Born and raised in a family production business, I was working in the restaurant and bakery before and after school from the age of 7. I loved it then as I love it now.I learned a number of great lessons through my years in the family bakery, first in the menial roles and later as a supervisor: I quickly figured out how to direct and guide people to optimal levels of performance, realizing the importance of retaining key employees.Over the years, I have observed and adopted the best qualities of my bosses to become an effective manager with attention to quality, productivity, diversity and job satisfaction. I strive always to be successful both in and out of the workplace. My philosophy is to create wealth for my employer so my employer will create wealth for me.In first grade, I was being paid a salary of $20 a week during the school year and $40 a week during the summer. I quickly realized I had hit the salary cap, so I negotiated a deal with Dad. They were using 30# pails of frozen eggs; I proved to him that if he paid me a penny for each egg I cracked; he could switch to fresh eggs, have a better product and save money. I’ve been an innovator ever since. My passion has served myself and my employers well. At Crestone Group, I turned around under-performing bakery production with clear and focused direction to bring labor and food costs under control and continue efficiently for 6 years. I inspired a leadership team of 7 to rise to operational challenges, collaborate on strategy shifts and deliver dramatic performance results — growing sales from $16.6M in 2006 to $24M in 2012.Specialties:Personal Chef, On Site/ Off Site CateringStrategic Planning / ForecastingP&L / Budget ManagementCost Control / ReductionWorkplace SafetySQF Level 3 Food SafetyContinuous Process ImprovementsArtisan BakingCustomer Service ExcellenceLean Manufacturing PrinciplesProcurement / NegotiationData / Trend Analysis