Derek Dafoe

Senior Merchandising Leader for North America’s largest Food Service distributor.Provide leadership to a team of 15 with full P&L ownership for diverse portfolio of categories including cost of goods, promotional activity, assortment decisions, and targeting applications.

Direct Departments included: Dairy & Disposables

Key team member of team charged with developing transformational ecommerce approach to merchandising and customer engagement

Led revitalization of Private Label branding and packaging to achieve a more customer relevant positioning

Developed and executed management model that delivered over 20% growth in category profitability during both historically high inflationary and deflationary cycles

Managed business through industry crisis delivering 25% growth in profitability and increasing market share, while rest of market struggled to meet customer needs

Developed and implemented structured approach to insights-based business planning process that has been cascaded across the corporation

Implemented formal quarterly business review process to align on strategic direction and results with a more structured and cross functional approach

Identified, championed and implemented segment-based strategy to position company to win with targeted customer solutions vs. traditional blanket approach

Successfully executed integrated adoption of supplier imbedded resources allowing expanded workload across lean functional team

Designed and implemented cross category merchandising approach that bundles selling solutions across operator needs to capture incremental basket

Strategic Merchandising Leader for $10 billion southeastern grocery chain.Provide leadership for a team of 6 direct and 20 indirect associates, with ownership of corporate private label.Managed cross category branding, assortment, promotional programs, product development, and sourcing execution.

Drove increased engagement and profitability of cross category assortment by implementing strategic growth plans behind core item offering

Oversaw brand consolidation efforts in alignment with merger of two large regional grocery chains, laying the path for smooth transition and focused execution

Executed strategic partnership and leadership with TOPCO to deliver increased profitability

Championed, developed, and executed rebranding of fragmented brand strategy in Baby business center, revamping loyalty and promotional efforts.

Management for Center Store team composed of 14 associates with ownership for Strategy & Assortment across Non-Food, Baby, Pet, and Chemical portfolio totaling $900 million.Development and execution of corporate annual operating and promotional plans that leveraged performance through assortment, pricing, promotional, and loyalty efforts.

Delivered consistent profit and market share growth that led center store efforts for four consecutive years averaging 8% increases over the four-year period.

Turned historically underperforming business units into cohesive profit generators for corporation over multiple consecutive years

Led efforts to integrate combined teams when Winn Dixie and BILO merged into one company

Established category business planning approach to department that resulted in fact based, insight driven, strategies across multiple business units

Designed and Implemented use of combined Nielsen and Internal Loyalty metrics to establish more impactful merchandising strategies

Piloted category assortment optimization tool used to execute more consumer based in store merchandising solutions

Piloted integration of strategic sourcing into category merchandising application resulting in companywide adoption of initiative

Marketing Director for 2nd largest private label Paper Company in North America.Led team of 10 charged with integrating Sales & Marketing functions across North America.Developed and executed key strategic alignment that increased overall company performance by 15% during tenure. Drove partnership beyond price with key customers, achieving significant bottom line improvement for company.

Strategic account owner for industry leading business consulting corporation, charged with on-site engagement of top 25 customer client.Direct leadership for a team of 4 imbedded associates responsible for delivering high client satisfaction while optimizing company revenue streams in advanced consumer analytics & modeling.

Founder and President of startup manufacturing company. Employed 55 team members across all company functions.Developed and executed business plan, negotiated capital investor positions.Delivered northwestern Ohio’s first Community Development Block Grant, which was used to fund other small business in the region. Sourced infrastructure, raw materials, and customer commitments.Managed expansion of business to combine importation with manufacturing.

Corporate Account Manager charged with executing strategic growth for two large regional grocery and drug chains across entire P&G portfolio.