Tim Fletcher 田阜才

• Innovation training and facilitation using Design Thinking methods.
Successful with startups to Fortune 500 companies.
• Design patent expert witness.
Expert witness in state as well as federal cases involving patents, design patents and trade dress..
• Part-time Chief Design Officer for companies in growth mode.
Growth mode companies typically skew towards a process culture. I can develop and maintain the innovative side of a growth company so that this part of the business culture is not lost.

• Research US Government for mutually beneficial design connections and build relationships.
• Work with IDSA National Staff to build programs with the US Government.

• Responsible for new business sales and marketing for the firm.
• Co-develop and facilitate Thought Leadership in the areas of Design Thinking and Organizational Development.
• Expert witness in Design Patent cases.

Outreach
• Mentor - Alpha Lab Gear (incubator)
• Juror and Jury Chairperson – Sichuan-Taiwan Industrial Design Awards, Chengdu, China. Dec. 4, 2013
• Interview – Five Minutes with Tim Fletcher – Pittsburgh Business Times (June 5-21, 2011).
• Advisory Panel – Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Creative Technology Network March 2011 to present.
• Juror – Red Star Design Awards, Beijing, China (September 27, 2011).
• Interview - College Prowler soars after making switch to business model – Pittsburgh Business Times (August 12-18, 2011).
• Presentation – Design Thinking; What it is, What it is not and Why it is important. LKK Design office (Beijing), ZTE headquarters (Shanghai) May 18 and May 27, 2011, Arriba Software (Pittsburgh, PA) April 17, 2013, Wuxi Design Conference (Wuxi, China) May 25, 2013 and Sichuan-Taiwan Industrial Design Awards (Chengdu, China) Dec. 4, 2013.
• Teaching – Practicing Design (Professional Practices). Carnegie Mellon University. School of Design. Fall 2010 - 2011 semesters.
• Presentation & Workshop: Idea Generation. Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, Entrepreneurial Boot Camp. July 26th, 2010.
• Presentation: A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing: How to be a Design Thinker in an Analytical World. IDSA Mideast District Conference. Grand Rapids, MI. April, 31, 2010.

• Coordinated the creation of the IDSA China Chapter.
• Wrote new By-Laws for IDSA to allow for and manage International Chapters.
• Build relationships and mutually beneficial collaborations between IDSA and Asian design organizations.

• Taught Industrial Design courses for Bachelor level students in Industrial Design and Engineering.
• Developed sales tools to introduce School of Design Research Labs and Centres to US corporations.
• Operations Manager for School of Design Annual (Graduation) Show for 2007 & 2008.
• Consulted on product development management in the University and with external clients.

Outreach:
• Interview – Various design topics CCTV3 design program. Beijing, China. November 2009.
• Presentation - Design Thinking as a Solution to Strategic Planning at the following conferences:
6th China (Wuxi) International Industry Design Expo. Wuxi, China. December 8, 2008.
China International Consumer Electronics Show – Industrial Design Forum. Qingdao, China. July 11, 2008.
First China (Shenzhen) World Industrial Design Forum. Shenzhen, China. May 17, 2008.
• Interview – Design Expert: Be in China to Assure Quality; Plastics News; April 22, 2008.
• Presentation - Panel Discussion: Appreciating Differences: Teaching International Students for the IDSA Educational Conference. San Francisco, CA, USA. October 20, 2007.
• Presentation - We Think Differently; How to Better Communicate with Your Hong Kong/China Partners for the IDSA National Conference. Austin, Texas, USA. September 19, 2006.
• Moderator (Master of Ceremony) of the Business of Design Week Conference, Hong Kong 2006, 2007 & 2008.
• First Round Judge for the Hong Kong Design Centre’s Design for Asia Award (DFA) 2007.
• First Round Judge for the Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards 2006.
• Article – It’s Socrates vs. Confucius; Plastics News; October 9, 2006.

• Developed management training and seminars for the 28 Chapters in the US and Canada.
• Set up and moderated two Chapter Council meetings per year. The Chapter Council acts as a legislative body that develops policies from the grass roots to be presented to the Board.
• As an IDSA Board Member, I work in a team environment to develop policies for the entire organization.

