Paul J. Southworth
3803 Woodridge Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20902
(410) 829-8425
PROFILE
Business manager with experience taking a business from concept to free standing. Experience includes
sales and marketing in food, pharmaceutical, and building industries. Seeking a position in the PV / Solar field that will capitalize on my background, provide growth challenges, and offer the opportunity to grow a business.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Desi Living Innovations, Rockville, MD (February 2011– Present)
Dealer / design firm specializing in Italian leather sofas, furniture, and accents. Premier store for the most stylish and unique concepts in furniture, offering the widest variety of choices in imported leathers and fabrics.
Business Manager
Manage the highest volume, flagship store and participate in company wide business management of all locations. Hire and train Design Consultants, then facilitate selling our constantly evolving selection of furniture, leathers, fabrics, and accents.
· Drive annual sales in excess of $ 1 million by keeping staff motivated, continuous coaching on adding
line items, and assistance negotiating larger transactions to help designers close.
· Responsible for all purchases and administrative tasks at the company’s flagship store,
as well as assisting other stores and warehouse in dealing with vendors.
· Coordination of many vendors with greatly varied lead times from all over the world to be delivered
to one place, at one time, while managing detailed and customer specific needs.
Closet America, Landover, MD (July 2010– March 2011)
Custom manufacturer of high end organizational systems, catering to a variety of residential and commercial clients. Designs, manufactures, builds, and installs closet, office, garage and wall-bed systems.
Design Consultant
Call on potential clients to measure, design, estimate, and sell custom made home and office organization systems.
Establish rapport, design and sell system that solves problems, and close sale on first or second appointment.
· Ran leads given by marketing department, maintained average close ratio of over 40% on first sales call.
· Calls include detailed presentations with specific pre-closes, designed to overcome all objections.
Isolating the price, negotiating deal, then closing each sale before competition has a chance.
· Generate precise computer aided designs within a very short window of time, to go directly to
manufacturing. Required an expert knowledge of engineering and installation processes.
Choptank Closets, LLC, Eastern Shore of Maryland (February 2005 – April 2010)
High end custom cabinet company that designs, builds, and installs a wide spectrum of attractive and functional storage solutions. Specializing in closet, office, garage, and built-in entertainment centers tailored to residential and commercial clients lifestyles at work and home.
President
Established a business from a concept that has grown into a full service home improvement company, known for
it's consultative and interactive design processes. Conceived intellectual property for firm specializing in challenging projects which are designed and built from scratch, sometimes in excess of $ 100,000 per client.
Paul J. Southworth
· Hired, trained, and managed staff including Design Consultants, Sales Representatives, Installers, Painters, and Master Carpenters.
· Became proficient at CAD software used to design, price, and create materials lists. Also included training entire staff in use of software.
· Managed administrative duties and marketing by implementing self -designed systems and procedures.
· Created and presented detailed proformas to owners, responsible for managing purchasing and
expenses within my budget.
· Created all intellectual property, ads, point of sale material, and filmed two TV commercials.
Blansett Pharmacal, North Little Rock, Arkansas (October 2003-September 2004)
Nationwide pharmaceutical manufacturer involved in the development, commercialization, and marketing of analgesics, antibiotics, nutritional supplements, and respiratory relief products.
Medical Representative
Managed territory consisting of Central to North Florida. Responsible for introducing new products,
growing sales, and maintenance of existing writers.
· Launched new antibiotic by detailing and closing Prescribers. Also called on key pharmacies in order to stock the new product.
· Completed 5 Week Training course which included all aspects of detailing healthcare providers
· Grew and maintained sales of 13 products by focusing on adapting to different personality
types, and designing calls around the appropriate closing techniques.
· Gained priceless experience in time management and organization by covering a large geographic
area, while tracking copious amounts of prospect and customer specific information.
Sysco Food Services, Ocoee, Florida (September 2000-September 2003)
Global leader in selling, marketing, and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare, educational
facilities, and lodging establishments ranking 67 in list of Fortune 500 companies.
Sales & Marketing Associate
Responsible for Sales growth utilizing consultative selling; focused on service, relationship building, and
client marketing support for assigned geographic area in Central Florida. On track for President's Club and
stayed in top 30% of 250 person sales force as second youngest associate in company.
· Grew sales by penetrating 37 accounts, and opening 16 new ones during my career at Sysco.
· Worked closely with many product specialists to penetrate accounts that presented language barriers.
· Responsible for invoicing and collecting all accounts while maintaining good relationships.
· Excelled in the 17 week long comprehensive training course, with emphasis on consultative selling.
PERSONAL
· Capable of establishing rapport quickly with clients and possess strong presentation skills. High level of integrity and very committed to the responsibilities of the customer.
· President of Business Network International (BNI) chapter, Easton, MD in 2005 thru 2007. Also
head of Membership Committee for two terms prior.
· Proficient in using and training in all business practical Microsoft software, knowledgeable
in using Quickbooks, also an expert in KCDw and Cabinet Vision.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Marketing, University of Central Florida 1999