John Cohen Email & Phone Number

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Norcross, Ga, Us

• Responsible for Category Management of Hardware, Marketing, IT, HR, Engineering and other headquarters spend; drafting contracts and negotiating terms (pricing, payment terms, volume commitments, vendor stocking programs, etc.) with vendors.• Cost Reduction and Avoidance of $1.568 Million.• Responsible for monthly auditing of procurement activities for division headquarters, including Sarbanes Oxly (SOX) compliance.

Marietta, Georgia, Us

• Optimizing return on packaging inventory investment; using historical usage data/forecast to negotiate packaging material pricing and availability with vendors. Maximize return on investment for company using SAGE.• Collaborate with cross functional teams to lead new packaging product design from concept to final product according to specifications• Manage packaging specification change process as old materials transition to new materials• Run reports to identify costs savings; reduce number of SKUs and consolidate demand to common packaging items, negotiate vendor stocking plan vs. make and ship• Develop/enhance relationships with vendors• Manage Material Disposition Request process

• Analyze standard costing in JD Edwards World 9.2 and make necessary corrections • Run monthly margin and bill to analysis reports. Review MoM, YTD and YoY trends, provide analysis and recommend action items for Senior Management. Review effectiveness of reports with SVPs of Sales, ask for feedback and improve reports so that they become more effective tools for identifying opportunities for improvement• Audit inter-branch transfers, identify unnecessary transfers of core products and potential savings (Unnecessary freight and labor at shipping plant)• Run monthly rebate reports and make corresponding accrual journal entries • Manage annual labor cost update project for US and Canada, ensuring that all labor spent in prior year will be absorbed in future production. Review production reports monthly and correct MDM manufacturing line assignments so that labor costs are assigned correctly, and annual update process is transparent • Review MDM plant level item database monthly for standard vs. last in cost, and make necessary corrections (standard costs, product/brand classifications, etc.)

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

• Managed 9,500 SKUs for 55 RDCs, and $52 Million in inventory ($260 Million in annual spend) using an ERP system based on Oracle financials• Managed import converting program($100M annual spend); ordering raw materials from overseas vendors to ship to contracted converters, creating POs to convert raw materials to finished goods, balancing network inventory to maintain corporate fill rate and inventory goals. Some grades were subject to tariffs if purchased as finished goods. Analyzed total cost of purchase for these grades and make decisions to purchase as finished goods with tariffs included in pricing, or as raw material to then be converted state side• Created processes for Vendor Optimization, and trained the other ERP Analysts on how to use these new processes. Created an SQL query to speed up decision making process, centralizing stock – eliminating pallet locations, and changes to minimum purchases sizes. Established Transfer Stock to stock strategy; product bought in larger quantities into centralized location to achieve purchase cost savings, and then system automatically transfers stock to smaller divisions• Created processes for Brand/SKU Transitions, and trained the other Inventory Analysts on how to use these new processes• Veritiv Corporation was a result of a merger in July 2014 of Unisource Worldwide Inc., a company jointly owned by Georgia Pacific and Bain Capital, and Xpedx a subsidiary of International Paper

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

• Reduced the number of items that I manage via ERP (based on Oracle financials) by 39% (5,870 items) since I started this position. I managed 9,500+ SKUs (55 RDCs) and $54 Million annualized purchases• Reduced total inventory by 12.0% over last three years. Reduced Dead and excess (distressed)inventory by 15.748% during this period• First month on the job: Reduced future purchases of excess inventory by $701,000. Reduced overstated minimum order sizes on over 1,700 SKUS • Found solution for $1.4 Million in purchasing shortfall for a core vendor. Proposed rationalization of vendors in this category. Created project plan for transitioning stock purchasing within this profuct segment• Raised Lines on Time Complete(LOTC) of core vendor from 13% to 80% using Process Improvement techniques• Initiated Vendor Supply Chain Optimization Training Session for Inventory Analysts. Helped develop Vendor Optimization Tool to help Inventory Analysts prioritize vendor lanes by value (Focus, Focus, Focus!)

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

Managed department during difficult transition from manual PO model to ERP PO model. Company restructured from regional to silo structure, and purchasing functions were transitioned from regional to centralized corporate control in Georgia.• Managed a staff of 14 employees; 10 Buyers/Senior Buyers and 4 Administrators• Managed $56 Million of COGS Fine Paper• Provided decision making for Supply Chain Optimization project (ERP model roll out)• Initiated a bi-weekly conference call with Area Vice Presidents of Sales and Area Marketing Directors.

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

Forecasting items to buy, maintaining the accuracy of expect dates, coordinating orders with Merchandisers to move trucks, making decisions about which items to discontinue, communicating with other departments regarding new/discontinued items, and maintaining good relationships with mills.• Managed $30 Million COGS Inventory Items. $20.2M COGS of this was an Import Consignment Program (Vendor Owned Inventory) or VOI.• Initiated three obsolete inventory reduction plans• Reduced and eliminated $3M of obsolete inventory, reduced 700 SKUs• Built strong relationships with Area Marketing Directors, Area Vice Presidents of Sales, Business Managers, three Customer Service Centers and thirteen distribution centers

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

• Sourced non-stocking items for government and utility bids, negotiating pricing and delivery dates with vendors• Managed Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) business including answering one-time bids three times a week. Created a tracking system to monitor these bids and their success. This tracking system resulted in a growth of one-time bid business