Joel Newcomb Email & Phone Number

Des Moines, Iowa Area

Took a full time position with Sammons effective 4/20/2015! Super Excited!!

Des Moines, Iowa Area

I am currently fulfilling a 6 month contract with Sammons Financial Group on the Unclaimed Property Project. During my first two months on this project I have worked closely with the UCP project team, business sponsors and SME’s to define and document program requirements for both the Regulatory Settlement Agreement and Global Resolution Agreement.I currently have two primary projects assigned to me falling under the UCP project. The first is tasked with developing an automated process… Show more I am currently fulfilling a 6 month contract with Sammons Financial Group on the Unclaimed Property Project. During my first two months on this project I have worked closely with the UCP project team, business sponsors and SME’s to define and document program requirements for both the Regulatory Settlement Agreement and Global Resolution Agreement.I currently have two primary projects assigned to me falling under the UCP project. The first is tasked with developing an automated process for creating maturity letters for life policies while retaining RSA compliance. This project has allowed me to work closely with multiple IT and business units as a solution is developed which meets the needs of the business while also leveraging resources not utilized in the annuity maturity process such as the ODS (as the data source) and xPression (for automated letter creation). I am currently in the final stages of completing a data map and BRD which will be used by the ODS team to determine resource requirements and effort for the development of the needed data extract.The second project assigned to me is the Standard Processing Policies Long-Term Solution and monthly Incremental Load. In this project I have worked very closely with several business units including claims, policy change, policy billing, valuation, correspondence and general accounting to define each SPP group so accurate group ownership could be assigned and UCP scope designations could be completed within the Master SPP Spreadsheet. This project recently received an approval to plan after high level project requirements were presented to the ODS team. My work on this project has allowed us to gain key stakeholder support for leveraging the ODS architecture in the development of this centralized administrative solution. The creation of a project vision document and BA work plan are in process and on pace for completion at the end of March. Show less

Des Moines, Iowa Area

I led two product divisions across multiple facilities, successfully executing on client projects and internal stakeholder requests. I have developed and documented standard operations procedures to ensure consistent measurement criteria across all sites as well as an operational forecasting model to assist with the analysis of our volume, revenue and expense relationships and trends. My performance in these areas has resulted in significantly improved staff efficiency, waste reduction and… Show more I led two product divisions across multiple facilities, successfully executing on client projects and internal stakeholder requests. I have developed and documented standard operations procedures to ensure consistent measurement criteria across all sites as well as an operational forecasting model to assist with the analysis of our volume, revenue and expense relationships and trends. My performance in these areas has resulted in significantly improved staff efficiency, waste reduction and accuracy of our monthly and annual financial forecasting.From 2011 through 2014 I successfully executed on operational expense reductions totaling $350,000 while also developing and implementing a full-shop quality control process which reduced the average monthly spoilage from 4.3% to 2.9% and reduced the number of errors that left the facility and were reported by our clients by 56%. I created and maintained a complete costing and pricing model that is utilized for quoting new project opportunities and validating benefits of implementation within our Print Management Information System (MIS) which I researched and implemented in 2012. That particular project gave me the opportunity to work closely with CDS Global’s IT and development staff as I set expectations for project deliverables such as automation enhancements and integration with existing systems.I have led several new equipment and software research, comparison and implementation projects over my 6+ years with CDS Global including our second digital press, our current Print MIS and our first intelligent inserting solution. All of these projects required me to work closely with multiple IT divisions, facilitating and documenting results of elicitation activities through; assessing capability gaps, defining project deliverables, allocating internal and external resources and managing project milestones through completion. Show less

