Investor and operating partner focused on small and emerging growth businesses, bringing strategic, operational, and capital expertise to value creation.

• Lead sourcing, evaluation, and execution of investments and acquisitions across early-stage and established businesses
• Completed 12+ seed-stage investments; achieved successful exit delivering 50%+ IRR
• Advise management teams on growth strategy, operating discipline, and organizational scale
• Evaluate acquisition opportunities with focus on operational upside, leadership alignment, and long-term performance
• Provide hands-on support during critical inflection points, including growth acceleration and strategic repositioning

Senior leader driving strategic transformation from a single-product, wholesale-oriented business into a diversified, multi-channel eyewear brand.

• Led evolution from readers-only business to full eyewear brand offering prescription, sun, and readers across wholesale, e-commerce, and company-owned retail
• Opened company’s first retail store; established real estate, operating, and scalability foundation for future expansion
• Stabilized and reaccelerated optical channel selling through independent eyecare professionals
• Rebuilt relationships with independent and national wholesale partners, laying groundwork for renewed revenue growth

Enterprise executive leading revenue-generating channels, marketing, customer service, and strategic planning during a period of brand and operational turnaround.

• Led four brick-and-mortar channels (Full Line, Factory Outlet, National Accounts, Specialty/Independent) alongside Customer Service and Strategy
• Oversaw entire Marketing function during leadership transition; maintained brand momentum and refined media mix, contributing to 600 bps increase in brand awareness
• Updated five-year corporate strategy and financial plans aligned to refreshed brand positioning, customer definition, mission, and values
• Improved comparable-store performance to strongest levels in more than 24 months
• Expanded national account partnerships, including Macy’s, Belk, and Amazon
• Launched new growth initiative within Off-Price channel, including TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack

Senior operator overseeing enterprise strategy and core operational functions to support scalability and renewed growth.

• Directed strategic planning and operational leadership across IT, U.S. Manufacturing, Distribution, Logistics, and Quality Assurance
• Partnered with CEO and executive leadership to reposition company for sustainable growth
• Led consolidation and rationalization of U.S. manufacturing footprint; executed synergies with Global Sourcing
• Aligned processes across Distribution, Logistics, Quality Assurance, and Sourcing to improve efficiency and execution
• Co-developed Project Management Office to drive disciplined execution of enterprise initiatives

Long-tenured executive responsible for enterprise strategy, multi-channel sales, marketing, and customer service during significant growth and strategic evolution.

• Oversaw strategic planning and execution across five primary channels of business
• Led early evaluation of liquidity options for founders and ownership group, including private equity investment and IPO readiness
• Partnered with CEO and CFO to lead private placement process; supported board-level capital strategy decision-making
• Expanded into national key accounts, including Dillard’s, Von Maur, and Barnes & Noble
• Launched Factory Outlet channel to profitably manage excess inventory
• Internalized specialty/independent sales force, delivering $12M in first-year cost savings while strengthening top-line performance during recession
• Internalized e-commerce fulfillment, generating $1M+ in first-year distribution savings
• Built Consumer Insights function to support data-driven decision-making across marketing and merchandising
• Led international market entry into Japan, from research through go-to-market execution
• Established formal Real Estate Committee to support disciplined brick-and-mortar expansion
• Led initiatives to improve product development innovation and cross-functional efficiency

• Built and executed strategy for company’s first new channel in 25 years: branded full-line retail stores
• Oversaw organizational development, store design, and real estate strategy
• Maintained board alignment and support for major capital investment; new channel achieved payback in under two years

Progressed through increasing levels of responsibility advising senior leadership teams at leading retail and wholesale organizations.

• Advised executive teams and boards of directors at companies including Toys “R” Us, Borders Books, Guitar Center, Altria, Follett Bookstores, Norm Thompson, and Vera Bradley
• Led engagements across M&A integration, strategic planning, loyalty marketing, merchandising, and distribution center redesign