HI, I'M JESSE.
I'm a Product Builder based in Nashville, TN. Director, Product Management by trade, with two decades spent turning customer problems into things people actually use.
Brands I've worked with
About
Two Decades of Retail, One Focus: The Customer
I'm a product builder based in Nashville, TN. For nearly twenty years I've helped some of the largest retailers in the country build digital experiences that customers actually enjoy and that move the numbers the business cares about.
Today I'm Director, Product Management at Tractor Supply Company, where I lead Shopping and Discovery: on-site search, SEO, findability, and a slate of AI initiatives. Along the way I've directed product management and UX at Express, Ascena, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Lowe's, building teams, design practices, and roadmaps from the ground up.
My approach is simple: start with real customer pain, validate with research, and ship the smallest thing that proves the idea. I still design and build things with my own hands, which keeps me honest about what it actually takes to ship.
Expertise
What I Do Best
Product Strategy
Turning business goals and customer insight into a clear, prioritized roadmap the whole team can rally behind.
UX & Design
Designing shopping experiences that feel effortless, from first search to final checkout, across web, app, and in-store.
Search & Findability
On-site search, SEO, and discovery that help customers find exactly what they came for, faster.
Roadmapping & Delivery
Running lean, validated delivery: ship the smallest thing that proves the idea, then build on what works.
Team Leadership
Building and growing product, design, and research teams, and the practices that let them do their best work.
AI & Innovation
Bringing modern AI into discovery and personalization in ways that genuinely help the shopper.
Experience
Where I've Led
Tractor Supply Company
Director, Product Management
Jan 2024 to Present · Nashville, TN
- Leads product for Shopping and Discovery across web and app: on-site search, SEO, and findability for one of the largest farm and ranch retailers in the US.
- Responsible for the core eCommerce KPIs the business runs on: total sales, average order value, units per transaction, and findability.
- Heads several of the company's major AI initiatives, bringing modern discovery and personalization into the shopping experience.
Express
Director, User Experience & Product Management
Mar 2020 to Aug 2023 · Columbus, OH
- Guided Express to its most successful year in digital operations in 2021, beating conversion and demand goals and outpacing every other channel.
- Led vision and roadmap across web, app, and in-store, and fully redesigned the shopping funnel: Search, Listing, Product Detail, Cart, and Checkout.
- Relaunched the Express loyalty platform, lifting spend and retention.
- Built design-thinking and SDLC standards, and presented roadmap strategy to executive leadership.
Ascena Retail Group
AVP, User Experience & Product Management
Dec 2017 to Mar 2020 · Columbus, OH
- Set feature strategy across twelve brand sites (Ann Taylor, LOFT, Maurices, Lane Bryant, Justice, Catherines, Lou & Gray) against a $19M budget.
- Built and ran A/B testing teams, and led the shift from waterfall to SAFe Agile.
- Managed a 25-person team and stood up an offshore design and testing team in Bangalore.
Director, User Experience & Product Management
Dec 2014 to Dec 2017 · Columbus, OH
- Led a five-brand platform migration onto a single Oracle ATG stack.
- Founded a UX Center of Excellence and a shared pattern library serving every brand.
Bed Bath & Beyond
Manager, User Experience
Nov 2012 to Dec 2014 · Union, NJ
- Owned strategy, planning, and execution for customer-facing programs across the brand portfolio.
- Created the company's first UX practice and a standard for presenting wireframes, prototypes, and journey maps.
- Led a mobile-first roadmap built around the mobile customer journey.
Lowe's Companies
Sr. Manager, User Experience & Interaction
Feb 2005 to Nov 2012 · Mooresville, NC
- Led a team of UX managers, architects, interaction designers, and production artists on Lowe's most critical programs.
- Built a culture of data-driven, user-centered design and creative risk-taking.
- Drove lifecycle and demographic strategy (Millennials through Aging in Place) to reach and retain key customers.
Side Project
Kithold: A Home for Small, Focused Apps
Kithold is my one-person studio, and the place I get to practice what I lead. Each app starts with a small, real problem, ships as the simplest thing that solves it, and goes out to actual users.
I design, build, and launch every one of them end to end, from the first sketch to the App Store. It keeps my product instincts sharp and my empathy for engineering teams honest.
Packr
Smart packing lists scaled to trip length and shape.
Trekkr
Backpacking loadouts calculated by weight.
Preppr
Household preparedness with gap analysis.
Bins
Personal inventory, organized and searchable.
Screens
A shared watchlist for films and TV.
Gararge
Vehicle maintenance, mileage, and fuel logs.
DealerChips
Harley dealer chip collection tracker.
Groundskeeper
Yard and plant care scheduling.
Outside of Work
The Rest of Me
Family & Nashville
Husband and father, happily planted in Nashville, TN. Family is the center of everything else.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
On the mats as often as I can be. BJJ is my reset button and a daily lesson in patience and the long game.
Always Building
Nights and weekends usually mean a side project or a new stack. Staying hands on keeps me close to the craft.
Faith & Community
Grounded in faith and giving back to the people and community around me.
Contact
Let's Talk
Always glad to connect. Whether you've got an interesting project, wanna geek out on Product & UX, or just want to compare notes, drop a line and I'll get back to you.