Des Moines, Iowa Area

In this role I was responsible to the day to day operations of our Des Moines color print facility which included workload management, process improvement and staff performance. I was also responsible for the management of several systems which supported daily operations. One example of this was the implementation, internal development and software update testing of our automated prepress solution. In this system, I developed and maintained highly automated prepress workflows allowing for… Show more In this role I was responsible to the day to day operations of our Des Moines color print facility which included workload management, process improvement and staff performance. I was also responsible for the management of several systems which supported daily operations. One example of this was the implementation, internal development and software update testing of our automated prepress solution. In this system, I developed and maintained highly automated prepress workflows allowing for sophisticated file manipulation and production preparation, preventing the need for traditional electronic prepress staff. I also worked closely with internal IT resources to implement a testing environment which was used to identify bugs in software updates prior to installation on the primary production server.In 2009, I developed processes, documented procedures and trained our workforce to be compliant with Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) chain of custody standards. This project consisted of a year long process of researching and then implementing program standards which, at project end, resulted in CDS Global gaining dual certification. Once fully implemented, I lead all biannual internal audits and annual external audit performed by Bureau Veritas. I also trained my workforce annually to be Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and SSAE 16 (formerly SAS 70) compliant due to the sensitive material content being produced in our facility.Another one of my key successes was the development and maintenance of logs for collecting and reporting individual and team productivity metrics, production floor equipment downtime and consumables usage which allowed for more accurate workload and financial planning as well as more in-depth and accurate staffing performance reviews. Show less

Des Moines, Iowa Area

I led a team of 5 digital press operators, operating multiple digital presses across three shifts of production, to meet customer demand. I led the installation project for two digital presses in the Urbandale, IA facility and assisted in the installation project for two digital presses in the Columbus, OH facility. I was the technology and workflow SME for both of these facilities, regularly troubleshooting print file issues with our prepress department, rip speed issues and programming errors… Show more I led a team of 5 digital press operators, operating multiple digital presses across three shifts of production, to meet customer demand. I led the installation project for two digital presses in the Urbandale, IA facility and assisted in the installation project for two digital presses in the Columbus, OH facility. I was the technology and workflow SME for both of these facilities, regularly troubleshooting print file issues with our prepress department, rip speed issues and programming errors with our VIPP development staff and production quality issues with our vendors.I developed and documented a training plan and curriculum for new color print operators which allowed me to successfully train 5 press operators over my 4+ year tenure, saving Nationwide nearly $25,000 in training expenses. I also traveled to the Columbus, OH operation on multiple occasions during the initial implementation of digital color printing to that facility, assisting with new operator training, new equipment troubleshooting, and workflow implementation.I developed and implemented a digital press color management processes which maintained an average color accuracy within a 2.5 dE across the Iowa fleet of three digital presses. I developed processes and documentation for collecting and reporting spoilage and equipment uptime metrics which allowed for more in-depth performance reviews while also reducing team spoilage. I created and maintained a full shop SOP which was used by print and bindery operators to assist with equipment setup, operation and maintenance while also outlining step-by-step production workflow processes. I utilized the baseline SOP to develop process improvement plans for both print and bindery production. I led daily shift turnover meeting between 1st and 2nd shift which established daily production schedules while also giving the team direction on maintenance, troubleshooting and issue resolution. Show less

Des Moines, Iowa Area

I received my start in the printing industry in 1998, working for Acme Printing were I was responsible for the setup and production of multiple offset printing presses. In 2003, I was assigned to the digital print integration project where I assisted in the installation and production integration of the companies first digital color press. During the first year of implementation I assisted with digital print output testing and analysis for the purpose of developing standardized prepress and… Show more I received my start in the printing industry in 1998, working for Acme Printing were I was responsible for the setup and production of multiple offset printing presses. In 2003, I was assigned to the digital print integration project where I assisted in the installation and production integration of the companies first digital color press. During the first year of implementation I assisted with digital print output testing and analysis for the purpose of developing standardized prepress and digital press color management file output processes. I also led client demonstrations of the newly added digital printing capabilities during the companies 2004 open house event which hosted more than 200 attendees. My involvement in this project allowed the company to start offering the solution in less time than originally expected, allowing for an expedited revenue stream and return on investment. Show less

Graphic Communications

Attended Associate Level Courses, Graphic Arts & Liberal Arts

Education record

Business Leadership Certification Program