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COO @ DSS Games | Operator | Sales Leader | Mentor | Occasional Speaker

I am an operational and sales leader with over 15 years of experience helping consumer goods brands thrive in dynamic, multi-channel markets. I specialize in transforming underperforming organizations into high-performing, profitable entities by driving growth, building strong teams, and fostering innovation. My expertise encompasses sales and operational leadership, new business development, as well as product management, all driven by data-backed strategies and a strong financial acumen that ensures every decision supports the company's long-term success. I have been particularly successful in navigating environments where DTC, marketplace, wholesale, and distribution sales channels must all be considered and work in unison to drive growth.

What I find most rewarding in my work is the opportunity to elevate teams to new levels of performance. Mentoring team members to become stronger individual contributors and watching them exceed their potential is one of my greatest joys. I thrive on taking on new challenges—whether it’s turning around struggling companies or scaling successful ones—and I’m particularly proud of the cultures I’ve helped build along the way. Fostering a positive work environment where collaboration, accountability, and growth flourish is the legacy I aim to leave behind in every company I work with.

I am also committed to mentoring young businesses and emerging professionals, which has been a focus of mine for last last five years. Through my volunteer work with a young business accelerator program, I’ve guided many brands and their founders through growth challenges in 20-week cohorts. This experience has enabled me to help these emerging businesses build strong foundations for success, contributing to their long-term sustainability and growth.

Outside of work, I’m an occasional competitive prone paddleboard racer with 12 successful crossings of the Catalina Channel under my belt, each a solo 22-32 mile effort. I’m also a surfer and a photography hobbyist. Above all, I’m a proud father to three young daughters and a supportive husband to my significantly better half, my wife, Vivian.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Business/Economics and Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara... go Gauchos.

★ Overseeing the operations and financial performance of DSS Games, a leading party game company specializing in adult and family-oriented games.  Direct management of Finance, HR, Supply Chain, Production & Marketing functions.

★ Strategic leader driving business continuity, implementing financial management practices, and ensuring healthy profitability while driving significant year-over-year growth.

★ Managing cross-functional teams, supporting production and distribution, forging strong partnerships with major retailers, contributing to the company's success and market expansion.

Find us at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, FiveBelow, Spencer's, Forever 21, Francesca's, Meijer, Kohls and more.

Chief Operating Officer

KEY ACHIEVEMENT
★ Leading teams of mentors in the SDSI Accelerator program, delivering 20-week mentoring programs to help start-ups and young businesses from across the country to establish, pivot, and scale business operations.

★ Awarded inaugural Bill Walton "Mentor of the Year" - 2024

https://parkitmovement.com/
https://sundaygolf.com/
https://trailmagik.com/
https://truwild.com/
https://gotighties.com/
https://rolflexpro.com/
https://perspectivefitwear.com/
https://roseys.love/

Mentor & Startup Business Advisor

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Oversaw all sales and business strategy implementation across Americas (primary market US & Canada), Latin America and Europe/EMEA for B2B, while serving in an advisory role on the Marketplace Steering Committee.

★ Revamped wholesale effort, assisting the company to successfully survive and later thrive through the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

★ Established best practices in sales management and business reporting by administering the development of a data visualization tool for improved understanding of the business in its complexity.

★ Implemented a comprehensive marketplace cleanup effort aligned with the new MAP pricing and promotion strategy while coordinating Americas, EU, and ROW distribution.

Vice President of Sales

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Served as the partner & advisor for startup organic skincare line and led early-stage talks with Whole Foods & Unilever for distribution and investment consideration.

★ Launched 3P Amazon strategy, which led to 300% growth and made up 66% of the total business in its first year.

Advisor & Partner

Closed out nearly 10 years at SPY with a five-month role under the new parent company following its acquisition. After a rewarding tenure and seeing the company through significant change, I decided to pursue a new opportunity to support personal growth and took a new position with Nixon.

Vice President of Sales, North America (West)

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Led global sales and business strategy across all channels, categories, and markets, playing a lead role in the successful sale of SPY to BOLLE BRANDS in partnership with the interim CEO & CFO in Sep 2019, and oversaw and often led all Board of Directors meetings with the CEO and CFO.

★ Supervised 10 direct reports with 70+ employees/reps and 20+ distributors while heading the development and go-to-market strategy for a new product line; REFRESH, aimed towards a new consumer demographic.

★ Developed the first-of-its-kind, app-based, rep interface tool that produced sell-through insights across different retailers and POS systems in real-time.

Significant retail partnerships during my tenure include Costco, Zumies, Tilly’s, Dicks Sporting Goods, Zappos, Nordstrom, Powdr Corp, Vail Resorts, AAFES, GovX, Sunglass Hut and many more.

Vice President of Revenue

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Executed a large marketplace cleanup effort, including the overhauling of distribution, driving AUR up to 40%+ on Amazon, eliminating all counterfeit sales of SPY on Amazon, and transitioning from 1P to 3P strategy to double gross margin dollars on every unit sold.

★ Launched an app-based rep servicing tool, to produce real-time data and insights for national account business and restructured the pricing strategy on multiple product lines (Sun, Snow, Moto) for domestic and international markets.

★ Coordinated a cross-functional effort to revitalize the product lifecycle strategy to elevate the internal/external visibility to end-of-life goods, maximize margin to SPY, and to reduce channel conflict with closeout sales.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 
★ Oversaw all SPY sales in North America, led six direct reports and Sales Directors/Managers administering 4K+ accounts, 50+ reps, and multiple distributors.

★ Redeveloped rep commission strategy, including the first-ever closeout plan that empowered reps and saved the company a substantial margin on large volume deals.

★ Devised and implemented strategies to drive profitability to the business during challenging market conditions and decreased sales rates while supporting the execution of a corporate partnership with POWDR Enterprises, owner of 17 snow resorts in North America.

Vice President of Sales (North America)

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Played an instrumental role in developing and launching the Crosstown Collection, a limited production, limited distribution eyewear collection, for preferred retailers. 

★ Administered all Crosstown responsibilities/duties, including competitive analysis, product development, marketing direction, sales goals creation, target customer identification, and production of a Go-To-Market plan for the entire collection.

Senior Sales Manager & Category Manager (Crosstown)

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
★ Headed sales in the Western US, including Alaska/Hawaii and all categories (Sun, Optical, Snow, Motor, and Softgoods) while leading the largest segment of SPY's annual sales under one manager, successfully achieving growth every year.

★ Orchestrated the development of a first ever bonus structure that empowered reps and assisted the company in realizing over four years of consistent YOY growth.

Sales Manager (West)

KEY ACHIEVEMENT
★ Managed all international and domestic snowboard sales (excluding Europe), directed all six international distributors/10 domestic reps, and oversaw all key accounts, including REI, Sport Chalet, Backcountry.com, etc.

Sales and Marketing Manager (Snow), and Sales Representative

Founder of this non-profit memorial surf contest, which evolved into 3 annual events, including the Halloween Scare 'N Tear.  International coverage including LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and Time Magazine.

Founder of Adam Frand Memorial Surf Contest + Events

Find out detailed information about Charlie Ninegar, COO @ DSS Games | Operator | Sales Leader | Mentor | Occasional Speaker in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California

Charlie Ninegar: COO @ DSS Games | Operator | Sales Leader | Mentor | Occasional Speaker in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California

Charlie Ninegar

UC Santa Barbara

UC San Diego Extended Studies