Steve Gerstein

* Manage new product development programs involving internal industrial design team, client teams, and contractors including industrial designers, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers.
* Project manage design and engineering efforts, budgets, schedules, stage gates, and lead client communication.
* Coordinate each project's industrial design, engineering, prototyping, testing, documentation and manufacturing support.
* Develop and present SOW's, project outlines and Gantt charts to communicate project details and milestones while resolving issues as they occur.
* Actively participate in organizing and leading research efforts.
* Customize brainstorm sessions to specific product development programs.

(North Carolina Office Permanently Closed April 2017)
* Responsible for Product Management of Shur-Line paint application products.
* Manage and inspire direct reports and build partnership with industrial designers, engineers, design consultants and research experts.
* Report to VP of Product Engineering and Sourcing.
* Collaborate with marketing, sales and upper management to develop three to five year business plan, strategy and roadmap for new product development, and improve existing products and highlight product features.
* Organize and conduct research activities to understand VOC and gain consumer insights. * Experience working closely with outside parties to develop and license products brought into Shurline.
* Determine testing, benchmarking and specifications required for sourced and newly manufactured products while identifying cost-cutting opportunities to increase margins.
* Develop prototypes and product samples for line reviews and testing, including demos for representatives from Lowe's, The Home Depot, Walmart, and other major retailers.
* Rebuilt foundation for product development process through background experience along with interaction and input from cross-functional teams.
* Led communication with team in China to discuss manufacturing, quality assurance, sourcing opportunities and all other issues involving Chinese manufacturing partners.
* Work with Intellectual Property attorneys to review current and pending patents along with introducing new patent opportunities.
* Develop visual brand language, innovative features, and key callouts and benefits for new products.

* Responsible for product development, product management and industrial design of specific Kobalt Tools product categories along with a variety of Lowe's private-branded products.
* Product lines responsible for include air tools, compressors, nailers, wet/dry vacs, hand tools, and plumbing tools. Also developed lighting and storage products.
* Collaborate and lead efforts to communicate product development initiatives to merchandising directors, branding, marketing, QA and engineering to achieve goals based on brand, customer experience, and business expectations and requirements.
* Involved with organizing and conducting research through focus groups, work site visits, user interviews, trend studies, on-line research and gap analysis.
* Created product development schedules and timelines by understanding product launch strategy and consulting merchandising, engineering, QA and manufacturing partners.

* Lead industrial designer and project manager for Bostitch compressors and nail guns
* Lead for Automotive product line including illumination products, pliers, snips, wrenches, air tools, storage, and mechanics tools.
* Interacted daily with marketing, engineering, international partners, and cross-functional teams.
* Communicated with Taiwan Design Center engineers and teams in China to execute designs for production.
* Worked closely with Industrial Design team and management on brand-identity, strategy and design-related topics.
* Created concepts and product designs which were followed through to production.
* Developed concepts for research and participated in numerous research events to better understand target customers and their needs.
* Designed variety of products for Stanley Black & Decker brands such as Dewalt, Bostitch, Black & Decker, Stanley, FatMax, FatMax Xtreme and Virax. Created product designs specifically for retailers such as Lowes, Home Depot, Menards and Canadian Tire.
* Managed design consultants on various projects.
* Led brainstorming sessions to create and execute ideas for New Product Development.
* Participated in VAVE cost-down efforts while maintaining the integrity of key design elements.

* Responsible for industrial design and product development for over 40 new hardline products within company's business and consumer divisions.
* Carried products through the entire product lifecycle process, from initial concept to production while working closely with teams from engineering, marketing, human factors, and OEM partners in Japan, Taiwan, and China.
* Travel included trips to Japan and Taiwan to support product development efforts.
* Managed design consultants to create design languages and product lines strategies. * * * Explored and executed multi-million dollar cost-cutting opportunities.
* Managed ID color matching process and color standards for all Lexmark products.