Richard A Steele Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, Us

The Secure Community Network® (SCN®), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. Founded in 2004, SCN works on behalf of over 50 national Jewish nonprofit organizations, 146 Federations, and over 300 independent communities as well as with other partners in the public, private, nonprofit and academic sectors to ensure the safety, security, and resiliency of the Jewish people.

Downers Grove, Il, Us

Univar Solutions Inc. is a global chemical and ingredients distributor and provider of value-added services. Founded in 1924 as Van Waters & Rogers, it was acquired in August 2023 by funds controlled by Apollo Global Management. [Korn Ferry]

Carol Stream, Il, Us

Prince Industries is a manufacturer and fabricator of precision, premium parts and components for aerospace & defense, medical, and general industrial segments. [Korn Ferry]

Sugar Grove, Il, Us

Revv Aviation (RA) is family owned and offers a range of aviation services: flight lessons, plane maintenance and servicing, and charter planes. [Korn Ferry]

Grand Rapids, Michigan, Us

AirLife (AL) is a $700 million company based in Grand Rapids, MI and privately held by Frazier Health Partners in Seattle. AirLife is a leading consumable breathing products company with a global focus on respiratory, anesthesia, and patient monitoring products. Accomplishments: I acted as Interim Assistant Controller while the individual in the role was on medical leave. In addition to maintaining the general ledger I revised the methodology for capitalization of manufacturing variances and freight in inventory, i.e., Cap & Roll. I was also responsible for two integration projects ongoing at the time: 1) modifying the Procure to Pay process at a newly acquired maquiladora facility in Mexicali, bridging SAP with Microsoft Dynamics GP, and 2) facilitating the progress of a OneStream initiative for consolidated financial reporting. [Gravity Talent Solutions]

Bartlett, Illinois, Us

Colony Display (CD) is a $140 million company based in Bartlett, IL and is privately held by Kinzie Capital Partners in Chicago. CD produces high quality permanent store fixtures, including design, sourcing, manufacturing, fulfillment, installation, and maintenance.Accomplishments: I acted as Interim Controller while they recruited someone to take over the position. Assisted with revising the inventory costing and valuation methodology during my tenure. Also assumed a major role improving liquidity and managing cash while the company was re-financing its line of credit. [Korn Ferry]

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Us

Received call from CFO asking if I could return for another engagement. The company subsequently acquired five more entities. Accomplishments: I handled all financial integration post acquisition: mapping the chart of accounts to the general ledger in NetSuite, importing historical monthly trial balances, making proforma quality of earnings (QoE) adjustments after reviewing and assessing credibility of trial balance data, ensuring adherence to corporate accounting processes and policies, and consolidating results and performance in comprehensive reporting workbooks. Created new consolidating workbook to report monthly, comparative and LTM (last twelve months) income statements for all entities, plus monthly tabs for balance sheet, statement of capital employed, and cash flows. Going forward uploaded monthly trial balances and closed periods for subsidiaries until migration to NetSuite system. Converted accounting treatment of leased trucks for service techs to comply with new lease accounting standards in ASC 842. Provided schedules and analyses to support sell-side due diligence and QoE requests from auditors and investment bankers.

Northbrook, Illinois, Us

CF Industries is publicly held, part of the Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing Industry, has approximately 3,000 total employees across all of its locations and generates $4 billion in sales from its seven plants in North America and two in the U.K. CFI manufactures and sells hydrogen and nitrogen products for clean energy, fertilizer, emissions abatement, and other industrial applications worldwide. Its principal products include anhydrous ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate products. The company also offers diesel exhaust fluid, urea liquor, nitric acid, and aqua ammonia products; and compound fertilizer products with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It primarily serves cooperatives, independent fertilizer distributors, traders, wholesalers, and industrial users. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.Accomplishments: Assumed interim responsibility for communicating with plant controllers and coordinating the consolidation and cost accounting reporting for the processing plants. Handed off to internal candidate promoted to the role and familiar with CFI reporting. [Salo]

