J Spencer
Vice President - Operations, Sourcing, Production & Sales · Union Trend USA
Buffalo, NY
In My Own Words
Apparel Sourcing, Production, & Merchandising Executive
I am an innovative, versatile, and product focused apparel executive with a 20+ year record of success driving strategic product initiatives in the retail and wholesale apparel industry, both nationally and globally.
An intuitive leader with acute business acumen and expertise; demonstrated leadership in Global Sourcing & Production, Product Development, Merchandising & Design, International Operations, Sales & Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Budget Administration.
I am extremely competent at diverse market penetration and excel at aligning core business, achieving revenue & growth goals, key account development, developing high-performance teams, mastering cutting-edge technology, and product delivery in complex and challenging situations.
Select Career Accomplishments: • Established industry recognized trend department and product development processes.
• Simultaneously merchandised 3 distinct apparel lines.
• Created concept-to-market strategies to reduce lead-times by 50%.
• Integrated extraordinarily segmented global business with 2,5K employees into one business model, slashing numerous expenses.
• Created 16-door young men's & young women's retail concept.
• Developed direct-to-consumer e-commerce business; partnered with high-profile social media influencers to create compelling lifestyle brands.
Work Experience
Vice President - Operations, Sourcing, Production & Sales
Union Trend USA2001 – Present
Directs all operations with full P&L, including sales & marketing, merchandising, product development, and global sourcing negotiations. • Secured $1M contract with a major contemporary women's denim brand and negotiated agreements with material suppliers to source high quality fabrics. Customer expectations show growth to more than $5M by third year of contract. • Collaborated with client VP to establish factory Health, Safety, & Environment standards and Social Compliance standards to meet stringent Supplier requirements. • Developed Spring 2019 contemporary denim product offerings including fabrics, washes, and styles, securing orders with a 75% adoption rate.
President
Dragon Crowd Garment Inc.2012 – 2017
Direct all operations for multi-national apparel manufacturer with revenues in excess of $150M and 3,000 employees. Orchestrate all bottom-line factors, including company vision, long-range strategic planning, product management, and software development processes. Redefine organizational structure, oversee major pricing decisions, and perform monthly financial evaluation of company results. • Successfully produce lifestyle apparel products for Nordstrom, VF Corp., Hurley, Oakley, Quicksilver, Roxy, Pacific Sunwear, Hot Topic, Torrid, Wet Seal, Volcom, and more. • Developed strategic vision for company, increasing capacity, enhancing motivation, improving quality, identifying and recruiting top talent achieving high retention rates, and standardized merchandising systems. • Created a more responsive and market-driven organization resulting in increased sales growth by 20% annually. • Substantially improved productivity while reducing operational costs by 28%. • Integrated global business with 2,5K employees into one business model, slashing numerous expenses. • Devised 31 new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designed to increase productivity, employee engagement, and organizational excellence. • Facilitated the acquisition of a new manufacturing facility, condensing all facilities to four, increasing factory output by 60%. • Championed a 5-year strategic growth plan, with forecasted revenue that exceeds $500M.
Vice President/Owner
Union Trend USA1998 – 2012
Manufactured apparel throughout Southeast Asia, driving business growth from a startup company to over $20M in annual shipping revenue, developing strategic key business relationships with the largest lifestyle retailers and wholesalers in the U.S. Oversaw entire supply chain production processes, from concept to market, including staffing and training of national and global marketing teams. Developed and implemented marketing plans, established marketing and sales objectives, and prepared company-wide sales forecasts. • Influenced production of over $600M in apparel products, planning production timelines, meeting delivery requirements of raw materials, processing, and embellishments. • Played integral role in forecasting future trends and market needs, advising clients on opportunities, and shortfalls on key products. • Achieved extraordinary customer cost targets through stringent negotiation with all partners in the production and development supply chain. • Effectively built and retained key relationships with partners, international suppliers, and domestic buyers. • Produced woven and knit pants, shorts, dresses, board-shorts, tops and jackets, in natural and synthetic fabrics. • Top clients included; Hurley, Oakley, O’Neill, Rusty, Lost, Pacific Sunwear, Hot Topic, Anchor Blue, Wet Seal, Volcom, Lip Service, Kikwear, Fresh Jive, and many others.
General Merchandise Manager
Edison Brothers Stores1993 – 1997
Created new store concept (Shifty's) including all intellectual property, store design, merchandising mix, and financial budgets. Grew store concept from inception to 16 doors. Maintained lowest markdown percent in company; 7%. Maintained highest sales dollar per square foot; $900. Maintained highest gross margin; 55%. Supervised direct report staff of 8 executives. Responsible for management of entire 100-person workforce.
Buyer
Edison Brothers Stores1988 – 1993
Managed $80 million young men's denim division for 450 store chain. Increased annual sales by 14%. Supervised team of two associate buyers, one planner, and four merchandise allocators. Developed, designed, sourced, and produced entire product line. Sourced 90% of the product line in Asia; China, Macau, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
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