Shawn Gilson

Provide direction and solid business acumen to a client base ranging from pre-revenue startups to well established national and international brands. Main points of focus is employee development, sales and marketing, distribution development, lean practices and cross departmental collaboration.

Member of the SHAZAM Brand Leadership Team responsible for all aspects expanding the brand through national merchants and national acquirers. End account responsibility for major merchants such as Target, Kroger Walgreens, and 15 plus others. Manage all aspects of interchange switch fees and charge backs for all merchants in my portfolio. Responsible for soup to nuts Request For Proposal (RFP) responses. • Brought on Wendy’s as a client. • Signed Denny’s as a client. • Redeveloped the RFP response process. • Implemented Sales Force for the Merchant Team. • Streamlined reporting and client evaluation process.

Member of the Executive Leadership Team responsible for all aspects of sales and the go to market plan for this career planning and economic development organization. Millions of people worldwide have used our career assessment, education planning, and guidance resources to help guide them in their career decisions. We help ensure that people of all ages can unlock the power of their own potential, and create a bright future. • Direct report responsibility for the Inside and Outside sales groups. • Direct report responsibility for the International sales group. • Restructured the pricing model for all products. • Reintroduced and implemented the companies CRM system. • Increased domestic sales by 37% in my first year.

Responsible for all aspects of sales and business development for ACT’s career product portfolio. Provide leadership and project management to key strategic initiatives in support of career and education products. Responsible for management of new distribution channels and partners from conception through implementation. Act as a liaison between test development, marketing, product line management and research to develop market strategy and implement sales processes. Played a key role in the merger of the Education and Workforce divisions, solidifying ACT as the only company in the nation that offers solutions across the kindergarten to career continuum. • Direct report responsibility for 8 National Account Managers and 4 Inside Sales Representatives. • Created a distribution program which increased testing accessibility by 44% nationwide. Added over 250 new test sites. • Closed, managed and implemented multi-million dollar contracts with the Department of Education and the Department of Labor in multiple states. • Responsible for pricing of our core career products. • Core team member of the National Career Readiness Certificate 2.0 development and launch team. • Developed and delivered all training initiatives. • Developed an outcome based intake model to help retention in post-secondary education.

Founded the Eastern Iowa chapter of Senior Helpers. Saw a need in to assist elderly and disabled people to remain independent in their homes and acted on it. Responsible for all aspects of the business including strategy, sales, marketing, training, human resources, accounting and customer service. Provided professional care to help clients with all activities of daily living. The company operated 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The business became successful through my grass root marketing efforts and recruiting methods. Because of Senior Helpers people were able to stay safely in their homes. • Started the company from the ground floor. • Achieved profitability within 7 months. • Had 80% close rate on sales leads. • Led home health care workshops. • Achieved the highest gross margin of over 200 chapters. • Manage staff of 70 plus employees.

General management responsibilities for all operations of this architectural interior and contract office furniture dealer. Worked closely with the owners on strategic and day-to-day initiatives. Managed all sales, marketing, and logistics functions of this B-2-B organization. In charge of pricing and programs. Oversaw the service and installation department. Responsible for all business development initiatives. • Increased year to year sales by over 50%. • Increased gross operating margins by 4.5%. • Developed the request for proposal process. • Implemented a sales training program. • Introduced rapid continuous improvement to the organization. • Direct report responsibility for 10 Sales Consultants, 5 Designers and 4 Project Managers.

Responsible for leading the strategic and tactical training initiatives for the company. Developed sales and marketing tools to heighten awareness of our products. Managed a department that had responsibility for education, communication, competitive knowledge, incentive programs, customer visits and national meetings. Shared responsibility for product launches with product marketing. Worked closely with product marketing and marketing on development of new products. • Direct report responsibility for a department of 7. • Increased training output by 71%. • Developed a modular consultative selling program consisting of over 100 hours of content. • Implemented a new hire-training program. • Responsible for the annual international dealer incentive program. • Negotiated and implemented a reward and recognition program. • Developed a customer visit experience program. • Led numerous rapid continuous improvement events.

General management responsibilities for the Siemens brand. Significant cross-functional leadership within all areas of the business. Co-lead a strategic cross continental team between BSH USA and BSH Germany dealing with all aspects of the development and introduction of the Siemens brand. Represented sales on a company wide task force to redesign and implement a new supply chain. Lead a task force dedicated to hiring, training and implementing a national sales force. Reported directly to the Chief Executive Officer. • Launched the Siemens brand of home appliances into the United States. • Direct report responsibility for a department of 23 including a national sales force. • Oversaw 34 National Merchandising Representatives. • Contributed to the design of the Siemens product for the United States. • Developed the Siemens brand message for the United States. • Forged a strategic alliance with Best Buy. • Brought Costco on as a customer.

Responsible for selling and merchandising activities for Best Buy. Cross-function leadership with marketing, logistics, finance, advertising and product planning. Responsible for the relationships with the appliance buyers. In charge of execution for field sales, training initiatives, and communications. • Had profit and loss responsibility for a 220 million-dollar customer. • Managed a 28 million dollar marketing budget. • Increased sales by 43%. • Delivered the highest percentage of sales goal for all channels within Maytag. • Had 40% market share on Best Buy floors.

Denver, CO 1999-2001 Responsible for human resource issues for the Western Division and the Builder Division nationwide. In charge of recruiting, hiring and promoting District Managers. Responsible for internal and external training initiatives. Responsible for taking disciplinary actions for underperforming employees. Managed career paths for senior level managers. Responsible for succession planning. • Responsible for national reorganization of the Builder Division. • Direct report responsibility for 4 Training Specialists. • Developed National Bonus Plan for District Managers. • Developed a mentoring program for high potential employees. • Implemented a National Reward and Recognition Program.

Virginia Beach, VA 1997-1999 Worked with national and independent dealers to ensure quota achievement and increase market share. Prospected and developed new and existing accounts. Formulated proposals and retail spiffs. Responsible for all local advertising. Mentored newly hired District Representatives. Led regional dealer training expos. • More than doubled Navy sales while calling on the Navy buying office. • More than doubled sales with the independent dealer accounts.

Newton, IA 1994-1997 Responsible for training new and existing sales personnel on all aspects of the business. Trained National Account product sales trainers on new products and product enhancements. • Developed a 12-week training program recognized as best in the industry. • Worked on the launch team that revolutionized front loading laundry in the US

Dover, DE 1992-1994 Responsible for developing existing accounts. Established new dealerships, selling them on the Maytag brand, securing lines of credit with local banks, selecting store location, and negotiating leases. • Increased sales by 35%, substantially increasing market share. • Opened 3 Maytag outlet stores while continuing to grow existing dealers.