John Plescia, Cpa, Mba Email & Phone Number

Provide fractional CFO and COO services leveraging significant foodservice, manufacturing, financial, and system expertise.

Vernon Hills, Illinois

Provide leadership to all the financial, operations, human resources, and legal requirements for Prairie City Bakery. Key business partner to CEO & President, V.P. of R&D and Marketing, and V.P. of Sales.

Greater Chicago Area

Senior finance professional with over 20 years of progressive responsibility in finance, sales support and operations across corporate and operating units of a large consumer goods company. Enhanced background by then spending a additional 11 years at mid-size private equity owned international manufacturing company, where I entered as global controller and departed as Vice President\CFO. Proficient in developing business plans relating to acquisitions, capital spending justifications, restructuring, and other major investment initiatives while also leading the strategic planning, operation finance, cost accounting, and planning and analysis functions.

Lombard, Illinois

Selected to provide high-level executive leadership with oversight of financial planning, analysis, and management reporting systems. Played key role in numerous restructuring across Brazil, Europe, and US by performing strategic financial analysis and accounting. • Delivered new sales incentive financial systems to drive profitable gain sharing results. Developed monthly KPI reporting packages for operations and overall business results. • Coordinated and facilitated investor and lender presentations. • Optimized cash positions by developing cash flow projection models. • Contributed to growing EBITDA from $20M to $60M across Americas, Europe, and Asia by establishing all strategic accounting, operation finance, purchasing, annual budget process, and financial analysis initiatives.• Saved company $10M+ by overhauling expenditure process, including developing monthly KPI financial reporting packages.• Developed strategic business plans with financial justifications for major investments to Board of Directors, including $15M Asia Pacific Sales and Fishing Center, $3M Brazil Sales and Finishing Center, $10M multiple production line expansions, $5M plastic casing facility expansion, and $6M netted casing joint venture.• Assisted in expanding global reach by developing business plans with focus on synergies of $10M+. Coordinated financial due diligence for several acquisition targets including German and Poland casing company with combined $60M in revenue.• Saved $8M by revamping capital spending justification process to include strategic rationale requirements. • Developed and wrote 2 financial presentations and due diligence for bond refinancing of $215M and $275M. • Delivered $5M in annual savings by implementing currency and commodity hedging strategies.• Eliminated $2M in potential duty cost by leveraging international trade expertise.

Charged with developing and management support organization providing support to 80 branches and 300 product delivery routes, including management of inventory, pricing, route operations, fleet, sales administration, facility support, mobile computing, and inventory control. Managed team of 5 direct and 15 indirect staff members. • Streamlined sales management reporting and optimized routes by leveraging UPS logistics and MapPoint software applications and upgrading mobile computing.• Increased profits $2.2M annually by implementing route optimization and margin management programs.• Improved overall staff performance through restructuring of sales incentive programs.• Generated $3M in annual profits by developing and delivering several key price increases.• Reduced vehicle costs $500K+ per year by implementing multiple fleet management initiatives.• Delivered 20% increase in productivity and customer care time by implementing route management initiatives.• Increased overall efficiency by leading search, design, and approval of $4M investment for upgrade of handheld computing devices.• Saved $2.2M by developing route optimization team to utilize Mapping software and margin management.

Selected to oversee and manage all strategic planning, financial reporting, budgeting, analysis, capital spending, and internal controls for the Division. Directed team of 5 direct and 25 indirect staff members. Oversaw and supported all route accounting, credit, pricing, customer service, and sales administration. • Played key role in increasing profits 300% over 4 years through internal growth and acquisition.• Streamlined operations by consolidating multiple sales regions into 1 standalone division. • Drove 15% NOP improvement over 3 consecutive years through strategic development of growth plans.• Delivered 20% and 35% reduction in DSO and customer deductions by restructuring Credit & Collection Assistance department.• Generated $120M+ in revenue by integrating Cain’s Coffee Company into internal financial systems• Directed implementation and major upgrade of new ERP system (JD Edwards).

Coordinated the financial reporting, planning, and analysis functions for the stand alone operating unit of Sara Lee Corporation. Reported to CFO and managed four direct reports while directed five Division Finance Managers.• Led efforts to improve and achieve the strategic financial plan for an $800 million operating unit. • Developed customer and segment profitability template to improve decision making on investment spending opportunities.• Oversaw monthly financial review and Capital Expenditure Request process.• Conducted financial due diligence on two prospective acquisitions.

Reported to Vice President – Green Coffee Procurement with dotted line responsibility to CFO. Managed all green coffee accounting and logistic functions for SLC&T including five Green Coffee Procurement support employees.• Hired to develop stronger financial controls to prevent reoccurrence $7mm of lost profit resulting from frost in Brazil. • Major lost opportunity has not reoccurred despite continued market volatility due to system established. Function continued to be a key financial position for the company.• Designed and managed green coffee financial hedging and customer commodity pricing systems, to ensure volatile coffee market risks are minimized.

Finance Manager reporting to Finance Director with dotted line to Division President. Managed general ledger, trade spending accounting, financial planning, and financial analysis.• Strong performance in Outlet Division resulted in promotion to larger channel in need of improved financial support.• Improved investment spending decision by developing product category and sales territory automated P&L reporting systems.• Streamlined and improved controls surrounding trade spending budget more than $12 million dollars. (Reduced spending by over $500m with no loss in volume by improved effectiveness programs).• Performed several critical promotion effectiveness analyses and provided actionable recommendations.• Provided “make” versus” buy” analysis on critical product line resulting in over $1 million dollars in cost savings while improving Copacker relationship.

Finance Manager, reporting to Finance Director with dotted line relationship to Division President. Managed general ledger, store accounting, IT support, inventory control, store assets, financial planning, and financial analysis.• Designed and implemented all store accounting systems to support rapid store expansion period (18 to 45 locations). • Developed long range strategic plans, annual budgeting processes, and monthly reporting systems.• Retail accounting/Point of Sale (POS) system implementation.• Developed and gained executive management approval for multiple store profitability models• Provided financial analysis on price elasticity, investment spending, and other critical aspects of a retail business.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Accounting And Finance