Financial Strategy & Planning: Develop and implement comprehensive financial strategies that support long-term business objectives and drive sustainable growth.Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead the budgeting and forecasting process, ensuring accurate financial planning and analysis to guide decision-making and resource allocation.Cost Management: Oversee cost control initiatives, identifying opportunities for cost reduction and efficiency improvements while maintaining product quality and operational integrity.Risk Management: Implement effective risk management practices to mitigate financial and operational risks, ensuring the company's long-term stability and resilience.Financial Reporting & Compliance: Ensure timely and accurate financial reporting in compliance with GAAP and other regulatory requirements. Oversee audits and maintain strong relationships with external auditors and financial institutions.Operational Leadership: Collaborate closely with the executive team to drive operational efficiency, process improvements, and capital investment strategies that align with business objectives.Team Development: Lead and mentor a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate financial performance and strategic insights to key stakeholders, including the board of directors, investors, and business partners.I am passionate about leveraging financial acumen to drive innovation, support business growth, and ensure long-term profitability in the dynamic manufacturing sector.

MaxUS Operations operates US Packaging - experts in food, beverage, pet food and consumables packaging, and MaxPax - experts in industrial and retail filling and packaging.As the Controller of the Maxus parent company, I: Provide comprehensive financial updates to senior managers by evaluating, analyzing, and reporting appropriate data points. Guide financial decisions by applying company policies and procedures to current economic landscape. Develop, implement, and maintain financial controls and guidelines. Achieve budgeting goals with proper scheduling, analysis, and corrective actions. Maximize payroll efficiency through innovative process development. Help develop and support short- and long-term operational strategies. Maintain internal safeguards for revenue receipts, costs, and team and organizational budgets and actual expenditures. Establish (in coordination with CFO) financial and operating benchmarks, budgets, program monitoring, and reporting standards on biweekly, monthly, and annual basis. Implement consistent accounting policies, practices, and procedures across all programs, adhering to national and local legal standards while remaining knowledgeable of proposed legislation. Develop and enforce internal controls to maximize protection of company assets, policies, procedures, and workflows. Oversee and support accounting team with dynamic leadership that creates an environment of trust and productivity.

Need some time to get away to get a nice color or a hair makeover? Do you want a personal feel without worrying about other people around you? Stop on by our lil cozy in-home salon in Elkhorn, WI and let Merita make you feel like a new person. Follow Merita @hair.by.merita on Instagram or come check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Hair.By.Merita/

Shopping online has never been more rewarding. Our selection of fashion goods includes stunning pieces for every occasion, size or budget. Our retail experts go far and beyond to create our breathtaking, creative collections, and our customer service team will make sure that your expectations are not just met, but exceeded. Come visit our website at www.shopjamcb.com and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShopJAMCB/

Head of all financial and accounting related items including completing month and year-end closings.Implemented a new PEO that saved $100,000 per year in healthcare costs, other benefits, HR, and payroll costs.In addition to the new PEO, completely reconstructed the entire 401k plan from plan documents to matching contributions. Was able to use part of savings from PEO implementation to increase matching capabilities from less than 1% to 4% of salary.Challenged and negotiated costs on business insurance to save the company $20,000 on renewal. Used hiring skills to cut all recruiting fees and hired quality employees saving the company $15,000 within the first 3 months of employment.Designed and implemented monthly Statement of Accounts process to handle A/R issues pertaining to outstanding invoices. Was able to collect over $50,000 of outstanding invoices of the $91,000 outstanding (55%) within the first 30 days of implementation.Working with Product Manager to implement a new cycle counting process, which already discovered over $225,000 worth of inventory (of the $4.1 million) that needed to be removed appropriately.Lowered line of credit balance from $1.2 million to $195,000 by extending A/P, overseeing A/R, and handling cash efficiently within 6 months of employment. Implemented new internal controls that consisted of monthly account reconciliations, segregation of duties, access controls, approval authority, and asset control.Able to learn completely new ERP system (SYSPRO) within two months of hire.Setup monthly procedures to make sure entire financial system was reconciled, complete, and accurate in a timely manner.Handle cash flow and management, along with all banking operations.Handle all 401k fiduciary duties, payroll processing, and year-end testing with retirement vendor.Continuing to work on improving policies and procedures from month end closing to HR related items.

Solely in charge of all accounting activities and department (on top of previous Staff Accountant duties), including completing month and year-end closings.Handle year-end audits and create financial statements for senior management and private equity stakeholders.Handle cash flow and management, along with all banking operations.Handle all 401k fiduciary duties, payroll processing, and year-end testing with retirement vendor.Lead the yearly budgeting and forecasting processes. Made process improvements for a faster, more efficient month-end closures and year-end audits. Was able to improve period closures from 14 days to 5 days. Continue to receive feedback from auditors that year-end continues to get more efficient and the costs continue to decrease from more efficient audits.Manage, coach, and mentor two subordinates that conduct A/R, sales, and general administrative duties.Suggested and volunteered to take on recruiting role for the entire company to help cut costs and hire better qualified candidates. Successfully hired a total of 13 people (40 employee company), which saved the company over $225,000 in recruiting fees within two years.Successfully obtained $850,000 by applying for the PPP loan to keep business operations functioning during pandemic.Successfully was able to get $850,000 forgiven by the end of the same year. Implemented an On-Time Delivery (OTD) schedule and monthly meeting to track efficiency. The process allowed for senior management to discover root causes for late deliveries on specific jobs. Developed an A/R project named “Project Zero” with a small group involved with A/R and collections that successfully decreased 60+ days of aging receivables by 85% and counting.Complete all company’s sales & use tax filing, 1099’s, annual business registration, and other federal filings.Improved and now manage Service Department billings that resulted in 75% less billing complaints and credits.

Manage and maintain company's A/P, A/R, collections, cash flow, billing, corporate filings, certificate of insurances, fixed assets and depreciation list, interest payments for long and short-term debt, HR related items to onboarding new employees and payroll with the assistance of the PEO, and company expenses via Concur platform.Assist VP in month-end closure, year-end audits, WIP, job costing, creating financial statements, variance analysis on general ledger accounts.Successfully cut expenses by an average of over 20% by adding Concur platform to control expenses, lowering interest rates on short-term debt, and finding cost effective vendors to perform third-party work (e.g., commercial cleaning and lawn maintenance). Saved the company over 10% using accounts payable by negotiation and taking advantage of discounts on payment terms.Create appropriate journal entries and reconcile general ledger accounts.Send Management and Board of Directors weekly flash reports, labor utilization reports, and productivity reports.Handle all commissions and management bonuses.

Controlled business operations by managing 5 office employees, 3 mechanics, and 30 over-the-road drivers.Brought in on average 60% of the company’s revenue by purchasing freight from brokers. Total average annual revenue for the company was $7.5 million. Successfully decreased costs and increased revenue by over 15% on average implementing a new tracking system for drivers. This also improved our on-time-delivery rate from 75% to 95% within six months.Assisted in the formation of our service center which helped reduced our repair costs by 60%. Managed and maintained most of the company’s accounting functions, which included A/P, A/R, billing, collections, general ledger, account reconciliation, and assisting with external audits. Analyzed revenues and expenses monthly to investigate and report any significant deviations from historical trends.Created new standard documentation that included policies, procedures, and forms for both office employees and drivers.