Laurie Mrva

19 Windsor Lane, Daleville, Virginia 24083
Tel: (540) 966-2589 Email: laurie@achievesuccessllc.com

Management professional with the ability to build and lead cohesive and effective teams. Dedicated team player and mentor with strategic, analytical, and problem-solving abilities. Record of achievement includes demonstrating strong leadership and the talent to gain credibility with team members and senior management.

Training

• Oversaw and trained Category Merchandise Managers in assortment and financial planning, including terminology and calculations.
• Effectively managed Allocation Teams regarding implementation of various processes and procedures which lead to increased efficiency and productivity.
• Initiated mentor program when many people were in new roles within my area which shortened their learning curve.
• Trained Merchandisers on best practices in size writing, assortment planning, replenishment, and systems - mainframe and software.
• Assisted training department in the creation of training documentation for 2 mainframe applications.

Planning

• Created department and/or category merchandise plans for 7 years for businesses that ranged in volume from $80.0M - $150.0M annually.
• Forecasted and provided merchandise plans to management and buyers. Reviewed with senior management to discuss financials and finalize buying decisions.
• Developed process with buyer to determine optimum breadth and depth of assortment by store, while working within budget and setting expectations for sales to measure success.
• Standardized a form to analyze sales by store, department, and program to determine areas of overstock/ under-stock.
• Automated new store recap which decreased time spent updating by over 2 1/2 hours and improved accuracy.

Professional Accomplishments/Awards

• Recognized by company for outstanding performance when the VP position was open for 5 months.
• Promoted from within company. Started career in stores as part-time sales associate and progressed into corporate positions upon graduation.
• Awarded Merchandise Manager of the Year 2004.
• Completed Assistant Manager training program at Champ’s Sports for internship.
• Awarded Employee of the Month 3 times as a sales associate.

Company Affiliations

Education/Honors

• Bachelor of Science, Retail Fashion Merchandising
  Marywood College, Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Associate of Science, Fashion Buying and Merchandising
  Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York
• Member - Kappa Omnicron Nu Honor Society
• Member - Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society