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Us

Exponential Power (formerly known as Storage Battery Systems), headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI, is a power solutions provider specializing in backup and reserve power for utility, telecom, and other stationary applications as well as motive power for industrial and material handling applications. EP manufactures and distributes stationary and motive power batteries, battery chargers, testing and monitoring equipment, accessories, and services to customers worldwide. The group portfolio also includes Nolan Power (2018) and Quality Standby Systems (2019) subsequently acquired by High Road Capital Partners, a private equity fund based in New York, NY. Accomplishments: Assumed Interim Finance Director responsibilities filling a vacancy, took over financial reporting to board and executive leadership team, utilizing Spreadsheet Server for integrating general ledger data in Excel. Reporting package upgraded, now includes more than 90 statements, schedules, and charts. Financial integration from prior acquisitions problematic but completed. Kicked off ERP migration project from three legacy systems (MYOB’s Greentree, Infor’s SX.e, and QuickBooks) to Oracle NetSuite: site “GoLives” February (Atlanta), May (New Orleans), and August 2020 (Milwaukee). Acted as finance lead for the migrations, designing new chart of accounts, mapping legacy system accounts to NetSuite, and importing three years of monthly trial balances from legacy general ledgers into the NetSuite general ledger. Trained Group Controller in NetSuite accounting setup and configuration, and in Spreadsheet Server. [Salo]

Sunnyvale, Ca, Us

Hayes Manufacturing Services is a contract manufacturing company specializing in precision machined parts. Services include direct digital manufacturing, precision machining & multi-axis machining, laser cutting, fabrication, assembly, inspection(QA/QC) and engineering. HMS uses the latest full 3D CAD/CAM and modern CNC equipment, lathes, mills and laser cutting machinery. Precision machining services are available to all industries, including manufacturers of Medical & Laboratory Equipment, Imaging Equipment, Telecommunications & GPS, Semiconductors & Electronics.Accomplishments: Assumed Interim CFO responsibilities ten weeks following the transaction. Upgraded financial reporting and analysis function to meet new requirements from the Board and Creditors providing senior debt financing. Resolved legacy product costing and inventory valuation issues, with new inventory accounting practices and by modifying hourly rates for machine centers to adjust the capitalization of labor and overheads. Created the budget model for 2019. Handed off to the permanent CFO recruited from the industry. [CBIZ Private Equity Advisory]

Cleveland, Ohio, Us

CBIZ CMF client, headquartered in western suburbs of Chicago. Accomplishments: Assumed Interim CFO responsibilities day following the acquisition by a PE fund. Upgraded financial reporting and analysis function to meet new requirements from the Board and Creditors providing senior debt financing. Led initiatives for determination of the Closing & Opening Balance Sheets, calculating and presenting the Final Statement of the Purchase Price Adjustment, contracting for the Valuation of Certain Tangible and Intangible Assets under ASC 805, and managing the external audit of the Opening Balance Sheet. Handed off to the permanent CFO recruited from the industry. [CBIZ Private Equity Advisory]

London, England, Gb

STATS is the world’s leading sports data and technology company, and was founded in 1981. Today, STATS has grown to become the world’s leading sports data and technology company with operations and sports coverage on every continent (except Antarctica). The company is trusted by millions of fans and athletes around the globe to analyze performance data from more than 100,000 games a year with unrivaled speed and accuracy. STATS provides sports data, technology, and content to meet the evolving needs of the Media, Broadcast, Leagues & Teams, Fantasy providers and players, as well as major B2B and B2C brands. STATS works with the world’s leading brands and media organizations to attract and activate a sports audience through STATS Fan Engagement solutions, and partners with leagues and teams to improve team performance through custom player tracking, athlete monitoring and development, and video analysis solutions.Accomplishment: The company had acquired several entities in foreign countries over the past two years, but the subsidiaries were not financially integrated or consolidated properly in the corporate general ledger. I led an initiative to reconcile all of the applicable intercompany accounts, including cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments. Established process for maintaining these balance sheet reconciliations and trained accounting staff to carry on. [Salo]

