BENJAMIN RICHARD LAIRD
1804 Hobson Drive, Burlington, ON L7L6L7 | H: 905-331-6041 | C: 416-414-2833 | lairdbenandsusan@gmail.com
Summary
Entrepreneurial, results-driven, sales professional offers 10+ years of leadership and National Account Management
experience as an integral part of growth oriented sales teams. A strategic thinker and skilled relationship builder with
expertise in consumer hardware and home décor products with all major home improvement and national retail
accounts, including Walmart, HBC, CTC, Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Sears, Giant Tiger, FCL, BMR, Kent, Central Home,
and more, I have a solid understanding of the complex sales processes involved with large retailers; always described as
passionate, knowledgeable, organized, and a self motivated, business engineer, who builds buyer confidence and sales.
Highlights
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Soft & hard goods, National Account experience
Home fashion, hardware and décor experience
Building retail programs, planograms & E-commerce
Developing promotions & marketing opportunities
Coordinating line reviews, roll-outs & resets
Monitoring sales performance & inventory
Tracking sell-thru & competitive market analysis
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Building & maintaining authentic buyer relationships
Proven ability to increase sales & profit margins
Strong technical, mechanical & design aptitude
Collaborating with Marketing & Product Managers
Exceptional written & verbal communication skills
Strong MS Office computer & data analysis abilities
Seasoned player with MBA, Queen’s University
Accomplishments
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Planned, presented & executed major Lawn & Garden update for Giant Tiger, yielding $300K+ new sales
Expanded seasonal garden lighting and home accents placements at Home Hardware, selling across 6 buying areas and
producing 30% category sales increases, including introduction of garden metal art accents and novelty product lines
Established key account placements thru successful relationship building including FCL, Peavey Industries, Kent, Lowes,
Home Depot, Costco, Giant Tiger, Home Hardware, BMR Groupe / La Coop, Spancan group members and more
Owned, defused and stabilized challenging situation with Kent; implemented necessary corrective actions to support the
business and rebuilt buyer confidence; produced $300K sales in a win-win turnaround
Conceived, developed, and launched totally new consumer product line, selling to Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes and 9
other major Ecommerce retailers, producing $800K sales in one season
Accelerated consumer product placements at HBC from 17 to 50+ lines; producing 65% sales increase in first season
Experience
Director, Sales & Marketing - Canada
01/2014 to present
Fusion Products Ltd.
Mississauga, ON
 Championed, presented and drove over $1M sales in solar & non-solar garden lighting, landscape accents, & metal art
 Managed & serviced all aspects of 25+ Canadian home improvement/décor accounts, selling seasonal Lawn & Garden,
Harvest/Halloween, and Christmas lighting and accents, including most major, regional, local and E-commerce retailers
 Expanded Home Hardware placements; added Harvest & Christmas items, with 20% sales increase in these categories
 Prospected & established new accounts thru strategic relationship building, including Lowes Canada and Fields Stores
 Directed sales support & customer service team in-house, and 4 regional sales agents
 Implemented account-specific PDQ programs, producing over $250K thru off-shelf buy initiatives
Sales & Marketing Manager
05/2012 to 05/2013
Wellington Manufacturing Inc. [WMI]
Elora, ON
 Developed, negotiated & implemented innovative, business plans for a start-up, hardware manufacturer
 Launched totally new consumer product line; personally drove all sales, marketing & customer service initiatives;
produced $800K+ new business in first season
 Established trusted retail relationships & expert “go-to consultant” status with Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes,
Home Hardware, Costco, TSC Stores and major North American, E-commerce retailers
Experience continued
Benjamin Richard Laird
National Account Manager
SnowBear Limited
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03/2011 to 03/2012
Guelph, ON
Managed, forecast & exceeded volume targets, selling $3M+ annual sales to major retail accounts, including Walmart,
Lowes Companies Limited, Costco and major E-commerce retailers
Directed all details of multiple account portfolios, including development & execution of seasonal marketing campaigns,
while leveraging consumer trends and buying behaviour research
Initiated & maintained key alliances with strategic retail partners, based on impeccable customer service and exceptional
problem solving initiatives
Developed strategic sales plans, reviewed & analyzed sales history, category & industry information, and scrutinized
competitive issues to optimize business opportunities
Collaborated with internal multi-functional teams & retail partners to ensure effective implementation of corporate
initiatives and objectives
National Account Manager
The Cambridge Towel Company Inc.
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02/2008 to 11/2010
Cambridge, ON
Established & exceeded gross margin & sales targets for all consumer products, selling $3.5M+ annual sales to 8 major
Accounts including HBC, Home Outfitters, Zellers, Sears, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Loblaws, The Bargain! Shop
and key E-commerce accounts
Developed margin & pricing strategies, and marketing promotions, which increased sales by 30%
Managed all aspects of multiple account portfolio, including the development & execution of successful ad campaigns
Created influential presentations & compelling merchandising initiatives
Initiated & expanded strategic partnerships, while providing detailed account management, innovative solutions,
& process improvements
Director, Sales – Canada
E&E Canada, Co. Ltd. [JLA Home]
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01/2007 to 12/2007
Mississauga, ON
Provided strategic leadership, forecast & spearheaded $6M+ annual sales in private label, designer brand, consumer
products sold to Walmart, HBC, Home Outfitters, Zellers and Canadian Tire Corporation
Built highly productive relationships with retail buyers and their product development teams, supporting exponential
growth thru national and regional product initiatives
Directed 5 member, national team in a multi-functional office environment; coordinating product development and
sourcing for 50+ programs working closely with satellite teams in New York, California, and China.
Product / Merchandising Manager
Dan River Inc. / The Bibb Company
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08/1995 to 12/2006
Mississauga, ON
Product development, merchandising & pricing for 2,000 skus; promoted from Account Executive in 2004
National Account Executive responsible for consumer product sales & managing multiple key accounts, prior
National Account Manager
Wink Industries Inc.
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01/1994 to 08/1995
Mississauga, ON
Account Executive responsible for consumer product sales & key accounts management
Purchasing / Production Manager
Griffiths-Kerr Ltd. / Springs Canada
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08/1991 to 09/1993
Mississauga, ON
Consumer products manufacturing, product development & inventory management
National Account Manager
Griffiths-Kerr Ltd. / Springs Canada
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08/1989 to 03/1991
Burlington, ON
Consumer products development & sales management, contributing to multiple, national retailer assortments
Education
MBA – Marketing, Sales and Production Management
Queen’s University
Honours, BA – English Studies
Queen’s University
Kingston, ON, Canada
Kingston, ON, Canada