I'm looking for possible future Merchandising and/or Brand Development positions within the industry. I have 6 years retail store experience with 4 years of assistant management and basic apparel buying skills with a small surf/dive store. On top of this I regularly attended trade shows twice a year for 5 years and met with vendor reps for mid-season line additions/changes. <BR> <BR>I graduated from Florida State University in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textiles and Consumer Sciences (focus on merchandising) and have plans to go to school and earn a MBA as soon as I am able. As one of my many extra-curricular activities at Florida State, I was Vice President and one of the re-founding members of the FSU Wakeboard Club. <BR> <BR>I am coming up on one year experience within the merchandising/buying division of a major retailer. With this position comes daily tasks involving vendor relations; communication skills; product placement; visual merchandising; and basic merchandising financial principles such as promotions, margins, and basic cost negotiations. I prefer to not give more specific details in this post however I can give further, in-depth information about this experience upon request. <BR> <BR>I am known to have excellent communication and people skills, high levels of creativity, an always positive work attitude, and determination and passion for all things action sports. <BR> <BR>Please contact me with opportunities at <a href="mailto:charleslkocur@gmail.com">charleslkocu r@gmail.com</a> with any information. I am also very interested to hear any advice that others have to offer regarding positions such as this within the industry. <BR> <BR>Thank You, <BR>Charlie