Rolling in Dough
How he got started in cataloging: “I spent my career at Fortune 500 companies and met Cheryl in 2002,” he says. “I have a friend who knew someone at Cheryl&Co. and had heard that Cheryl wanted to enhance the growth potential of her company and was looking for outside skills to help.”
Kelly asked another friend if he knew anything about Cheryl&Co. It turned out his friend had just returned from a two-week vacation with Cheryl and her family. “He faxed my resume to Cheryl that afternoon. When you come across situations where there are so many coincidences, you realize some things were meant to be.”
What has surprised him the most about cataloging: “The pace. There’s always something to keep your mind racing and something to celebrate.”
Grew up in: Long Island, NY.
College: B.A. in mathematics and economics from William and Mary. MBA in marketing from New York University.
Early work experience: General Foods, where he learned brand-management techniques and philosophies.
Upon completion of his masters degree, he joined the marketing team at Pepsi where he worked with “the best marketing minds in the world and some of the most popular celebrities, such as Cindy Crawford and Shaquille O’Neal.”
Next he worked at NationsBank (now Bank of America) as senior vice president, director of consumer strategy for the retail bank. It was there he learned about the direct marketing industry. Later he joined Bank One as senior vice president, director of marketing communications.
Role with Cheryl&Co.: Kelly oversees catalog, Internet and corporate sales.
Professional mentors: Cheryl Krueger, founder and owner of Cheryl&Co. “She is tenacious about bringing dreams to reality while being very considerate and kind to others,” he says.
Another mentor: Brad Iversen, executive vice president of marketing at Bank One. “He is distinguished and poised. He was always prepared and incredibly bright, yet he never let you know he was the smartest one in the room.”
Greatest career challenge: dealing with bureaucracy. “At Cheryl&Co. there’s no bureaucracy. If you have an issue or idea, you just holler across the room or get up and walk five steps from your office to discuss your thoughts. We work very closely as a team and count on one another.”
Greatest challenge now: managing growth. “We’re quickly moving from a small to medium-sized company,” Kelly says, noting that he’s found it important to understand cash flow. “You must make sure you understand your future needs and where you’ll get the cash to pay for growth.”
Also, risk management: “As our business doubles, we must take larger inventory positions. This means our forecasting and projection models, as well as analytical capabilities, must be more sophisticated.”
Favorite catalogs: Frontgate for its great products and The Sharper Image for its “cool stuff.”
