Gary Free Email & Phone Number

Miami, Fl, Us

Us

Finance and Accounting Leader for the $60M Austin Division with full P&L responsibility managing month end, annual business planning, forecasting, and SOX compliance. Accountable for Land Acquisition Proformas, Inventory Sales & Closings, Sales Strategies & Promotions, and AP.• Saved over $1M in annual costs by coordinating with the Construction Management team evaluating cost overruns and establishing corrective actions.• Increased Return on Assets (ROA) from negative 8% to 24%, and decreased land and home building assets by 40% through the design of business strategies including: - Restructuring land contracts softening terms to allow control of land prior to ownership. - Decreasing cost overruns, improving land acquisition strategy, and eliminating excessive buildup of spec homes by balancing spec starts to sales pace. - Repositioning product offerings and pricing strategies based on market research data directly resulting in an increase in sales velocities. • Collaborated with Corporate Accounting to improve annual business planning process, monthly forecasting process, implement warranty accounting, and standardize reporting for key performance indicators.• Revamped the closing process providing consistent weekly closing volume, eliminating last minute cancellations and closing issues, creating a steady workload for division and producing more consistent cash flows. • Reduced purchase order variances and errors during the construction process by collaborating with the Purchasing Department, creating more accurate budgets and take offs prior to starting construction. • Contributed to 100% revenue growth and overall bottom line profit growth of over 400%.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Directed the Finance operations of the $180M Dallas Division, accountable for annual business planning, monthly financial reviews, quarterly forecasts, financial analysis, AP, and all reporting. Led over 1,400 closings per year, while devising the financial systems/processes that supported a 50% increase in revenue and 125% increase in earnings. • Devised a Construction Bonus Program, which slashed construction cycle times by 50%, reduced budget over runs by 70%, and increased Customer Satisfaction ratings.• Collaborated with Director of Warranty to create an incentive program and monthly analysis and reporting structure that resulted in a $4M reduction of annual expenses.• Championed, in coordination with vendors and department leaders, a division-wide expense analysis capturing a $2M reduction in overhead expenses.• Negotiated new wireless telecommunication contracts and established strong internal controls, achieving a $100K reduction in annual expenses. • Facilitated better flow of communication and effective collaboration among employees and departments, bridging communication gaps to achieve the corporate objectives. • Eliminated AP past dues and streamlined workflow between Construction, Purchasing, Accounts Payable, and Trade partners ensuring a more timely, accurate, and consistent payment process.

Dallas, Tx, Us

Directed the Accounting and financial functions accountable for Treasury, AR, forecasting and budgeting, oversight of P&L, reconciliation, ad hoc analysis, financial reporting, and presentations to executive management. • Created an automated cash verification and bank reconciliation system reducing staff overhead by 75% capturing significant salary cost savings.• Established an Accounts Receivable department including authoring a credit risk model, establishing policies and procedures, creating operating strategies, and conducting hiring/staffing that reduced 90+DSO from 80% to less than 5% and collected over $1M of severely aged receivables. • Devised the corporate Quarterly and Annual Budgeting Process that was incorporated into the standard operating procedures for the organization. • Conducted extensive analysis, summarized, and presented findings to executive management on menu engineering, item pricing, break-even points, route logistics, ROI, marketing promotions, and specialty item sales.• Collaborated with Department Heads creating strategic planning objectives, critical success factors, and contingency plans.• Directed all treasury functions including management of $MM cash balances, wire transfers, structure and maintenance of bank accounts, and reconciliation of operating and payroll accounts.