Susan Strouse (Sutter), MBA

Experience

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  Allied Signal

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1994

  Product Manager - Private Brands
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  Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

  Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

  Director, Marketing and Sales Planning

  Directed marketing, sales planning, pricing and sales communication functions for the $750M Fastening Systems business. Developed and implemented all customer sales incentives and national product promotions for major distributors and retailers.• Successful commercialization and launch of new $10M pneumatic product line• Executed consolidation of Bostitch sales force with 6 additional Stanley product lines• Development of tracking system for $15M in customer volume/rebate programs• Sales planning lead for line reviews and category captain roles at Home Depot, Lowes & Menards. Show less

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  IGT, a subsidiary of International Game Technology PLC

  Jul 2000 - Dec 2011

  Sr. Director, Global Retail Strategy & Business Development

  Held positions of increasing responsibility for Retail, Commercial Services and Product Development within the IGT marketing team. Collaborated with country managers to define unique retailer requirements driven by geographical and channel market differences.• HQ relationship building leading to pilots with Carrefour, Dollar General, Family Dollar and Kroger.* Lead product development of new retail self-service and POS integrated solutions.• Implemented annual global retail planning process to quantify and prioritize same store sales growth opportunities, identify product line solution gaps and new business development targets.* Active participant and speaker in retail trade shows and associations (NACS, NRF, FMI, NACDS, NASPL). Show less

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  Northstar Lottery Group, LLC

  Nov 2011 - Jul 2014

  VP Corporate Accounts and Business Development

  Responsible for start-up activities of corporate account sales and marketing teams including business plan development, staff recruitment, retailer incentive programming, and in-store execution in support of this $1B business unit.• Created sales plans for 65 retail chains and new business recruitment candidates. Stratified sales call cycle to support unique requirements of top chain accounts (7-Eleven, Circle K, Speedway, Kroger, Albertsons / Safeway, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS and Casey’s).• Instituted quarterly key account reviews and customized incentive programs for Top 20 chain retailers enabling buy-in for optimal in-store execution, resulting in +23% average annual growth.* Designed and deployed new state-wide merchandising and marketing program significantly enhancing brand awareness and modernizing the consumer experience. Show less

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  IGT

  Jul 2014 - now

  VP Retail Strategy and Business Development (retired)

  Directed cross-functional team of retail, sales, technology, finance and marketing members executing new business and same store sales growth initiatives into national key account retailers.• Developed new business models, merchandising solutions and pilot programs for retails chains such as CVS, Walmart and Walgreens leading to the addition of 3500+ locations into the national distribution network – particularly in under-penetrated channels.•Spearheaded collaboration across 44 U.S. Lotteries to harmonize terms for doing business with national retailers resulting in Walmart approving lottery roll-out across small format and supercenter locations - $2.0B in incremental annual sales for IGT customers.* Designed and implemented industry-first national retail market insights database for lottery sales. *Created targeted and effective retail recruitment, growth and sales execution programs. Designed business review templates leveraging retail database KPI’s and Tableau visualization tools. Prepared 5-Year Strategic plans, forecasts and budgets justifying capital expenditures in support of retail growth initiatives. Show less