Retail Flagship Visual Merchandising Experience in Chicagoland area:

• Pier 1 (two locations)
• Marhsall Field’s (2nd largest retail store in the world)  later bought by Macy’s
• Macy’s
• Sears
• Ann Taylor
• American Girl (freelance, turned down full time position)
• Lord and Taylor (freelance)
• Cartier (many locations – freelance)

Non Flagship Retail stores and privately owned boutiques:

• Bath and Body works (freelance)
• Hawkquarters (freelance)
• Century Mall (entire mall, institutional holiday trim, current – freelance)
• Pump Shoes (designed boutique with owner and assisted with shoe and accessory buys)
• Frill Accessories (3 locations, freelance merchandising)
• Merchandise Mart (numerous showroom updates and merchandising)
• Navy Pier (numerous boutique updates and window displays)

Teaching at the International Academy of Design and Technology:

• 10 years teaching 200-400 level courses at IADT Chicago flagship campus (quarters)
• 2-5 classes per term average on top of senior level salaried position
• Courses included:

o Visual Merchandising (includes basic Photoshop and Illustrator)
 Subject matter expert (SME) that developed current online course also
o Advanced Merchandising Tactics
o Fashion Show Production/Event Coordinating
 Wrote the textbook for this course, in final editing stages with Conde Nast
o Retail Management
o Retail Marketing
o Fashion technology

International Experience:

• InStore (5 locations: 2 in Limerick, Galway, Sligo, and Waterford)
o Visual Merchandising Director – Contracted work
o Developed digital/printed Visual Merchandising Standards and Best Practices Guide
o Trained existing staff at all locations on standards and expectations and evaluated performance
o Won retailer of the year within months of my tour ending
• Formerly traveled to Paris for retail design and aesthetic inspiration and new brand awareness

Conferences and Publications:

• Spoken at Vision Expo East and West (NYC and Vegas) last 7 years annualy.
• Written many articles on merchandising and marketing for related industry publications, 2 in March ‘13
• Booth design and management at:
o Chicago’s ComicCon
o Chicago’s C2E2
o Chicago’s International Home and Housewares show

Event Coordinating and Fashion Show production:

• Produced over 100 shows for IADT Chicago ranging from small informal to large charity events
(2,000-50,000 attending)
• Produced and managed all IADT open houses and trained other 10 campuses on best practices
• Provided campus tours and training/development for admissions staff and executives
• Managed and Produced fashion shows for local fashion designers and reality TV stars including 3 formerly from Project Runway and two formerly on VH1.

• Produced charity galas/fashion shows for many charitable organizations including:

o Ronald McDonald House Charities
o The Humane Society of the United States
o Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research Foundation
o Career Education Scholarship Fund
o Inner Voice (homeless veterans job assistance)

Marketing and Graphic Design:

• IADT’s sole Creative Marketing Director (1 in 11 campuses)
o Including graphic design and production of print ads, postcards, save the dates, invitations, tickets, programs, posters and more.
o Giant multi-color murals constructed of vinyl on windows and walls at IADT Chicago, IADT Vegas, Collin’s College Phoenix, and Sanford Brown Tinley Park
o TV, Radio and Web ad creation and assistance to video production teams for IADT Chicago
o Web site creation for annual events hosted by IADT Chicago
Education:
• MBA – Concentration in Marketing – American Intercontinental University – Magna cum laude
• BA – Merchandising Management – Dbl minor Graphic Design/Visual Merchandising – IADT Chi

Websites of interest:

• www.travisjreed.com  Self Created Portfolio Website
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/travisjreed  Linked In Profile with current recommendation letters
• www.creativevisionaryinc.com Self Owned and Managed S-Corp providing visual design
• http://addvisualvalue.wix.com/addvisualvalue  Self Owned and Managed freelance home staging/ ID

Current published articles:

• http://www.visioncareproducts.com/VCPN/VCPN-Archives/IN-THE-FORECAST-5964.aspx

• http://www.eyecarebusiness.com/articleviewer.aspx?articleID=108129•

• http://www.optometricmanagement.com/articleviewer.aspx?articleID=108054