Summary
· Financial-results-oriented manager with proven growth record in the automotive, energy, and architectural hardware industries.
· Record of delivering high value, ranging from Fortune 200 to early-stage organizations.
· Polished professional with an energetic hands-on, and goal-oriented approach to maximizing shareholder value with a strong focus on top line growth.
· Demonstrated strategic, business, marketing, sales, and product/technology leadership; keen focus on metrics.
· Passionate voice-of-the-customer and customer-centric-organization advocate. Strong marketing strategist and a dealmaker with “boiler room to board room” selling skills.
· Global responsibility and international expatriation experience with multilingual capabilities.
· Parallel-thinking and broad-based manager, credited with substantial intellectual property and numerous new product launches.
· Academic honors in BSME and MBA programs.
Experience
2004- President
Present Architectural Hardware Manufacturer
· Recruited to privately-held architectural hardware organization as EVP Business Development and assumed role as President in 4 months.
· Turnaround circumstances for a small company with a novel, changeable key lock technology. Upon joining, business was characterized by a hemorrhaging balance sheet, deteriorating sales, disgruntled customer base, and product recalls.
· Developed and executed top-to-bottom turnaround strategy, resulting in back-to-back doubling of sales in 2006 and 2007 with a first-time break-even in 2007. Budgeted and positioned for another 100% sales growth year in 2008 at better than 50% gross margin.
· Secured equity & debt financing to stage the turnaround and negotiated numerous major creditor settlements.
· Overhauled product portfolio to position for a strong value proposition to end-users and channel partners in target market segments. Developed & launched marketing and sales campaigns with heavy emphasis on trade shows, trade magazine advertising, and direct mail.
· Secured major “bellcow” end-user customers in target segments: largest public housing organization in Ohio; 2nd largest student housing REIT in the country, 2nd largest school district in Ohio. Leveraged these “wins” to increase share in respective segments.
· Secured distribution alliances with major national and regional MRO/architectural hardware supply partners in the multifamily housing market.
· Initiated and progressed relationships with large domestic lock manufacturers for IP licensing agreements—likely to consummate in 2008.
· Forged manufacturing alliances with the world’s second and third largest lock companies.
1995-2003 President & CEO
Vehicular Battery Manufacturer
· Originally recruited to this early-stage advanced battery/fuel cell organization by my then-boss at previous company. Commenced as VP Engineering & Marketing, later assumed President & CEO position.
· Strategically repositioned company to align organizational strengths and core competencies with market opportunities—leading to the company’s substantive “breakout” revenue.
· Developed and executed business, strategic, marketing and financial plans—reduced operating expense by 60%.
· Cultivated relationships among the “who’s who” of domestic and international vehicle manufacturers, spanning the automotive, motorcycle, and marine industries. Also forged technology development alliances with major consumer electronics battery manufacturers.
· Led technology development, culminating in intellectual property portfolio comprising 30+ items.
1993-1994 Director, Original Equipment Sales and Strategic Planning
Fortune 200 Tier 1 Automotive Supplier
· Promoted to Group corporate position upon acquisition of my prior organization by this Fortune 200 Tier 1 Automotive Supplier; direct report to Group President.
· Responsible for growth of global Original Equipment business comprising 240 major customers, with sales exceeding $110 million. Directed corporate strategic plan, product development, and global market development.
· Increased annual unit sales and revenue within a mature commodity market by 12% and 17%, respectively.
· Conceived and launched several innovative premium product lines to drive gross margin.
· Cultivated joint venture for comanufacturing with major Japanese competitor ($5million annual, 15% growth).
· Obtained first time business with largest US automotive company, displacing their then-captive division—by conceiving and introducing a performance-enhancing product.
· Directed organization in becoming the-then first and only US spark plug supplier to several Japanese car manufacturers—through the conceptualization and introduction of highly differentiated products.
1991-1992 Director, Product Marketing
Fortune 500 Tier 1 Automotive Supplier (Repatriated from Europe)
· Promoted from Europe (EAME) Division to lead domestic marketing and international market & product development; included leading numerous global product launches.
· Developed aftermarket segmentation strategy to improve gross margins (6%) and generate incremental sales (11%).
· Conceived and launched two new domestic aftermarket product lines, generating incremental sales of $14 million.
· Overhauled standard aftermarket product line; eliminated over 200 SKUs (18%) and introduced new packaging resulting in +$1 million annual cost reduction.
1990 Product Manager, Europe
Fortune 500 Tier 1 Automotive Supplier
· Responsible for business development of $150 million product line marketed throughout the Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) region covering 81 countries.
· Successfully shifted business focus to high-margin original equipment sales in light of rapidly declining aftermarket potential.
· Introduced numerous value-added designs that resulted in unprecedented OE sales with leading, premier European vehicle manufacturers.
1989 Manager, Engineering - Europe
· Promoted to lead entire European engineering organization. Included operations responsibility for European Technical Center, heart of a 50 person engineering organization.
· Introduced several industry-unique new products, achieving business on over 200 engine models spanning 13 major European car manufacturers.
· Launched DFM concepts for leapfrogging manufacturing cost reductions (3 patents filed).
1988 Manager, Manufacturing Engineering – Europe (Expatriated to Europe)
· Following a highly successful European new product launch, was requested to stay in Europe to launch a ground-up manufacturing engineering organization for European operations. Led design & development of machinery, process and tooling for four UK and Belgian plants.
· Implemented programs to improve costs, flexibility, quality and inventories; launched corporate TQM initiative.
· Developed and introduced high-speed component fabrication, assembly, and packaging systems.
1987 Program Manager
Fortune 500 Tier 1 Automotive Supplier
· Selected to expatriate to Europe to launch new product I had invented.
· Coordinated all line & staff activities in engineering, manufacturing and marketing resulting in a timely and successful launch in all distribution channels throughout Europe.
1983-1986 Staff Engineer
· Three different positions with progressively increasing responsibility in Research, Product Development and Project Management. Various R&D product/process programs in several automotive components.
· Invented ‘Double Copper Design’, heralded as an industry milestone.
1979-1982 University - Industry CO-OP
· CO-OP with two Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers in various engineering programs.
· Invented ‘Low Oil Level Sensing Technique’ (2 Patents).
Education MBA, University of Phoenix (Honors, 4.0 GPA) 2003
BSME, Purdue University (Selected to National Dean’s List) 1982
Publications SAE and SIA Papers
Patents Three patents. Numerous process-related trade secrets
References Available on request |
