I was promoted into this technology role to:1) Lead the conversion team as we converted the dealership management system ("DMS") for all 6 dealerships.2) Develop and implement a plan to outsource all reliance on internal technology resources.3) Develop an internal reporting website (the "Intranet") where each dealership could be measured against key performance indicators and consolidated reporting was no more than a "click" away.4) Developed and implemented server, email and internet security strategies.Although these objectives were achieved within the first 12 months, an opportunity to "re-sell" the Intranet through our new DMS provider was identified and a joint-venture between Voyles and myself was formed.It has been an arduous journey of nearly 5 years, and looking back, not sure one that I should have taken. None-the-less, the software has been built and sold, and I am currently winding down my 2 year support commitment. I wish to thank Voyles for the faith in me and the opportunity they provided me during this journey.Many thanks to Voyles for their continued support, as I look forward to the journey ahead!

This was my first step into the automotive industry. Attracted by an opportunity with the largest privately held automotive dealership group (Van Tuyl, later sold to Bershire Hathaway), I jumped back into a controller role with a large upside. Unfortunately, the large upside did not materialize as hoped, but it did take me down the path into a Chief Information Officer position (see Ed Voyles Automotive Group) . As controller, however, I did achieve a few note worthy accomplishments:• Reduced time line from selling a vehicle to the bank's funding of the deal, from 12 to 4 days.• Improved accounting monthly close time from 10 to 3 days.• Designed and developed an internal management website, similar to the “Intranet” later implemented at the Voyles Automotive Group.• Initiated quarterly reviews of Expenses with each department manager.

AGCO Corporation is $3 billion (sales) international agricultural equipment manufacturer. Once again, that Florida State University accounting degree (go Noles!) paid off (and the AA & Co experience didn't hurt either). I was able to bring the family north to Atlanta, GA and work as the Directory of Strategic Planning for AGCO. It was my first introduction to international business, which I found fascinating.While managing the world-wide budgeting (both planning and reporting of actual versus planned), I had to coordinate and document the strategic plans for every region: US, United Kingdom, South America, France, Germany, Australia, etc.. Assumptions and probabilities were assigned to strategic issues, which were rolled up into one consolidated plan, which was presented to the Board of Directors.I encountered issues for the first time, such as: foreign currency trends, foreign currency translation, over-coming language barriers and local cultures, and time zone differences, etc..The position allowed me to travel internationally and grow personally, as I be-friended so many colleagues in so many countries outside of the US.Many thanks to AGCO for opening my eyes to a much larger world!

As arguably the largest gold jewelry distributer in the US, the challenges faced as Chief Operating Officer came fast and furious. From managing production in Italy, Mexico, and the US, to distributing as many as 10,000 orders daily (during peak season), the challenges were many.I fondly look back at my time with Aurafin as COO. I can’t thank the owner enough for giving me this opportunity. It was truly the most challenging, yet rewarding, experience of my life. As chief operating officer, I was able to accomplish so many things, such as:• Headed a system conversion steering board and led all facets of a system conversion.• Re-arranged distribution personnel, allowing for shorter walk times to the shipping department which lead to the elimination of 4 distribution positions.• Implemented a production inventory reservation/allocation system that tied factory production orders to customer sales thus eliminating order fulfillment issues.• Negotiated volume shipping agreements with Fedex and UPS that saved $3,000/month in shipping expenses.

Aurafin was a privately owned client of mine while I was at AA & Co.. Having watched Aurafin grow from $8M to $40M in just a few years, I jumped at the opportunity to become their Corporate Controller. It wasn't long though before the owner saw my leadership and problem solving capabilities, and moved me into the Chief Operating Officer role. However, as controller I was able to accomplish many things, such as:• Implemented accounting process improvements reducing staff from 6 to 5 employees.• Created a gold hedging process that eliminated exposure to daily fluctuations in the gold market. • Modified the sales order credit approval process reducing delivery time by 1-2 days.• Developed a gold tracking/recovery system that reduced production loss by $10,000/month.

Arthur Andersen & Company (AA & Co), what a great place to start a business career. Much thanks to AA & Co for the nearly 5 years of training and education!While at AA & Co, I was introduced to most every industry one can imagine: Banking, Real Estate, Non Profit Organizations, Government, Manufacturing, Transportation, Retail and Agriculture (to name a few). I was taught specific skills related to: risk assessment, internal control compliance testing, business writing, documentation, the "dreaded" 10 key calculator, MS Excel, MS Word, and many more.I was a founding member of the Small Business Systems Consulting team, which installed or converted smaller companies' (not requiring Andersen Consulting Services) to accounting systems such as: Macola, Lawson, MS Great Plains, etc.. Although this was my first introduction to "system conversions", I've had the ardent responsibility to lead 2 company-wide system conversions since.