www.ilight-tech.comwww.SpellBrite.comInnovative LED lighting manufacturer owned by private equity group.Brought on board to create a new line of LED signage products focused on retail business owners, franchisors and chain stores. Responsible for all new product development, marketing, sales, logistics, sourcing and customer service management. Responsibilities also include the enhancement and optimization of existing iLight OEM products.

Startup owned by inventors of product. Manufacturer and distributor of innovative hand tools.Full P&L responsibility for all areas of operations including sales, marketing, global sourcing, logistics, customer service, financial management and product distribution• Created and executed marketing strategy to win new customers and grow sales within the retail, industrial and automotive tool channels. Added over 300 new customers in 3 years while increasing sales over 30% per year.• Managed international distribution contracts, relationships, OEM programs and order fulfillment with customers in Canada, Europe, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.• Developed and launched five new self-adjusting locking pliers, multiple self-adjusting tongue-and-groove pliers, and innovative try-me packaging and merchandisers.• Actively sought and secured new Chinese manufacturing sources, driving savings of between 20% - 50% in sourced components and finished product. Audited and improved plants’ quality processes and continually improved product.• Negotiated pricing and general operating agreements with outsourced Chinese plants. Managed supplier relationships, production scheduling, logistics and cost improvements.• Established a distribution and customer service center in West Chicago, IL and hired, trained and managed staff of 4 direct reports and 10+ outsourced contractors (legal, manufacturing, creative, payroll, temporary labor and engineering).• Worked with the owner to create his divestiture strategy. Pursued companies interested in the purchase of LockJaw, LLC and created all due diligence analyses and sales materials. Retained by the purchaser to manage the transition.

New product development machine funded by a private equity group consisting of leaders in the tool industry.Strategic planning, new product development, marketing and operations for a newly acquired tool company, Slide Sledge• Completely reengineered the product to reduce defects, added needed safety mechanisms and reduced manufacturing costs. Led the new product development process and launched two new complimentary product lines.• Launched over 40 new accessories for existing and new Slide Sledge products. Moved component production to China resulting in over 50% cost savings.• Increased sales to over 4X the historical sales level. Captured new accounts including Caterpillar and United Rentals.• Set pricing, annual budgets, measured performance and presented results to our board of directors (Draupnir, LLC).• Planned and executed 20+ shows per year, ran extensive PR campaigns, built the Slide Sledge website, created the demonstration video and placed national print and targeted television advertising.• Innovation awards earned: MAC Tools, Equipment World Magazine and Collision Repair Product News.

Acquisition of a U.S. manufacturer by a Chinese manufacturer to dominate the retail plumbing fixture market.Joined a small team of hand-picked consultants from Gibson & Associates to form a temporary merger integration and operational improvement team for China’s largest faucet manufacturer• Led a SKU rationalization project that reduced the existing 2,800 SKUs by 84%, enabling the business to maximize its volume and profit while maintaining the necessary product line depth and breadth.• Sourced transportation, including truckload, ocean, less than truckload and intermodal, resulting in 25% savings on a $16 million annual spend.

Privately held, 150-member consulting firm specializing in strategic sourcing, logistics optimization, low-cost country sourcing and sales / marketing development.• Led several strategic sourcing consulting engagements comprised of 5-7 senior and staff consultants and 10+ cross-functional client team members to optimize the supply chain, transform the procurement function and deliver millions of dollars of savings to the bottom line.• Annual commodity savings from teams personally managed totaled over $50 million with typical savings in the range of 15% to 35%.• Clients included Porter Cable DeVilbiss, American Tool Companies (Purchased by Newell Rubbermaid), OmniQuip, Textron Fluid & Power and Textron Marine & Land Systems.• Elevated the purchasing function within the client organization through the involvement of executive-level leaders on each commodity team from opportunity assessment through final supplier negotiation and selection. Delivered hundreds of hours of classroom and project-based training to all cross-functional team members to assure the procurement department continued to operate at a world-class strategic level.• Evaluated hundreds of direct spend, indirect spend and transportation vendors around the world during on-site supplier visits throughout North America, South America, Europe and China from home bases in the USA and UK.• Led the business development support team of 6 senior and staff consultants. Created sales leads and tracked progress, presented our services to executive-level clients, and performed high-level assessments to estimate the savings potential of a full-scale consulting engagement. Won several new engagements.• Responsible for the personal development and advancement of the 5-7 senior and staff consultants assigned to projects.• Promoted to Senior Consultant – November, 1999.• Promoted to Manager – February, 2002.

• Created the $500M Midwest division strategic plan, analyzed sales and service performance, and executed operational and organizational improvements in conjunction with the division vice president.• Restructured the sales organization into national, key and regional teams to align with the consolidating customer base.• Won the North American Achievement Award in 1997 and several Midwest division awards.

Co-founded a business specializing in the modification and repair of personal watercraft and the sale of high-performance accessories and apparel• Created the business plan, acquired funding, recruited vendors and executed the marketing plan.• Increased product and service sales over 50% year over year.• Sold shares to partner in May, 1995. SkeTech, Inc. is still in business today.