Marisa Housner Gutmacher

May, 2008 : Updated agreement with Sahuc allows me to be available for design/color projects on a part-time telecommuting basis with limited New York City - Boston corridor travel. Please feel free to contact via above.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Created design concepts for decorative trimmings collections and selected vintage documents to provide direction for product development.
• Managed all stages of development through final product including color selection and design repeat.
• Managed multimillion-dollar domestic customer base consisting of upper-end fabric jobbers, ready-made manufacturers, furniture industry and retail.

• Designer/buyer of all product; managed annual budget of $1 million.
• Coordinated all sampling and merchandising of product in showrooms and sample books.
• Designed all book graphics and photography.
• Doubled sales in first three years; became company's most profitable division.
• Made showroom presentations to designers in major metropolitan centers around U.S. and England.
• Created company's first all-photography sample catalog, which won annual Masco Corp. Innovation Award.
• Designed graphics for sample books for entire company, new corporate identity (business cards, stationery), and coordinated photography for firm's national print ad campaign.

• Created original designs and finishes for 2 complete collections of decorative hardware which were in full distribution within 12 months of conception.
• Coordinated all aspects of creating a photographic catalog, road samples and showroom displays.

• Created design concepts and selected/commissioned new artwork and vintage documents to fulfill vision; provided direction for independent artists and colorists.
• Managed all stages of development through final product including color selection, design repeat, screen modifications, strike-off approvals, price negotiations, inventory levels and ordering.
• Merchandised product lines through sample books, roadlines and showroom setups.
• Manage budget of $700K for this portion of business alone.
• Communicated on daily basis with printers in Italy, France, England, Germany and Switzerland and with various members of Robert Allen sales force (70 salespeople internationally).
• Conducted showroom presentations of product to interior designers.

• Extensive color forecasting and exclusive warp selections.
• Worked in a “team” scenario to select and merchandise upper-end woven product.
• Traveled to various foreign mills and trade shows in order to develop and purchase product.

• Drafting, conceptual design, layout, materials and color section for interiors, construction drawings, computer graphics, word processing.

• Teacher's Assistant, Sophomore Design Studio. February – June 1991.
• Assistant to Interior Architecture Department head. September 1990 – June 1991.
• Teacher's Assistant, Principals of Methods and Materials. September – December 1990.

• Drafting, layout and production, site inspection, general office projects.

• Residential and commercial construction drawings/design, retail store corporate identity design, theater stage set design.

ACADEMIC SUMMARY