My Previous & Current Employers

Abercrombie and Fitch Japan

Regional IT Manager, Asia Pacific
08/01/2009 - Current

My role at Abercrombie and Fitch is to manage all IT related systems and support the business for efficient operation and further international expansion. I manage Abercrombie's flagship stores and offices’ IT infrastructure (ie. POS systems, networking devices, servers, telephony and office related IT equipment). I also have the responsibility of project managing the IT infrastructure builds of our new flagships in the Asia Pacific region. Our first flagship in the Asia region opened in Ginza, Tokyo on 12/15/2009. Since then, we have opened 2 flagships and 4 chain stores.

I also find ways to improve the processes from an IT perspective and take a proactive approach to finding problems before they impact the business, with hopes to allow the business to operate as efficiently as possible. I actively seek ways to improve upon our IT infrastructure and work with the respective IT teams at our headquarters in the US to do so.
 

NICHIAI KK　株式会社ニチアイ

IT Director, IT Projects and Infrastructure
02/29/2007 - 07/31/2009

Taking on the role of IT Director at Nichiai was a challenging and extremely rewarding experience. I was able to draw upon my extensive business and IT experience and put it to work on further advancing Nichiai’s business in the areas of IT service/support, project management, and consulting.

Some sample day to day responsibilities included: Managing several different teams (IT service team, PM team, and a consulting team), focusing on improvements and modifications to the business model to generate higher profits and obtain a steady flow of revenue, and to direct and train a sales team on our services and products. I was also responsible for planned yearly budgets, ensuring profitable products and services were being sold and managed P&L statements.

Nichiai gave me the ability to run with ideas, which later paid off greatly. I worked side by side with the president to come up with new ideas for the company and to introduce new service offerings. The project management division of Nichiai was one of the additions I made to the company. I worked with our sales team to meet new potential clients, established relationships with large real estate PM companies (Cushman & Wakefield and Jones Lang LaSalle) and trained our engineers to take on these jobs. With the project management division we were able to substantially increase our revenue and profitability as well as perform work for fortune 500 companies which increased Nichiai’s credibility in the industry amongst our competitors.

I have learned so much and in so many different areas; from improving upon my IT skill sets to further refining and adapting my management techniques and methodologies. During my tenure, I got the chance to implement several new service offerings, make company wide policy changes, and brought together the company’s sales and engineering teams so that they were a united force.

I recommend this company to anyone looking for an exciting career which you will be challenged, constantly learning new things, and have your input into the company listened to and acted upon.

Title Changes and Promotions
02/29/2007 - IT Manager
07/21/2007 - IT Director, IT Projects and Infrastructure

Awards and Certificates:
Nichiai Award 2008
Best Customer Service 2008
Best Innovation & Company Improvement 2008
Best Innovation & Company Improvement 2007 

I worked for this company for over four years, and what a great company to work for. It provided great opportunities for growth and allowed me to learn and acquire new skills and expand my knowledge of marketing as well as product development. Apple always kept me up to date with marketing and management knowledge with their market area meetings and training seminars, as well as informational books and materials.

My role while working for Apple encompassed several areas, such as advertising, marketing, product promotional events, and sales. I was primarily responsible for driving marketing campaigns and sales at the California State University, Fullerton campus. However, I did cover other local, smaller schools with my primary focus being the city of Fullerton. I would also assist in troubleshooting/repairing Apple products for certain clientele for relationship building. I arranged the sales of individual Apple products as well as large lots to different college departments, students, and faculty through my Account Executive.

Both Account Executives I had over the 4-5 years were great and a pleasure to work with, especially my most recent manager, Scott Hayes, whom I still keep in contact with. There was a close bond and understanding of what each person's task was. I would be required to create market maps, feasibility studies, and inventory of our systems versus the competition, as well as setup sales deals with department chairs and the on-campus book store. This was an exciting and challenging position, which provided for a constant growth of skills and knowledge.

It also gave me a lot of experience with self management and being my own boss. I would meet with my boss approximately once a month, either by a face to face meeting or via online communication. I would send electronic time cards each week for the hours I worked along with a short description of the time used. This gave me the freedom to work my own hours and put together on-campus demonstrations, tutorial lessons, and promotional campaigns. I left my post as Apple’s Marketing Coordinator shortly after graduating from California State University, Fullerton. I was planning on moving to Japan shortly after finishing up with school and I wanted to give plenty of time to my employer to find my replacement and handle the hand-off.
 

 Personal Banker I
10/31/2000 - 9/27/2002

I worked as a Personal Banker I, which included several responsibilities and many of which required a honest person with a solid work ethic. Many included handling back-end as well as front-end operations of the branch I worked in. I was responsible for meeting sales goals every quarter, such as the sales of checking, savings, investment, and CD accounts as well as home and commercial/business loans. I was required to manage operations in place of the manager's absence, on weekends and when work outside of the branch was needed.

