Cara Chestnut Email & Phone Number

Kalispell, Montana

Responsible for the daily reconciliation of various General Ledger accounts.Prepare documentation for month end processing.Assist with preparation, review and approvable of Accounts Payable items.Assist with Purchasing functions, including coordination with various branches and departments, ordering and tracking.Provide customer service duties for Glacier Bank Administrative Team.Assist Controller with task as requested.Provides superior internal & external customer service & is able to demonstrate self-governance.

Kirkland, Wa

Reviewed inventory levels each week for parts used in the assembly of trucks at three Kenworth manufacturing plants and placed orders with suppliers. Worked closely with Corporate Purchasing, Engineering, Suppliers, and other groups to ensure that all material arrived at the plants according to necessary guidelines.•Determined production requirements weekly for nearly 4,000 parts by reviewing historical data, trends and other information. Issued purchase orders with 60+ active suppliers to meet manufacturing schedules and maintain proper inventory levels.•Planned and coordinated the introduction of new parts and reduced old part inventory in conjunction with Plant/Division Engineering, Materials, and Purchasing personnel.•Negotiated delivery, expedite fees, or other special charges with suppliers.•Monitored supplier quality, service, and delivery issues with cross functional team members; taking corrective action when necessary and communicating issues to Materials Planning Management and/or Corporate Purchasing as appropriate.•Initiated and established EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) programs in cooperation with Materials Planners at the plants, PACCAR MIS and Kenworth suppliers. Maintained EDI working sets for use by Kenworth suppliers and plant planners.•Reviewed inventory levels for excess, surplus, or obsolete accumulations weekly and initiated or recommended disposal of obsoleted parts. Participated in twice yearly S&O (Surplus and Obsolete) part review.

Redmond Campus

Successfully completed a contract role with the Sales, Marketing, Services Group-Readiness (SMSGR) at Microsoft. Responsible for providing guidance and assistance to internal business groups and project owners regarding purchasing procedures, SOWs and company policies. Interacted and assisted suppliers with new supplier set-ups, Small Service Provider onboarding, routing SOWS for electronic signature and various other tasks.•Managed relationships with 40+ active suppliers across 25 different countries.•Ran a monthly Invoice Maintenance Report and analyzed data to determine which past due open PO balances could be closed and which needed to remain open for further invoicing. Followed-up with suppliers and internal stakeholders as necessary.•Manipulated and reviewed existing reports to extract required data as needed for miscellaneous projects.•Acted as liaison between SMSGR stakeholders and Talent Source while facilitating the set-up of small suppliers to the Small Service Provider Program (SSP).•Coordinated the execution of all Small Service Provider POs between the SMSGR stakeholder and Talent Source.•Followed-up monthly with internal stakeholders regarding SMSGR suppliers who were at risk of having a PO block put on their account due to PII Non-Compliance; advising of next steps and actions required to avoid the PO block.•Reviewed and assisted in the preparation of Statements of Work guaranteeing that the team submits quality documents that adhered to Microsoft and SMSGR purchasing policies.•Created and delivered an updated Approved Supplier List (ASL) every 3 months to aid stakeholders in finding Approved suppliers in the appropriate Microsoft purchasing categories.•Reviewed monthly Approved Supplier Usage metrics data for the SMSGR team; making corrections as needed before entering the data into a PowerPoint slide.

Redmond, Wa

Successfully completed a contract role at Microsoft within the Learning category of the Global Procurement Group. Responsible for collecting, tracking, updating and validating the accuracy of detailed data associated to the managed Supplier list while also assisting internal clients and suppliers as necessary.•Managed the integrity and accuracy of the data within the Learning Approved Supplier List (ASL); guaranteeing the implementation of informed business decisions.•Facilitated the execution of Master Agreements, SOWs and Pricing Addendums with suppliers ensuring their compliance with category ASL criteria. •Assisted in the creation of a managed Supplier list in the subsidiaries of the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Australia; establishing a set of consistent criteria to be utilized throughout.•Researched New Vendor Justification submissions making recommendations on whether to approve or reject the request.•Created a Vendor Exception Approval (VEA) Report tool resulting in a better understanding of VEA Business Group spend.Strong analytical, communication and cross-group collaboration skills are essential. Follow-up skills are critical to this position.

Greater Seattle Area

Succeeded in a contract role within the Apparel category; duties included managing and executing all tasks related to ASIN creation, pulling various queries for reporting, maintaining the product catalog with necessary updates, and communicating with suppliers regarding new product.•Contacted suppliers regarding item set-ups ensuring that new styles were set up with accurate, detailed information in a timely manner.•Managed the product catalog applying updates to cost, retail price, product description and supplier style ids when applicable.•Coordinated and processed product samples submitted to the photo studio guaranteeing images would be available when the new product launched.•Researched problems with regards to ASIN creation, finding solutions where necessary and following-up with suppliers when incorrect data was provided.

Greater Seattle Area

Responsible for maintaining purchase orders from inception to closure, determining whether styles should be reordered, assessing size-selling data for each style, and communicating with a multitude of suppliers regarding all aspects of a purchase order.•Followed-up with suppliers on a daily basis regarding purchase orders ensuring incoming merchandise arrived on schedule. •Determined appropriate size-selling for new styles creating a history to be utilized on future re-orders and like product. •Assisted Inventory Managers and Buyers in achieving product fulfillment and profitability goals of the department. •Planned all styles within one supplier group from inception through the product life-cycle taking ownership of the inventory and developing strategies to maximize sales & inventory turns.

Kent, Wa

Duties included placing all purchase orders for soccer apparel, footwear and accessories with foreign and domestic vendors, coordinating delivery of cargo to the Distribution Center (D.C), reviewing import documentation and invoices for accuracy, and maintaining the seasonal Buy Plan while successfully supervising a small staff. •Maintained the integrity of the Buy Plan for each season ensuring that business decisions were made with all the relevant information available.•Allocated apparel and footwear purchases by size and color, forecasting how the merchandise would sell through the season.•Served as in-house expert on Customs tariff classifications verifying that the correct duty rates had been factored into the mark-up of the product.•Coordinated delivery of cargo to the DC minimizing customer backorders.Footwear buys ranged from 300 pairs to 10,000 pairs per Purchase Order. This position reported directly to the COO.

Kent, Wa

Accountable for creating and maintaining purchase orders, forecasting and planning projected sales of merchandise, and collaborating with U.S. Customs on compliance issues.•Forecasted buys in several categories determining the appropriate quantity and time-frame for delivery.•Reviewed Customs compliance issues on imported goods decreasing the likelihood of a future audit.•Collaborated with the sales force in accurately forecasting demand on the sku level for special make-ups.•Authored the Purchasing Procedural Manual for Corporate and newly established Hong Kong office developing core guidelines to be implemented and followed.

Greater Seattle Area

Repsonsible for daily communication with overseas vendors, working directly with ocean carriers to verify arrival and Bill of Lading information, and the documenting of any carton overages or shortages on all shipments for internal and customs audit purposes.

Facilitated the Customs Clearance for ocean inbound cargo for accounts such as Boeing, Inc. & Diadora America.Helped to coordinate the delivery of product to the customer's Distribution Center once cargo had cleared Customs.

Ba, Business Admin - Management & Spanish

Activities and Societies: Business Club

I Did Not Earn My Degree From The University Of Montana. Transferred To Pacific My Junior Year., General Studies

Activities and Societies: None. I worked part-time while attending school full-time. I didn't have time for activities or groups.