I received a Bachelor of Science from Northern Arizona University in Finance an MBA in International business with emphasis in Marketing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix Arizona, and PhD (ABD) in International Business from Northcentral University.
I have been a guest speaker and teacher at Purdue University, the University of Hanoi, San Francisco State University, California State Fullerton University and have been the key note speaker at The Arnold Palmer worldwide sales conference, Levi’s Strauss national sales conference, Manhattan Industries national sales conference, Central Department Stores Thailand, Super Sports national conference, and China National Global Silk Expansion conference.
My career includes 20 years in the US retail industry, comprising Vice President of merchandising, private label and brand development, design and sourcing, for Federated Department Stores, Carter Hawley Hale, May Department Stores and Eddie Bauer.
One of my achievements includes having started the National Football League’s “If Win” program during the 1982 Superbowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals. By working with Lazarus Dept. Stores in Cincinnati and NFL licensed vendors and photographers, upon completion of the game, developed logo merchandise with the final score to be produced to deliver on Monday in the winning team’s city, Emporium Capwell in SF, (I was VP Merchandising) for promotion during and after the Market Street parade. A $1 Million sales goal surpassed, which led to this program becoming a normal sequence of retail for all major national sports championships.
This retail experience led to my leadership of Northfield Sport, a partnership with the owner (Mike McCaskey) and head coach (Mike Ditka) of the Chicago Bears, with the development of apparel and accessories programs to grow the revenues and profits of the Chicago Bears.
M first buying responsibility was at May Department Stores Los Angeles, and I he had the good fortune to recognize the future of the athletic footwear industry and was the first retail department store to add Adidas and Nike footwear to our assortments. My key strength is recognizing consumer direction and trends in advance, providing me with strong retail long-term strategic and growth potential analysis skills that lead to strong retail and brand sales results.
I am a consultant in Asia with special interest in retail and brand development:
My retail-training program focuses on developing assortment plans based on item, category, department and vendor, while training in negotiation tactics for vendor qualification and growth programs. We develop marketing strategies, store remodels, floor plans, based on sales contributions potential and long-term strategies in addition to helping create private label programs. I have also taught retail math, merchandising and financial planning to buyers and merchandise managers, both retail and wholesale, in the United States and Asia. We have directed implementation of these strategies successfully with Central Department Stores Super Sports Division of Thailand, Quest Sporting Goods in China (the largest sporting goods retailer in China) and #1 Department Store in Mainland China.
Some additional successes in Asian include helping US companies source products which include Emporio Armani, Nike and Adidas, Neiman Marcus, Federated Department Stores, Vanity Fair, Eileen West, Western Pacific Airlines, The Disney Company, Donna Karan, Duty Free, Dillard’s Dept. Stores, May Company, Steinmart Dept. Stores, Krause’s Furniture Stores, Patina V Furniture and Nordstrom’s Dept. Stores.
Recently, I have had published two articles:
China Silk Wines, Volume 10, Number 1, 2010, 110-116 (Clarke, S. P. Chan, D. Pollard and B. Lee). Case Study, paper presented at the International Academy of Business and Economics Conference, Bangkok, June 4-6, 2010. China Silk Wines: A Case Study, Review of Business Research
China Market Entry Overview for Foreign Enterprises. Minority and Small Business Review (Clarke, S. and Peng Chan), Volume 11, February 2013, pp. 41-46.
Clarke, Steven J. and Peng Chan, "Challenges of Multinational Enterprises Conducting Global Business," Minority and Small Business Review, Vol. 12, Spring 2014, 38-47.
As a consultant, my work emphasizes global companies desiring to open or expand in Asia, with emphasis on China, Thailand and the Philippines. I have worked with local and foreign companies to develop strategic alliances, including joint ventures and foreign corporate set up. I have worked with the United States Embassy and staff, China law firms, investors, mall developers and the Shanghai government.
Currently, I am senior consultant with Global Management Group (www.globalmanagementgroup.com)
