Mickey Baker Email & Phone Number

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

It is my pleasure to oversee the operations of M&E Catalyst Group. Our highly skilled team is committed to providing the highest level of service to our partners and clients in the complex financial planning arena.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Oversight Monitoring and Record Keeping• Ensure all securities are reviewed for regulatory compliance before approval• Monitor producers’ outside business activities to ensure regulatory compliance before approval• Ensure all correspondence subject to MMLISI’s review requirements are reviewed and approved• Conduct producer interviews• Conduct client file reviews• Conduct inspections of branch offices and other detached locations• Ensure all agency records are maintained in accordance with regulatory and company standards• Review and take appropriate action on production, activity, and exception reportsDisciplinary Actions/Enhanced Supervision• Notify GA of material deficiencies and develop written action plans to address such deficiencies• Assist the GA in conducting internal investigations and developing courses of action to correct/address instances of inappropriate conduct by producers and agency associates• Monitor all enhanced supervision arrangements and provide regular reports to the GARegulatory/Home Office Liaison• Serve as agency liaison with regulators and home office compliance personnel• Assist regulators during examinations and report results to home office compliance personnel• Facilitate inspections by home office compliance personnel and agency directors• Assist in responding to inspection reports prepared by home office compliance personnel• Assist home office compliance personnel with customer complaints, demands, and legal actionsTraining and Compliance Resource• Coordinate and document the firm element of MMLISI’s continuing education program• Conduct and document new agent compliance orientation• Develop additional compliance training programs and written material as necessary• Respond to questions from producers, agency management, and associates regarding compliance issues and company policies

Maple Grove

POSITION SUMMARYResponsible for inventory management of assigned commodity items for all company locations. This includes buying, arranging transfers, developing and implementing fastener sourcing strategies that address Quality, Delivery, Responsiveness and Cost.ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES•Facilitate supply management activities between branches and suppliers.•Request price and delivery quotations, issue purchase orders with proper requirements, managing for accuracy, quality and delivery performance.•Meet company goals of service degree, inventory turn and gross profit while reducing E&O inventory.•Work with other buyers in the Würth Industry North America Group to coordinate group purchases.•Investigate cause and drive resolution on Quality Notices (QN’s) associated with product group. Actively pursue appropriate charge back of unacceptable costs working to improve vendor performance.•Implement sourcing strategies developed by Director of Materials to support corporate objectives, providing the company competitive advantage in the areas of materials, supplies, and services. •Identify strategic partners and processes.•Negotiate short-term and long-term Supplier Agreements, including pricing, quality, lead-time, freight and payment. •Maintain mutually beneficial long-term partnerships with suppliers locally and globally to foster feedback and continuous improvement.•Drive continuous improvement in all aspects of the procurement process. •Identify cost drivers and monitor indices, markets and trends.•Drive vendor quality and delivery with key commodity vendors.•Analyze data, develop and implement strategies for assigned procurement area to include spend analysis, market and geographic considerations, strategic importance, etc. to meet company goals and objectives. •Assist Operations with special projects and resolution on inventory issues.

Hopkins, Minnesota

• Manage $10M in inventory in seven distribution centers across the country.• Manage relationships with more than 60 vendors; ensuring company needs are consistently met.• Department lead in monitoring vendor transportation effectiveness including assessing and negotiating penalty fees for performance shortfalls.• Department lead for evaluation of VMI service level performance including directing corrective actions to maintain company objectives.• Train and guide associates in software and technology utilization.• Develop and maintain tracking system to measure key vendor performance in order to guarantee best pricing during quarterly evaluations.• Accomplish shipping accuracy and delivery reliability through constant supply chain monitoring and management.• Control and report vendor performance metrics to ensure service level goals are met and exceeded.• Foster meaningful working relationships with team members to achieve department and organizational goals.• Department lead hosting a team from Oracle during information gathering phase of software upgrade process in order to familiarize them with buying systems and functions.

Hopkins, Minnesota

• Department lead for the depletion of millions of dollars in inventory, following a structured timeline, to eliminate financial exposure during management transition.• Hold personal responsibility for forecasting sales and inventory needs for over 2000 items.• Maintain excellent service level and achieve inventory goals across seven distribution centers nationwide.• Monitor and evaluate daily reports to identify possible problems and take corrective actions before they negatively impact retail.• Evaluate forward buy opportunities to hedge company position prior to price fluctuations.• Track shipments, both inbound and outbound, to ensure timely delivery.• Develop an expertise in buying system functions and organizational software.• Demonstrate integrity by addressing missteps head-on and implementing measures to prevent reoccurrences.• Develop software solutions to provide rapid, accurate information dissemination resulting in more efficient usage of time.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Set and achieved goals for personal production and customer satisfaction through detailed planning sessions• Established a professional reputation for strong ethics and putting clients’ needs first• Applied subject knowledge, gained through licensing and on-going training, to educate clients

Hopkins, Minnesota

• Successfully made front-line decisions demonstrating flexibility in managing rapidly changing circumstances, while accommodating atypical requests from customers and directors.• Implemented monitoring techniques in the management of warehouse loading activities allowing increased transparency and 300% reduction in miss-shipped product on my shift.• Utilized diplomatic management techniques during union contract negotiations to motivate a hostile workforce and ensure company goals were achieved.• Led teams as large as 100 employees to consistently exceed organizational objectives.• Became a trusted problem-solver by displaying passion, dependability, and effectiveness.

Plymouth, Minnesota

• Responsible for facility and staff management.• Drove profits and client retention through honest, knowledgeable, and fair sales techniques. • Effectively maximized profits through vendor selection and cost negotiations.• Compiled detailed performance and sales reports for ownership and other management.• Completed service work as required.

Bachelors Of Science, Operations Management

Activities and Societies: Student Member of APICS

Education record

Activities and Societies: Varsity Football 1998 - 2000General High School Studies