Michael Weiner Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Optimal Approach is a full service accounting firm, providing clients with services that span from bookkeeping to income tax return preparation.

Napa, California

Producing Self-Guided Wine Tours of Sonoma and Napa Valley. We select wineries based upon the ambiance of the winery, the quality of the wines and the experience provided to visitors. We work with closely with our clients to provide an unequaled level of service and satisfaction.

Chicago, Il

Managing the day to day operations of the company including, team building, financial management, process improvements, compliance and income tax filings.  Implemented an Employee Handbook. Reshaped the team to have the right people in the right seats providing greater support and financial growth.  Implemented an insurance license filing and review process to improve compliance and reduce overall costs.  Reviewed and revised expenditures to reduce both costs and income taxes.  Improved communication with existing clients to significantly improve client satisfaction. Enhanced the company culture resulting in a significant improvement in employee morale.

Chicago, Il

Managing the day to day operations of the company including, team building, financial management, job quoting, process improvements, government compliance, tax filings and customer satisfaction.  Implemented a production schedule to increase productivity and achieve deadlines. Developed a budget calculator to simplify the quoting process, provide consistency and increase sales. Created a program to track profitability on jobs and execute a variance analysis review. Improved operations, producing a 28% increase in revenue without having to increase staff. Changed the company proposal format to be more informative so that clients would better understand the pricing structure. Enhanced the company culture resulting in a significant drop in employee turnover and improved employee morale.

Niles, Illinois

 Developed and implemented the company operations manual. Handle the month-end and year-end close, producing monthly financial statements. Provide an analysis of operating results, including variance analysis. Worked directly with the bank providing all necessary information in support of the financing line of credit. Work with the outside accounting firm to provide all information required for the filing of all tax returns.

Built dealership from the ground up driving significant improvements in gross profit, sales productivity and customer satisfaction over tenure. Led collaboration among Sales, Financing, Parts, Service and Accounting to ensure accurate financial reporting.  Supervisor to a 3 person accounting office for all accounting functions including A/P, A/R, Collections, Payroll, Cash Management, Financial Statement preparation and analysis.  Designed implemented and reviewed procedures and practices for the organization.  Achieved a 95% Customer Satisfaction ranking by consistently focusing on the needs of the customer. Developed structured pay plans for all key employees. Created an innovative compensation plan to attract and reward successful salespeople. Responsible for all communication with the company’s accounting firm, legal firm and banking contacts. Responsible for all compliance issues, local, State and Federal.

Expanded Operations from spec only to more profitable custom built homes. Conducted full-range Finance and Accounting activities, including Analysis, Financial Reporting, A/P, A/R, G/L, and Tax Compliance. Rigorous emphasis on cost control. Secured all required permits, inspections, building approvals, and closing documentation. Liaised closely liaised with customers to create and enforce change orders. Reversed long-term cumulative loss to $200k profit in 1 year by overhauling construction processes and cost controls, and leveraging technology. Implemented a Change Order program to track and control contract changes. Provided verified documentation to eliminate misunderstandings upon completion of changes. Slashed construction time 40% (from 18 months to 10 months) as a result of policy and process changes.  Improved construction project management as well as subcontractor management. Implemented UDA Construction software to create building timelines and implement a follow-up system that ensured completion of projects on time and on budget. Significantly improved construction budgeting by utilizing Quickbooks to better track and control expenses while providing an accurate variance analysis.

Quickly captured 3% of the Chicago market, including flagship client, ADP. Established and directed full-scope business operations for this HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliant technical company, including Production, Marketing, Finance, Accounting, and HR. Recruited/trained 4 sales professionals and led Business Development efforts with strategic clients  Northwestern Hospital, Cardinal Health, Abbott Laboratories, and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois.  Delivered 35% ROI to investors, gaining the attention of a large shredding firm that bought company in 2004. Slashed drive time and maximized account calls by developing a service-oriented routing system. Enabled high level of customer service and customer satisfaction.  Implemented cost accounting procedures that provided excellent feedback to control costs and highlight opportunities for significant growth of the company. Enabled 35% increase in route capacity by implementing a process to reduce time spent at each location, utilizing a documentation system that streamlined route operations.

Built company into highly profitable operation providing 28% ROI at the time of its sale in 2002. Led 25 member staff across Business Development, Operations, Accounting, Forecasting, Sales and Marketing, and all HR functions. Strong emphasis on policy and process development, and scaling operations to maximize productivity while minimizing staff.  Drove revenue from zero to more than $2M in less than 3 years. Ensured equity funding aligned with the needs of the business. Created financial reports and presented results to shareholders, board of directors and banks. Recognized as service leader in the provision of high quality ceramic coatings.  Responsible for the implementation and review of all financial information, including the financial statement analysis and presentation to the Board of Directors to effectively model the company for fast expansion.  Expanded operations to both Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD).  Authored articles for industry publications, Cutting Tool Engineering and Cutting Technology. Provided a 28% ROI to investors upon sale of the company.

A financial consulting firm serving companies and their high level executives. Implemented all of the back office accounting procedures required to run the company. Preparation of all financial information and tax filings. Developed an executive financial consulting program specifically for Helene Curtis.Provided seminar financial planning for McDonald's Corporation and assisted in the development of a financial consulting program for the executives