I managed several tellers in the area of referring leads and sales opportunities. Another task that was required of me was to create marketing campaigns to assist in the sales of additional accounts within our branch's market area. This was a very exciting and always challenging position which I held. I worked very closely with my two managers throughout my time with this great company. I still have contact with both managers, and they held up to the professionalism I would expect to see from such a well trusted and successful financial company.

In regards to this company, it was one that offered a vast amount of knowledge in terms of the banking industry and for knowledge of money management. One thing that made this job very enjoyable was that my manager, Yolanda Slim, was a professional and encouraging manager and she provided a lot of guidance, support, and training. I accredit a lot of my management techniques and ability to her. I feel that a good manager is the most vital thing in a corporate work environment. This individual is what can make or break a company and an employee’s moral.

They are the front line for the customer's resolutions/requests and the chief operator of an efficient work line. They are also what greatly effects employee retention and in direct effect, results in the company's financial success. Wells Fargo is a great company to work for. It is a very professional work environment with many opportunities and benefits. I would definitely seek future employment with them if our paths ever crossed in the future.

Awards and Certificates:
Wells Fargo & Co. Certificate in Securities
Home Equity Loan & Lines of Credit Certification
Qualified Personal Banker of Certificates of Deposit
 

 Sales Representative
Summer of 2000

 This was a summer job I did while I was on my school break. I found that it greatly helped better prepare me for a self determined, self motivated, sales atmosphere. Vector Marketing (Cutco) supplied the product, whereas, I had to come up with contacts and sales. A sample way of selling their product was demonstrated to us. However all sales were driven and created by the individuals unique methods and abilities.

You would give the customer a 20-30 minute demonstration of the knives and their abilities. Then you would attempt to sell them the highest priced and most excellent product and rejection after rejection you would attempt to sell them a less expensive knife set. If nothing went well, you would leave the potential buyers home with nothing but just having given them a 20-30 minute demonstration and a 20-30 minute sales attempt.

In order to be successful in this job, you must be determined, aggressive to an extent, not be shy in front of others, and have an outgoing personality. If missing one of these traits, it was very hard to continue working and/or being successful. You start at a 5% commission rate, and your rate goes higher with number of sales and performance. When I left the company, I was receiving a commission rate of 35%.
 

 Cashier and IT Specialist
8/30/1999-5/21/2000

Titan Shops was an on-campus book store at California State University. I worked this job for a couple semesters when first attending CSUF. It was a convenient job for me, since I would be on campus mostly throughout the week anyway. It was purely a retail job which involved cashiering and providing customers with advice on product purchases. I worked in the computer supply department.

My job duties consisted of assisting customers with software and hardware purchases, inventory, and stocking supplies. Titan Shops occasionally allowed outside vendors to setup tents and advertise or sell their products in front of the shop. I would also assist these customers in setting up their tables and tents. While working at this job, I had helped the Apple Account Executive of Fullerton setup his booth and he was so impressed by the amount of knowledge of computers and Apple's product lines that I was offered a job as their campus marketer. As he didn’t want to create any bad relations with Titan Shops I stayed on working both jobs until the following semester when I resigned at Titan Shops.
 

Castmember (Culinary and Guest Services)
3/28/1998 - 12/23/1999

 This was my very first job and start of my professional career. When I turned 16, my independence began. I got my driver's license, my father's old truck, and now being able to legally work, I started to look for a real job. I no longer had to umpire baseball games, mow lawns, or sell candy bars. This was my very first job and start of my professional career. When I turned 16, my independence began. I got my driver’s license, my father’s old truck, and now being able to legally work, I started to look for a real job. I no longer had to umpire baseball games, mow lawns, or sell candy bars.

I worked in the restaurant section of Disneyland as a cast member. I worked at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ Restaurant, Village Haus, Toon Town Snacks, and the concession stand for the frontier land theater. From time to time I would also work catering events for company banquets and for famous celebrities. I was injured on the job while working at Disneyland and couldn’t work my regular job for a couple months. This allowed me to work in some different areas of Disneyland, such as working as an outdoor vendor and working for Guest Services.

I really enjoyed working at Disneyland; I thought it was a great opportunity and a good introduction to corporate America. Later, all three of my younger siblings went on to work for the Disneyland Corporation as part-time workers for their first jobs. After working for almost two years I decided to change jobs to further gain work experience. In order to broaden my knowledge and skill sets, I decided to look elsewhere for employment and opportunities. Seeing that I had already found a job at my local university and school started to get busy I handed in my resignation. This job gave me the opportunity to meet many people and work with new faces on a weekly basis. It was a position that required superb customer service, team work, and hard work. Even though some days could be physically intense work, it was one of the most enjoyable jobs I have had.