Ida Ively Colón

Project Manager for Product Packaging and Displays, Retail Fixtures, Windows and Visual Merchandising.

Crucial well-rounded knowledge about the manufacturing process, materials, furniture/ millwork construction, creative objectives, installation practices; while maintaining designated clients' projects - from inception.

Working projects at the crossroads of design, production and client management. Regularly collaborated with various departments such as Sales & Quotation, Design, and Logistics to maintain and track the timeline progression for all projects. Coordinated hand-off with in-house Design team to begin design proposals; both, for intent, and to utilize brand-approved materials. Pioneered sourcing of new and innovative materials for new projects. Collaborated with the Design team for changes and/or approvals of CADs and renderings. Managed domestic and overseas vendors supplying materials, components and/or services. Primary point-of-contact for clients' RFQ's, Scope and Specifications. Generated regular status reports and held weekly and/or bi-weekly touch base meetings with high-profile clients. Managed the mock-up process for review and sign-off prior to full production roll-out. Maintained open communication and provided key resolutions to circumvent any major delays and delivered on-track goods and services.

In addition to the Design Project Manager's scope of work, as the team trainer, the key responsibilities include working with all new employees to inform them of processes and procedures, expectations, and develop the confidence of employees to manage these large scale, detail-oriented projects. The training covers many areas from the Assistant Project Management role, to Project Manager, to NJ Production Manager. Additional responsibilities include review of training progress with senior management and ongoing mentoring for all new and tenured employees, as-needed.

Efficiently work as a liaison to the Client, Designer(s) and Ownership to develop and manufacture custom, high-end furniture for the hospitality industry. From country clubs to 5-star properties, all projects are managed with the same process to deliver consistent results with varied and customized timelines to meet the client’s delivery and installation schedule. This involves reviewing FF&E Spec packages, review of shop drawings, as well as placing vendor orders. Additional responsibilities include developing many variations of custom finishes, custom hardware solutions and innovative furniture engineering to deliver on the design intent. While working on multiple projects, we coordinate with the NJ factory, China or Vietnam factories to ensure timely completion of all target dates to remain on-track.

Worked to create a uniform Toys R Us, and Babies R Us shopping experience within the Toddler Furniture & Infant Furniture division. This involved aisle presentation, feature end cap merchandising, vignette layout with bedding coordination, and overall maintenance of floor plans associated with various store prototypes. This included providing specific merchandising instruction, planograms, labor, and other specific direction for over 800 locations throughout the US. In this position, I worked closely with Planning & Allocation, Visual and the Merchant team to capture mock-up presentations, approve concepts, and drive delivery of specific product and fixtures to locations within tight deadlines.

Effectively maintained merchandise and layout of fixtures on a bi-weekly basis. Recommended products and services to customers based on needs. Created bill adjustments and credits for on customers' accounts. Processed daily paperwork to ensure proper procedure for any discounting and cash handling. Occasionally performed counts, received new inventory, and collaborate with surrounding locations to ensure proper stock of products.