Lisa “Midge” Ramsey

Product Development/Design

9561 Wyoming Court

Boca Raton, FL  33434-2728

Phone: 561-218-8688 Cell: 561-251-7180

E-mail:  midge@shabbydee.com

 

Objective: To obtain a challenging product development position that will utilize my 18 years of experience in the product development process where there is a need for inventive thinking and broad ranging abilities. Industries of interest include collectibles, toys, garden décor, home décor accessories, housewares and tabletop.

 

2004 to present: 

PetSimile Pet Portraiture

Owner, Sculptor, Painter

Ø      Research and photography

Ø      Design and execute art pieces as commissioned works

 

2002 to present:

Plastec Industries, Alice Ink, Inc., Delray Beach, Florida

Director of Product Development

Supervising the design and development of new products from conception to first shipment for the Plastec Garden, Architec Housewares, and Benny & Duke pet product lines. Product management duties include:

Ø      Corresponding daily with manufacturers and agents during the development process

Ø      Supervision of industrial and graphic design

Ø      Developing or obtaining product specifications, technical information and prototypes for factories and agents

Ø      Recommending overseas manufacturing agents based on prior partnerships

Ø      Reviewing images and samples, coordinating approvals with management, and communicating changes to agents and factories

Ø      Assisting in show booth design

Other duties include:

Ø      Designing new garden and housewares products in wire, injected plastic, cast aluminum and thermoform plastics using knowledge of mold limitations.

Ø      Designing plan-o-grams for major accounts including racks, packaging, display box design, pallet programs and other merchandising design as needed.

Ø      Producing Catalog sheets and trade ads, from photography and copy writing, to layout and print prep, including specific work for major store accounts (Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.)

Ø      Website layout design for Plastec

Ø      Researching market trends through trade publications, online searches, sales reports, local shopping and some trade shows

Ø      Illustration and presentations for management and buyers

Ø      Graphic support for sales team

Ø      Occasional sculpting or modeling of prototypes

Ø     Creating digital images and mock-ups of prototypes, including gift sets and exclusive offers

 

 

1999 to 2002:

United Design Corporation, Noble, Oklahoma

Product Manager, Frame-ology brand

Responsible for the decorative photo frames division and the licensed product line of Debby Mumm® under the supervision of a vice president.  Consultation, design and sculpting frequently provided for other divisions, including the Christmas lines, Stone Garden® and Stone Critters®. Other licensed product lines: Laurel Burch, Karen Rossi, and Disney. Duties include:

 

Ø      Product development planning, research, conception, design, illustration and sculpting for nationally-recognized giftware brands

Ø      Designing for resin, ceramic, wood, constructed metal, cast metal, glass, polyfoam and gypsum composites with top sales on multiple product lines

Ø      Market research and sales analysis

Ø      Supervision of illustrators and sculptors, domestic and overseas, including freelance artists

Ø      Travel to the Pacific and Asia to provide production advice and approve initial samples, as well as to assist in selecting factories and trading companies

Ø      Travel to trade shows, including internationally

Ø      Buying market goods to complement in-house design

Ø      Digital transfer of images and art boards for overseas production and regular e-mail communication with vendors

Ø      Understanding of large-scale manufacturing processes with the ability to troubleshoot production bottlenecks and inefficiencies

 

1994 to 1999:

United Design Corporation, Noble, Oklahoma

Designer and Sculptor

Bestsellers created for most product lines, including Frame-ology®, Stone Critters®, Animal Classics®, Candlelights®, Windscense®, Stone Garden®, and Native StorytellersTM

 

Ø      Creator of Native StorytellersTM line of ornaments

Ø      Oversight for engineering and development of Stone Garden® water fountains, stepping stones, figurines and wind chimes

Ø      Assisted in testing and development of Windscense® decorative scent diffusers and fragrances

Ø      Taught classes based on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Ø      Trained new sculptors beginning in 1997

Ø      Provided mentoring for an intern in Summer 1998

 

1989 to 1994:

United Design Corporation, Noble, Oklahoma

Paint Design Manager, Product Development

Responsible for the surface design on all product lines, in coordination with the individual designers and management; Duties included:

 

Ø      Transition product for importing items currently produced in-house

Ø      Extensive travel overseas to Taiwan and China as a production consultant and staff trainer

Ø      Supervision of pouring, fettling, painting and finishing of prototypes, photo pieces and production samples for domestic and overseas production

Ø      Quality control consultant

Ø      Directed Research and Development in new materials testing, including statuary gypsum, and custom resin formulas

Ø      Paint mixing, including the development of new formulas

Ø      Conducted labor cost analyses for painting and finishing

Ø      Writing production procedure documents and manuals

Ø      Project Management, including charting workflow and tracking deadlines

Ø      Part-time sculptor for frames, magnets and POP displays 

 

1986 to 1989

Don James Co., Norman, Oklahoma

Design Assistant

Personal assistant to the owner/artist; Duties included:

 

Ø      Co-designer of Christmas ornaments

Ø      Quality control manager

Ø      Paint design

Ø      Production procedures

Ø      Silicone mold design and production troubleshooting

Ø      Building armatures

Ø      Trade show booth construction and assembly

 

Education

Ø      BFA in Art, Printmaking, University of Oklahoma, 1986

Ø      HS diploma, American School in London, 1979

 

Software Proficiency

Ø      Adobe Photoshop 6-9 and Illustrator 9-CS

Ø      Adobe Acrobat 6

Ø      MS Windows ’98, ME, 2000 Pro, XP

Ø      MS Office 2000-2003 Pro including MS Word, Excel, Publisher and Outlook

Ø      Palm 5 software

Ø      ACDSee 4

Ø      Paint Shop Pro 6

Ø      Mac OS 8 and 9

 

Exhibitions and Awards

Ø      2004 Bronze award for Best New Product at the Lawn and Garden Merchandising and Distributors Association Show

Ø      2002 Shared credit for State level Addy award for Best Product

Ø      2001 Award for top selling item for United Design for the year

Ø      2000 Award for most inquiries for Stone Garden Lotus fountain in Nursery Retailer trade publication

Ø      1999 Roxie’s, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Ø      1998 Spring Street Gallery, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Ø      1993 Stark Art Gallery, Paul’s Valley, OK

Ø      1990 City Arts Week, featured artist, Norman, OK

Ø      1988 Picasso’s, Norman

Ø      1987 Pinks, Norman, OK

Ø      1987 Red Parrot, Norman, OK,

Ø      1987 Individual Artist of Oklahoma, New Years’ show

Ø      1986 Neo Group, Norman, Oklahoma

Ø      1982 The Hideaway, Norman, Oklahoma