Reporting to the CEO, this position is responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s supply chain, manufacturing and distribution operations with a focus on delivering operation excellence and profitable growth. This includes:• Liaising with the executive team to set strategic goals and make decisions for operational activities.• Planning and directing all aspects of the organization’s operations team, policies and performance objectives in safety, quality, delivery, cost and supporting initiatives.• Overseeing supply chain, manufacturing and distribution operations in North America and ensuring adherence to safety and quality standards, timelines and cost controls.• Championing the implementation of lean six sigma to standardize and systemize operations.• Managing installations and repairs across North America in coordination with the service department.• Establishing and directing short and long term productivity programs aimed at continuous improvement.• Leading and developing operations staff to promote high performance and an exceptional employee experience.• Direct all operational improvement initiatives.• Managing procurement processes, including the coordination of materials and resource allocation.• Identifying waste elimination opportunities and competitive strategies to achieve maximum capacity at the highest quality, lowest cost and most efficient lead times.• Reviewing, adjusting and impacting the budget to achieve key financial goals.• Formulating, updating and promoting the implementation of operational performance, improvement policies and business system elements.• Managing relationships and agreements with external partners and vendors.• Evaluating overall performance by gathering, analyzing and interpreting data and metrics to report KPIs and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.• Ensuring legal compliance and conformity with established laws and regulations.

Overview: Responsible for implementing and overseeing all operations of the business including customer care, purchasing, receiving, production, order fulfillment, continuous improvement, safety, security and facility management. In 2023, took on the additional duties of human resources and financial management.Work side-by-side with the founders to ensure the company goals and vision are implemented throughout the organization. Drive efficiency and profitability of the business by establishing and enhancing all core metrics. Refined the core values of Accountable, People-Focused and Growth-Oriented and integrated a competency-based development system to leverage the strengths and improve the weaknesses of all team members. Presently transforming the entirety of Operations by infusing the business with accountability, participative leadership, safety culture and lean six sigma to concurrently expand capabilities and establish foundational concepts and tools. Champion all aspects of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Design and implement strategies, plans and improvement procedures. Manage day-to-day operations to ensure goals are achieved. Set financial and operational goals for company performance and growth. Oversee hiring in all departments. Help department leaders find solutions for all obstacles. Ensure that the company core values and company culture is woven into all aspects of leadership, training, and the progression of individual team members. Lead the Senior Leadership Team and Operations L-10 Meetings and participate in marketing, e-commerce and product development strategic planning. Have rendered Operations measurable and have shown month-over-month improvement in safety, quality, delivery and cost. Restructuring the leadership team and pulling “double-duty” by also serving in a hands-on, floor-level capacity to teach junior leaders how to become trustworthy team builders and change agents. See resume for key accomplishments.

Overview: Oversaw all Chambersburg cultivation and processing operations and served as champion for safety, quality, and process improvement. Drove company culture consistent with core values and best manufacturing practices in a stringent compliance environment. Mentored 105 team members at all levels. Set expectations and drove accountability in all business functions and taught gap analysis. Created feedback loops and kept team members engaged. Appraised behaviors and performance. Planned and executed team meetings, trainings, and key collaborations. Ensured business was operating to plan and took proactive measures to remain on-target. Facilitated improvement initiatives to enable production target attainability (plan vs. actual). Supported inventory planning and execution. Created and improved business reports and data systems. Ran business with keen attention to stability, waste, and variation reduction. Balanced a strategic and tactical approach to creating a culture aligned to Enterprise vision and objectives. Managed facility expansion of an additional 100K square feet of production space. Processes include shipping/receiving, plant propagation, vegetative/flower gardening, harvesting, drying/curing, trimming, processing (extraction/refinement), packaging, fulfillment, delivery, and customer service. Products include cannabis flower, vaporizers, RSO syringes and capsules, tablets, and concentrates. Created tools and solutions for every phase of our evolution.See resume for key accomplishments.

Overview: Served as Director for all manufacturing functions for the state Processing license and created the flagship model for Evolab/CBx production. Processes included receiving, warehousing, grinding, CO2/IPA extraction, refinement, analytics, topicals, inhalation (vaporizer and prerolled cigarette products), tinctures, capsules, packaging, and distribution. Key Accomplishments: Startup of facility and development of the team ahead of schedule and under budget with a product offering that greatly exceeded expectations. Instituted a safety program that yielded an OSHA RI Rate of 0.00 with key features including safety training, stretching program and comprehensive 5S (most visual factory in the company – images available). Created a quality framework of tools, visual aids, and audit criteria to optimize every facet of the business. Achieved six sigma capability with vaporizer filling. Earned partnership with Airopro Vapor and broke the state sales record and became number one brand in the state. Most labor efficient site in the company with best extraction efficiency (reduced needs by four pounds per run). Most importantly, created a highly effective and adaptive team of leaders from the surrounding community with zero previous cannabis experience. Pound-for-pound the best team, facility and processes I have found in cannabis. No previous industry experience.

