Mark Christopher

Mark Christopher Email and Phone Number

Vice President of Finance at Direct Supply
Mark Christopher's Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, United States
Mark Christopher's Contact Details

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About Mark Christopher

Mark Christopher’s career is hallmarked by his contributions in driving business growth, acquisition planning and integration, improving finance, treasury and accounting processes, and increasing profitability.Mark’s most recent role was VP of Finance at Direct Supply Inc., a provider of innovative equipment, eCommerce, and service solutions to the senior living industry. As a member of the senior leadership team of the company’s largest division, Mark developed and implemented financial strategies to move forward the company’s growth and its commitment to enhancing the lives of seniors. Before Direct Supply, Mark was VP of Business Development / General Counsel of the Furniture Division at School Specialty, Inc. a publicly traded distributor of non-textbook educational supplies and furniture. He was instrumental in driving multimillion-dollar sales growth by spearheading a reorganization of the company’s Project by Design group. Prior to School Specialty, Mark was VP of Sales & Marketing and VP of Acquisitions at Krueger International, which designs, manufactures, and sells furniture and movable wall systems for various markets. The scope of his responsibility expanded to include sales and marketing functions after he delivered 20% revenue growth by managing KI’s first acquisition.Mark was also CFO / General Counsel for 5 years at Anchor Foods, Inc., a manufacturer of appetizers and specialty food products. He was a major contributor in driving multimillion-dollar sales increases, market expansion, and profitability improvements. He was previously a Partner at Husch Blackwell Law Firm.Mark’s academic credentials include a M.M. Degree from J.J. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a J.D. degree from University of Michigan Law School.Strengths:Strategic Financial PlanningFinancial Analysis & Reporting Acquisitions Treasury ManagementBudgeting & ForecastingLegal AdvisementRisk Management Due Diligence Tax Planning

Mark Christopher's Current Company Details

Vice President of Finance at Direct Supply
Mark Christopher Work Experience Details
  • Direct Supply
    Vice President Of Finance
    Direct Supply Feb 2012 - Jul 2019
    Greater Milwaukee Area
    Responsibilities: Management of annual budgeting and monthly forecasts, review and analysis of sales, margin and expenses; analysis of customer and supplier profitability; presentations of monthly results to managers and directors.Highlights:- Financial reporting process restructuring, including creation of financial metrics and dashboards (e.g., daily flash and customer and vendor profitability dashboard).- ROI measurement of major investment in pricing software platform through analysis and development of tracking program with Director of Pricing.- Improvements in timeliness, accuracy, and details of monthly reporting and analysis for use by executive management, including monthly comments on financial performance for the Board of Directors and for quarterly Board presentations.- Incorporation of analytics for sales funnel, lead time, and backlog to streamline forecasting process.- Development and training of sales directors in the use of an online self-service dashboard to help the quickly access sales and margin metrics of inside sales team.- Substantial reductions in annual print spending through reallocating part of print to digital in collaboration with VP of Marketing.- Freight cost reductions and resolution of freight system concerns through working with Senior Director of Pricing to identify and address problems with freight system and 3rd party logistics provider.
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  • School Specialty, Inc.
    Vice President & General Counsel
    School Specialty, Inc. May 2004 - Dec 2011
    Responsibilities: Management of furniture division and $100M revenue budget; legal advisement to leaders and senior managers; litigation and arbitration strategy and management; evaluation and analysis of potential acquisitions, developing acquisition structure, drafting and reviewing acquisition agreement, exhibits and schedules and due diligence management.Highlights:- Reorganization of Projects by Design Division (resulting in sales growth from $70M to $100M in 5 years) included pre-sales and project management support, sales team realignment, lead generation and qualification process, and new compensation for sales reps.- Removal of company’s suspension for technical violations of contract by the NYC Board, recapturing its ability to sell.- Major contract win with U.S. Communities GPO representing multimillion-dollar sales potential through effective strategy development, cross-functional team management, and negotiations. - Creation of defense strategy and partnership with outside counsel to successfully defend company from claims (averting $10M expense) of several sales representatives.- Review and negotiation of purchasing contracts and agreements with state governments, public school districts, purchasing cooperatives, and group purchasing organizations at favorable terms to company.- Pricing development, transaction structuring, and draft and review of acquisitions agreements, exhibits, and disclosure schedules to successfully close 6 acquisitions.
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  • Ki
    Vice President
    Ki 1998 - 2003
    Responsibilities: Strategic sales and marketing planning; growth and profitability improvement strategies; evaluation, acquisition and integration of SpaceSaver Corporation.Highlights:- Acquisition SpaceSaver Corporation (20% revenue growth to Krueger International), included pre-acquisition financial analysis, acquisition terms, schedules and exhibits, due diligence, integration, and stock purchase plan to incentivize and retain senior leaders.- SpaceSaver grew from $58M pre-acquisition to $70M in 2nd full year following acquisition with 10% reduction in expenses. - Eligible management employees of SpaceSaver participated and borrowed funds to collectively invest in the company based on design of the stock purchase program.- Leadership of cross-functional team that created innovative eCommerce and digital strategy.- Member of a new product team
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  • Anchor Foods
    Cfo And General Counsel
    Anchor Foods 1993 - 1998
    Responsibilities: Legal advisement; financial reporting; banking; external auditor and risk management relationships; contracts with customers and suppliers; compliance with all applicable food laws. Member of executive team and Board of Directors.Highlights:- Efforts to increase shareholder value in anticipation of company’s sale included growth strategy, credit facility to fund CAPEX to support double-digit growth, relationships with national accounting firm, banks and external auditor, financial and tax advisement to owners).- Company experienced multimillion-dollar growth, expansion beyond the food service market to national restaurant chains, club stores, retail grocery, and convenience stores, and increases in profitability. - Corporate structure reorganization and estate plan development to enable family owners to tax-effectively transfer wealth and maximize charitable giving.- Negotiation and closure of supply agreement with HJ Heinz to manufacture TGI Fridays appetizers for the retail market.- Implementation of formal cost accounting process and activity-based costing system to achieve accurate understanding of products’ costs and ensure decisions maximized total sales and margins.- Leadership of team that established food processing facility in Chihuahua, Mexico. - Development of strong relationship with Mexican audit firm.

Mark Christopher Skills

Mergers Contract Drafting Financial Analysis

Mark Christopher Education Details

Frequently Asked Questions about Mark Christopher

What is Mark Christopher's role at the current company?

Mark Christopher's current role is Vice President of Finance at Direct Supply.

What is Mark Christopher's email address?

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What is Mark Christopher's direct phone number?

Mark Christopher's direct phone number is +192060*****

What schools did Mark Christopher attend?

Mark Christopher attended Northwestern University, University Of Michigan, University Of Wisconsin-Madison.

What skills is Mark Christopher known for?

Mark Christopher has skills like Mergers, Contract Drafting, Financial Analysis.

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