Michael Lear Email & Phone Number

Florida, United States

Largo, Fl, Us

Greenville, South Carolina, Us

Direct operations of a contract manufacturer (blender & co-packer) with $100 million in annual revenue and facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and South Carolina. Make presentations to the Board of Directors on operations, quality, and strategic technical initiatives. Work as part of the executive team in developing strategic plans, annual budgets ($100 million), capital budgets ($4-5 million), and EBITDA goals. Lead a team of 5 vice presidents, including 3 who work remote facilities. Mentor senior managers as part of talent development. • Direct business functions that include manufacturing, engineering, quality control, supply chain, R&D, technical services, and customer service. • Rebuilt the leadership team, quickly changing organizational structure and promoting new directors/managers.• Achieved annual savings of $250,000-$300,000 by renegotiating existing leases and selling unused assets. • Partnered with IT and accounting to develop a new real time dashboard report based on data from an ERP/MRP.

Us

(Hearthside is the owner of Cloud Packaging)Managed $400 million in annual sales for an industry leader in co-manufacturing in the CPG and food industries. Negotiated contracts with clients at the level of vice president and director of supply chain. Oversaw a team of 4 sales executives. Prepared reports and presentations for private equity owners.• Clients included Kraft, Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Nestle Purina, Cargill, Ocean Spray, Continental Mills, and Grain Millers. • Developed pricing for 3 key accounts (Kraft, Kellogg’s, Ocean Spray) that led to renewed contracts while meeting goals for margin.

Directed all aspects of business operations and P&L for a company that manufactured and sold manufacturing equipment for the food industry (avg. sale $1 million to $3 million). Led presentations to the Board of Directors. Developed 3-5 year strategic plans that included revenue forecasts, pending orders, organization structure, product development, and strategic initiatives. Built a leadership team that included heads of Sales, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, IT, Engineering, R&D, and Operations. Worked with Sales and agency partners to develop marketing strategy. Led complex sales negotiations that involved risk related to selling customized products. Promoted continuous improvement and scalability needed to be competitive. Stayed current with market and technology trends that impact business goals. Attended leading industry events to evaluate new technology and industry trends. • Achieved year-over-year growth totaling 300% in revenue and 500% in EBIDTA over 6 years.• Increased revenue growth 20% by starting an equipment rental program. • Played a lead role in the purchase and integration of company (Roberts Packaging), relocating the company from Battle Creek, Michigan to Des Plaines, Illinois. Sourced the deal at an industry event, and contributed to due diligence. Persuaded key employees to relocate to metro Chicago, renegotiating salary when needed. Oversaw transfer of assets to Des Plaines. • Developed a culture that recognized and respected all stakeholders, including clients, vendors, and employees.

Oversaw all aspects of the business for a company that manufactured food packaging equipment and co-packed food products.• Led a successful product line expansion, increasing revenue $15 million over 3 years, exceeding business plan goal by 300%. Directed lease of building, purchase of equipment, and hiring new staff.• Played a lead role in the sale of the company in 2010 working with the buyer’s CEO and KPMG to answer questions that impacted valuation. Maintained confidentiality over 6 months before the sale was made public. • Created a costing database tool that improved Sales’ ability to price projects in a way that increased profitability. • Directed a special project with a key client (Cargill) that involved purchase of used equipment to launch a production line while new machinery was being manufactured. Enabled the product line to launch 9 months earlier than planned, which was featured in an industry publication (Packaging World).• Partnered with VP of Sales to source, evaluate, and implement a new CRM (Salesforce), which enhanced reporting, proposal management, pricing, and sales follow up. • Partnered with electric engineer to design a live production scrap system across 20 production lines to control spend by analyzing real time data.

Cloud Packaging Equipment and Cloud Contract Packaging Division

Cloud Packaging Equipment Division

Saint Louis, Mo, Us

Held Director level managerial roles with an industry leader in packaging machinery (Barry-Wehmiller Companies), transitioning from positions in engineering to leadership. Worked closely with clients in the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America to solve complex problems. • Developed expertise in all stages of manufacturing from equipment design, production, and installation.• Contributed to the integration of 4 acquired companies.

Bachelor’S Degree, Engineering Management / Electrical Engineering Preference

Leadership For Extraordinary Performance