Overview: Began as the hands-on plant manager and promoted to hands-on VP of Ops. by international executive leadership team within five months. Responsible for SQDC, compliance, shipping and receiving, inventory management and warehousing, subassembly, assembly, wood shop, finishing (resident paint expert), production planning, purchasing, facilities, equipment maintenance, HR, and all improvement initiatives. Key Achievements: Created the first positive revenue trend and the highest return in company history. Built a safety program that cut injuries by more than half and rendered the business OSHA/EPA-compliant. Implemented a visual 5S scheme facility wide. Established basic quality controls and training aids. Cross-trained the team, implemented optimal staffing and built an effective leadership team. Established basic lean flow and manufacturing systems such as effective production tracking. Drove efficiency up by >46%. Eliminated backorders and increased schedule attainment from 9-weeks behind to 1-week ahead. Established business performance dashboard and core metrics. Took the company from near-death to viable.

Overview: Initially served as the Production System Manager over all continuous improvement, quality, and process engineering functions as well as equipment maintenance and subsequently promoted to lead all of manufacturing operations and the production of thousands of cabinets and accessories daily while continuing to drive improvement initiatives across two shifts. Led implementation of best practices, ensuring adherence to the principles of lean manufacturing. Assisted and mentored direct reports and plant management and improvement teams with facilitation of strategic plans, kaizen, projects, workshops, and other lean six sigma activities nationwide. Coached and trained direct reports and leaders in lean manufacturing and problem-solving principles. Developed standard work and process controls. Assisted in maintaining bills of material and critical inventories for products and equipment. Performed value stream analysis and developed flow and routings. Delivered change for the better and performance through people. No previous industry experience. Key Accomplishments: Improved the facility safety rating by nearly 60%. Achieved the best labor efficiency in the division. Reduced scrap in the kitchen program by 50% and replacement occurrences by 40%. Established a vendor quality program that yielded >$100K in cost avoidance annually. Mentored Training Leader and managed the technical training and work hardening program. Generated cost savings in excess of $500K via the use of standardized work principles and process controls. Reduced equipment downtime and implemented effective productive maintenance concepts. Simplified and enhanced flow and reduced order picking errors by 50% with a team that spoke multiple different languages that included Spanish, Arabic, Nepali, French, etc. Co-developed the strategic safety plan and co-mentored the safety team. Sustained a near-perfect customer rating for product integrity. Industrial Lift Truck Trainer.

Overview: In a start-up environment, initiated and drove all process improvement, safety and environmental activities within a heavily automated and custom manufacturing facility that produced a fine laminate countertop every 15 seconds across two shifts with no previous industry experience.Key Accomplishments: Certificate of Recognition – Successful Plant startup (on time/within budget). Established and enhanced foundational lean and safety programs leading kaizen events, kata coaching sessions and various improvement projects. Facilitated Design of Experiments (DOE) projects across the division within the US and Canada. Created process controls, work instructions, SOPs, and performance boards. Established and maintained environmental compliance with air emission reductions. Successfully completed Maryland state two-year, full compliance audit and full-term, five-year State Permit to Operate. Maintained a posture of zero deficiencies and 100% compliance. Created a robust recycling program, which included batteries, lamp bulbs, etc. Performed chemical hazard reduction and substitution with green, less toxic, less flammable replacements and successfully rolled out GHS hazard communication. Plant of the Year 2013 (including best labor productivity through 2014). Received the division safety award within months of starting (worst-to-first), consistently the best safety record in the company and the best safety rate at my time of departure. Co-facilitated kaizens coast-to-coast and provided an on-site operations review with then Governor O’Malley.

Overview: Shifted from DoD contractor to Army civilian in 2004 and led the LCOE paint team while supporting the Patriot recapitalization campus with operation/maintenance experience on the Patriot system. Also served as the additional duties Safety and Environmental Officer. Relocated from Texas to Pennsylvania as a supervisor over a large scale process support branch (surface preparation and military coatings). Selected to a pilot supervisory program to develop into and serve as a lean six sigma change agent for one year. Due to results, was invited to stay on with the Office of Continuous Improvement for an additional year as a lean facilitator. Participated in three consecutive successful Shingo Prize examinations and was Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certified. Completed more than 20 successful formal kaizen events and a multitude of projects. Served as Chief of the Office of Continuous Improvement in director’s absence. Transitioned via competitive selection to senior operations manager of the Process Support Division where I created an autonomous structure of safety, quality, continuous improvement, and employee engagement. As Chief, was responsible for the planning and execution of all operational, administrative, and technical functions of the division including five full-scale production branches staffed by 300 mixed tradesmen operating 24/7 in six facilities. Capabilities included sandblasting, surface prep, conventional/chemical cleaning, metal treatment/plating, finishing, stenciling, silk screening, laser engraving, circuit card remanufacturing and vehicle component repair. Led civil servants, contractors, military personnel, and a direct staff of two administrators and 13 supervisors. Produced hundreds of vehicles and thousands of components monthly. Supported the remanufacture, modification, repair, and fabrication of military equipment and weapons systems. Key Accomplishments available upon request.

Inspector/Team Leader 1999 – 2004Vertex Aerospace CFT (formerly known as Raytheon Aerospace CFT) and L3 CommunicationsOverview: Led the paint facility team and also supported the center with continued Patriot system support, safety, and quality management. Began as a DoD contractor after installation went contract in late 1998. Paint Department Foreman MAR 1998 to OCT 1998US Army, Fort Bliss Logistics Center of Excellence (Fort Bliss, TX)Duties: Led a team of automotive workers tasked with surface preparation and finishing of military assets.

Overview: Meritorious service as Launcher Platoon Sergeant, Section Chief and Crewmember (Best Launcher Crew). Operated/maintained/deployed the Patriot Missile System. Served as ARTEP evaluator.