Bio
Dominic DeMaria is a strategic brand, product and packaging innovator and leader. Dominic manages his own consulting company where he skillfully collaborates and integrates into organizations. Most recently he has taken on roles such as Acting Director of Product and Packaging Innovation for Shamrock Farms and Acting Brand Director of Excelligence Learning Corporation as well as bringing critical stand-alone projects to success. Dominic was also Vice President, Consumer Marketing and Product Development at Teleflora where he led his team to develop award-winning videos, developed licensed products with iconic brands and launched new products to strengthen the brand and grow the business.
Dominic has 16 years of experience with Harry & David where he was promoted to work on the top management team that pulled the company out of bankruptcy. As Vice President of Product Design, Development and Merchandising, Dominic led a team and the company to develop and grow the Harry & David historic brand and introduced fresh, relevant product assortments that were instrumental in moving the company out of a seven-year sales decline. Efforts allowed Harry & David to claim an adjusted EBITDA increase of $37.3 million, an increase in gross profits of 8% and increase of the customer file by 11% in their fiscal 2012 press release. While at Harry & David, Dominic developed and launched many new product lines and worked with a team to enter the company into a new venture of becoming a winery. Nine wine varieties were launched under the Harry & David label on a very aggressive timeline resulting in increased wine sales by 25% over previous year and laid the foundation for future growth and profitability.
Dominic researches and understands the customer and their needs, then creatively delivers communications, products and programs that are brand right, on-trend and profitable. Dominic has traveled extensively to Europe, Asia and North America to examine key markets and competitors for trends, insight and inspiration. He has a vast experience in Marketing promotion using digital, email and social network campaigns, and traditional media methods such as catalogs, print, television and radio.
Prior to Harry & David, Dominic developed and executed packaging programs for Kraft Foods, the world’s largest food company and for Nalge Company, makers of medical and laboratory products. Dominic introduced new product concepts and was first to market with such items like recloseable zipper cheese packaging and was instrumental in the conversion of lab bottles to the now iconic Nalge outdoor trail bottles. Dominic is a product and idea innovator with consumer focus
Dominic has a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Packaging Design and Engineering. Dominic was raised, attended college and launched his career on the east coast. He then moved to Chicago and after spending seven years there, he and his family moved to Southern Oregon and have made it their home for the past 20 years.