Craig Cizek Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Greater Chicago Area

Associated Materials is a leading manufacturer and distributor in exterior building products for residential, commercial remodeling and new construction markets.VP of Pricing - Operating in a pricing operations and strategy role, Optimizing margin and EBIT growth through strategy design and execution and pricing operations best practices.- Design and execute margin and EBIT enhancement initiatives driving significant growth in company valuation- Develop pricing organization and capabilities from ground up- Operate with and report results to executive leadership team and PE management

Channel Strategy and Pricing Strategy Engagement (Market Leading Auto Parts Wholesaler)• Developed war game scenarios, actions and outcomes to assist leadership with strategy development addressing consolidation within the supply chain and threat from on line competitors• Assessed current margin management capabilities and developed and proposed tactical and strategic pricing actions to drive both revenue and margin rate improvement

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Acted as integral member of senior management team, with charter to optimize profitability of all products and services. Working in private ownership environment designed and executed revenue and margin optimization actions resulting in EBIT growth. Successfully drove margin lift across multiple and complex customer channels. Oversaw strategic planning and evolution of corporate culture. Managed seven direct / 60 indirect Held P&L responsibility for $7M operating budget with project budgets up to $1M. Successfully led process / strategy transition from public to private ownership model while meeting EBIT growth goals.• Worked with senior management team to build enterprise-wide culture, business, and EBIT growth strategies.• Spearheaded initiatives to generate margin gains and reduce expenses to achieve EBIT growth expectations.• Delivered 200bps margin improvement and 5% transportation cost reduction through development of complex pricing and commercial actions, enabling outperformance of internal targets and industry norms.• Identified / filled gaps in bench strength and forged path to continual improvement, leading to pricing and margin optimization team with best-in-class capabilities, while adding value through succession planning.• Created professional development roadmap for team of 70, enabling adaptation to changes across customer base, product categories, competition, and mode to market as well as shift from on-site to remote work.• Enhanced and speeded implementation of pricing strategies by leading large-scale implementation of powerful new third-party SAAS pricing tool and cloud migration.• Played key role in company’s charitable activities as board of trustees member and advisory board member of foundation, guiding activities of councils across 40 distribution centers and corporate offices.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Played vital role in evolution of company through organic and acquisition-fed growth in rapidly changing industry with expanding customer channels, service options, and modes to market. Adapted processes, programs, technology, and capabilities to meet new challenges. Managed staff of four direct and 40 indirect reports, ensuring efficient management of $5M operating budget. Championed and executed enterprise margin management strategy, build-out of dedicated pricing organization, and implementation of best-fit pricing technology solutions at each stage of growth.• Exceeded margin targets and delivered several years with 100bps YOY improvement with design / execution of commercial offerings to address increased competition, new customer channels, and expanding product categories.• Piloted proof-of-concept / pioneered best-in-class pricing organization, replacing decentralized / ineffective subset of accounting with results-oriented team, including technology, processes, controls, and competitive intelligence.• Enabled company to keep pace with external margin pressure by identifying, procuring, and leading multiple $1M technology solution implementations, driving margin benefits exceeding 50bps.• Adapted and grew pricing organization to handle introduction of acquisitions from different verticals as well as expansion into numerous new product categories and competitors.• Increased competitive advantage by expanding pricing function scope to other business units and new channels.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

In this new, hybrid position expanding beyond traditional controller role, shifted emphasis from closing books to intense financial analysis and strategic financial liaison to various commercially oriented functions. Led team of 5 direct and 30 indirect reports, reporting to CFO.• Established Accounting as true business partner, collaborating with senior management team in creating strategies to drive revenues and margins.• Liaised with Commercial-facing team to support Sales and Merchandising with analytics and recommendations.• Conceived and championed idea for one of industry’s first dedicated Pricing functions, implemented as VP Pricing & Margin Management.