Benjamin Wingert Email & Phone Number

Grand Rapids, Mi, Us

Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area, Michigan, United States

Global food solutions distributor, wholesaler and retailer. Servicing independent, chain and e-commerce grocers, U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, and own brick-and-mortar grocery stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. Human Resources Leadership Team member and Labor Relations Subject Matter Expert responsible for the negotiation and grievance administration of collective bargaining agreements, health / welfare, and pension plans.

Greater Chicago Area

North America’s largest private label food and beverage manufacturing and packaging company.• People and Talent Pillar Leader for the BRIG Business Unit (Bars, Refrigerated Dough, Instore Bakery and Griddle) with five direct and 26 indirect functional reports across five manufacturing sites in the United States and Canada. Served 2,200+ employees (100+ professional, 900 union, 1200 non-union) in Carrollton, TX, Forest Park, GA, Ogden, UT, Lakeville, MN, and Brantford, Ontario, Canada.• Led multisite HRLR transformation through the implementation of our progressive operating system, embedding values and best practices, and delivering superior employee value proposition initiatives including the multi-site roll-out of round tables, town halls, and recognition events. • Collaborated to lead a cross-functional comprehensive process improvement team, executing a category turn-around where service levels improved by over 30%.• Through focus on culture building and the leading indicator of employee involvement, drove enterprise-leading increases in Employee Engagement, improving division score by 16%.• Developed values-based HR Assessment and Selection Guide for enterprise-wide use, aimed at standardizing candidate assessment and improving interviewer reliability and candidate experience.

• Category Human Resources & Labor Relations leader. As a performance manager with five direct and three indirect functional reports in this multisite placement, championed the 800+ employees (65 professional, 250 union, 200 non-union, 300 seasonal) across three plants in Chicago, IL, Faison, NC, Green Bay, WI, and a distribution center in Hobart, WI. • Negotiated three collective bargaining agreements and two supplemental employee service agreements on time and on budget, allowing category to meet our customer service level needs and capture co-manufacturing opportunities from competitors.• Led retention effort reducing employee turnover by 40% through intentional hiring, implementing data-driven and employee needs-based policy improvements, and building, capturing, and communicating positive culture.• Implemented a functional mentorship and development program. Led PHR preparation and certification for category HR staff. Built functional competency capable of supporting other divisions.

Green Bay, Wisconsin Area

Global Commercial and Defense Shipbuilder with over 20,000 engineers and skilled-trades workers worldwide.• Managed and developed a staff of six direct and four indirect reports; supported 1,000+ professional and skilled trades workers at a 20+ building construction and manufacturing operation (100 professional, 450 union, 450 non-union).• Oversaw all talent acquisition, management and development activities, college and professional recruiting, compensation, regulatory compliance reporting, training, payroll, performance management, and business planning. First chair in Collective Bargaining. Directed the Grievance and Arbitration procedure, responded to NLRB, EEOC, ERD, OSHA. • Designed workforce planning initiatives such as sourcing 200+ non-union skilled workers from Puerto Rico, built out and implemented organizational redesign, and drove change management.

• Led day-to-day employee and labor relations, including investigations and grievance procedure.• Resolved complex employee relations issues. Planned and directed work activities of HR support staff.

• Collaborated with senior leadership to rewrite and implement Employee Handbook.• Led Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). Onboarded 400+ contingent workers seasonally.

• Supported employees and site HR team through maintaining HRIS, ATS, and Timekeeping systems.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States

Private U.S. home improvement retail company with 13 billion revenue, 351 stores and 12 distribution centers.• Led hiring, attendance, timekeeping, and training for 185+ full and part-time employees.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Fortune 500 global leader in Digital Transformation and Industrial Automation.• Supported full-cycle talent sourcing and programming for co-ops, interns, and manager trainees.

Bachelor'S Degree

Mba

Master'S Degree - Human Resources & Labor Relations