured clients and projects focusing on sales, management, go to market strategies and all aspects of product development resulting in multi-six figure annual first year billings all during a very difficult economic climate.
• Recruited and lead a team, including engineers, statisticians, design and sourcing experts. 
• Secured product development contracts to develop hard goods and accessories

Principal Consultant

•	5.11 Tactical is a supplier of performance and lifestyle clothing for the Law Enforcement, Military and Civilian markets specializing in bringing tactical/SOF inspired products to the consumer at a value price.
•	Developed product/pricing structure and negotiated volume sales commitments with top 1% of law enforcement product dealers leading to a contracted sales volume representing 40% of 2008 budgeted sales.
•	Restructured inside sales management and the warehouse operation resulting in as an overall reduction in shipping time of 54% with shipping accuracy improvement of 20%. 
•	Lead department responsible for achieve ISO 9001 registration as well as efforts with HR and line managers to insure solid hiring practices and lower turnover. 
•	Participated in new product development meetings. One of my projects resulted in a Top 3 product launch item after I left company. 
•	Part of key management team that helped prepare 5.11 to sell to private equity investors resulting an amazing sal

Vice President of Corporate Sales and Operations

•	Underwater Kinetics is a +30 year old technology company specializing in waterproof portable lighting and high impact resistant sensitive equipment cases.
•	Assumed overall leadership during a company turnaround and restructured all departments to insure high performance and profitability. 
•	Instituted Topgrading for recruiting, hiring and retention. 
•	Created structure and disciplines that grew sales by 20%, grew GM by 30% and grew net income by 50% while increasing investment in new products by 100%. 
•	Rebuilt relationships with our channel partners and key users. Built new distribution network in the EU
•	Sales were flat and product development non-existent prior to my arrival. Re-launched website and repositioned the brand so as to expand into the outdoor and public safety channels.

President

•	Streamlight is a US based manufacturer of portable lighting solutions for the professional and civilian channels.
•	Led sales and marketing teams that grew Streamlight from a single channel product company (public safety) with revenues of $20 million to a multi-channel professional brand with revenues of +$90 million per year.  
•	Drove the repositioning of the Streamlight brand from niche single technology product supplier to the go to brand for the professional consumer to satisfy both their vocational and recreations portable lighting needs.
• Responsible for an operating budget of $19.6 Million and profitability on revenue of $90 Million.
• Met net sales, margin and EBIT objectives; analyzed the results of sales activities on a daily basis including preparations of regular sales reports (monthly/quarterly/annually) showing sales volume, lead status, sales forecast, etc.
• Managed a 3500+ Distributor network with 10,000 selling locations/branches. 
• Lead a sales team comprised of

•	Pelican Products is a manufacturer of high performance safety approved flashlights and injection molded equipment protector cases. 
•	Managed nationwide field based sales rep force in addition to a staff of ten inside sales and support personnel focusing on the Industrial and Public Safety channels. 
•	Built Industrial and Fire channels to be the highest growth/most profitable channel within Pelican Products. The division also grew to become Pelican’s largest revenue channel. Secured several major large fire departments as customers including Chicago and San Diego. Successfully captured WW. Grainger as a Pelican customer and aligned the resources within Pelican to insure that service levels exceeded WWG’s requirements.

Director of Sales

•	Ergodyne is a manufacturer of ergonomic soft goods and training programs focusing on the industrial safety channel. 
•	Managed a sales force of direct and independent sales people within a fourteen state region selling though distribution by focusing on the user and pulling the business through our partners. 
•	I was the company’s #1 sales person and was promoted to become the company’s youngest regional sales manager. 
•	Assigned a region that was losing sales daily. Quickly dealt with staff turnover, lack of distributor loyalty, very intense competition and a negative government position on the core Ergodyne product. 
•	Despite the situation, lead team to capture several major accounts including Exxon, BiLo Supermarkets, and Texas Department of Transportation and lead country in growth.

Regional Sales Manager

Find out detailed information about Walter Kaihatu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing in Carlsbad, CA

Walter Kaihatu: Vice President of Sales and Marketing in Carlsbad, CA

Walter Kaihatu

Brunton

Massif Mountain Gear

Triple Eight Consulting

5.11 Tactical

Underwater Kinetics

Streamlight, Inc

Pelican Products

Ergodyne

California State University Long Beach