• Managed a department of five Industrial Designers and three Graphic Designers.

• Developed company’s first Roadmap of new products including launch dates by season and team members by project.

• Developed Industrial Design process guidelines, which improved quality of output.

• Liaised with DAKA Engineering in China and the UK to creatively solve product development issues and maintain schedules.

Public relations:

• Presentation: IP as the Basis of Business for Innovative Companies in Asia; Danish Patent and Trademark Office. Copenhagen, Denmark. April 26, 2006

• Presentation: Integrating Concepts, Technologies and Design; HK Design Association’s Design Entrepreneur Programme. March 25, 2006

• Presentation: Strategies for Driving New Product Innovation; HK Electronic Appliance Manufacturers Association. November 25, 2005

• Interview: Out of the Box. HK Trade Development Council. April 10, 2006

• Managed the business model change from selling standard product to selling custom solutions from the Product Development aspect.

• Developed concepts and component costs for custom simulator projects for commercial and military applications in US, Europe and Asia.

• Technical Sales both at Trade Shows and on-site for customers worldwide. Worked to understand customer requirements and communicate how Elumens can meet their needs.

• Developed and maintained a vendor database for components in order to speed up the quoting process for custom projects.

• Researched and tested “off the shelf” materials to reduce costs. Example- finding a suitable Polypropylene for use as a front projection screen that reduced the cost of materials from $60 per square foot to $5.

• Reviewed existing product lines for cost and part count reductions. Reduced inventory of Projector Stands by 73%.

• Developed management training and seminars for the five Chapter Chairs, covering the states of NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL, MS, LA & TX. Through this training and a constant mentorship we have been able to create a very strong IDSA brand in the South.
• Developed and implemented two (2) IDSA Southern District Conferences with an average budget of $65,000. Duties included developing the conference theme, appointing volunteers to manage areas such as Graphics, Web Site, Treasury, etc. Searched for sponsors that contributed $20,000 to the total budget. Searched and coordinated with an average of 17 speakers per conference.

• Managed new product development from initial concept sketches through manufacturing for a variety of clients.

• Shared the duties of Office Management, Sales and Marketing of the firm. Brought in new clients located in US, Asia and Europe. Raised International projects from 30% to 50% of total business.

• Co-developed highly detailed quoting, project timeline and customer requirements documentation.

• Designed and developed Sporting Goods, Infant Products, Electronic Equipment and Packaging.

• Taught Materials and Processes for the Industrial Design program at NC State University College of Design.

• Managed events and information transfer for the Members in North and South Carolina. Events included a first ever exhibit of the entire Industrial Design process at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, NC.
• Worked with individual Members to solve IDSA issues and other professional needs.
• As a result membership increased from 78 to 108 members.
• Organized The Designers Life Process’ Presentations - a separate “conference within the conference” with presentations and discussions on issues that affect all designers during their professional life, such as unemployment, retiring, changing from profession to teaching and starting your own business. IDSA Southern District Conference 2002

Outreach:
• Interview – Fun and Function-Consumer Design Redefines High Style - Tuscaloosa News (June 25, 2000).

• Designed and developed 7 lines of new products from initial concepts to production. Created timelines, evaluated international and domestic vendors and communicated with all departments as well as vendors. Managed 50 new Disney licensed products into the product line in one year.

• Hired and managed one direct report. Managed projects with 2-4 outside design consultancies a year.

• Developed and managed a $750K department budget.

• Utilized research being conducted by universities, independent researchers and internal R&D staff in the areas of child development.

• Evaluated concepts from outside sources for inclusion in product lines.

• Developed ISO 9001 procedures for product development, in a team environment. Served as an ISO internal auditor.

• Brought ProE CAD system into the department.

• Designed and developed new Bicycle Accessories, such as tire pumps, automobile rack systems, and water bottle cages as well as packaging structures.

• Managed product development schedules based on introduction in five catalogs per year.

• Designed and developed new infant feeding products from concept to production for both International and Domestic Markets.

• Managed the flow of information regarding new products between manufacturing, product supply and marketing to produce a complete product in a timely manner.

• Evaluated International and Domestic manufacturers.