Oak Park, Mi, Us

Futuris Automotive (FA), headquartered in Oak Park, MI, is a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier. FA designs, engineers and manufactures seating and interior trim in select markets for global automotive OEMs. The Company has operations in Australia, China, Thailand and North America. Key automotive solutions include seating systems and hardware, interior products such as door trims, headliners, and floor carpets, and various aftermarket services. FA is privately held by the Clearlake Capital Group, an investment firm based in Santa Monica, CA. Served in a variety of roles and capacities, see following paragraph.Accomplishments: served four months as Interim Finance Director for the CNI Enterprises Division in Madison Heights, MI. Led and closed re-financing of the senior credit facilities for the entire group, increasing the Revolver from $45M to $87.5M and the CapEx line from $1.5M to $10M. Performed financial due diligence and provided analytics for acquisition of an arm rest/head rest plant based in Tennessee, owned by a European automotive group. Responsible for post-acquisition financial integration of the plant in Milan, TN; also acted as Interim Controller for the acquired facility for four and a half months.Note: Futuris Automotive was purchased by Adient in September, 2017.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Established in 1959, Thresholds provides healthcare, housing, and hope for thousands of persons with mental illnesses in Illinois each year. Through care, employment, advocacy, and housing, Thresholds assists and inspires people with mental illnesses to reclaim their lives. Thresholds is one of the oldest and largest providers of recovery services for persons with mental illnesses in Illinois. Services include assertive outreach, case management, housing, employment, education, psychiatry, primary care, substance abuse treatment, and research.Accomplishment: I served as Interim VP of Finance while the organization recruited for a new CFO. Apart from daily operations and responsibilities, primarily focused on investigating application integration issues between the accounting system and electronic medical records (EMR) & billing systems. Worked with IT and accounting staff, and two outside service providers to craft a solution. Presented a proposal for resolving issues and outlined next steps in plan. [Salo]

Chicago, Il, Us

Founded in 1942 by John H. Johnson, Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) is the preeminent publisher of EBONY and JET magazines and owner of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a global prestige cosmetic brand for people of color. JPC is committed to celebrating the vibrancy of Black culture by operating trusted brands and delivering products of the highest quality that inform, engage, entertain, inspire, and enhance the lives of people.Accomplishment: My primary task as Interim CFO was to prepare Johnson Publishing Company for sale to a third party. I facilitated this sell-side transaction by collaborating with the management team and developing the Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) for circulation to investment banks and other interested media groups. I also created the financials, both historical and projections, for inclusion in this document. I left after the first round of discussions began with a prospective buyer, handing off to the remaining executives to complete the deal. [Salo]Note: Johnson Publishing Company was sold in June, 2016 to Clear View Group, a private equity firm based in Austin, TX.

Plano, Illinois, Us

Plano Synergy Holdings (PSH), headquartered in Plano, IL, is in the outdoor recreation and sporting goods industry supplying gear, cases, equipment and apparel for fishermen, hunters, and military/medical emergency personnel. PSH is privately held by Teachers’ Private Capital, a private equity investing asset group of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund located in Toronto, ON. Responsible for the post-acquisition integration and finance transformation for two companies based in Grand Prairie, TX (Synergy Outdoors and Wildgame Innovations).Accomplishments: migrated accounting operations (two general ledgers) from outsourced shared services entity to in-house | converted $110M division from cash basis to accrual basis accounting | successfully passed without qualification outside financial audits done by KPMG for YE2013 and YE2014 | performed analytics to understand dimensions of excess, slow moving and obsolete inventory | implemented standard cost accounting system for inventory | created accounting infrastructure and developed processes to meet corporate financial reporting requirements | acquired two more companies and consolidated their back office operations and accounting. [Sikich]

Stoughton, Wi, Us

Nelson Global Products (NGP), headquartered in Stoughton, WI, is a leading manufacturer of steel tubes used in emissions, coolant, heating, air intake and exhaust handling applications. NGP designs, manufactures, and markets a broad range of fabricated high performance OEM and aftermarket products for the global commercial vehicle, on-highway and off-highway markets. NGP is a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners, a private equity investment firm based in Chicago. Responsible for the post-acquisition integration and finance transformation of two plants, located in Fort Wayne, IN and Clinton, TN.Accomplishments: no professional accounting staff except for one cost accountant when I arrived | recruited temps, reconciled all balance sheet accounts (two general ledgers), closed all prior periods, and successfully passed without qualification outside financial audits done by Crowe Horwath for YE2011 and YE2012 | revised methodology for capitalization of inventory and standard costing | introduced a formal budgeting process and support for VCP (value creation plan) metrics and reporting | trained two controllers for each plant to take over responsibilities [Salo]

Morristown, New Jersey, Us

Financial Executives International (FEI) is the preeminent professional association for CFOs, Vice Presidents and Directors of Finance, Treasurers, Controllers and other senior-level financial executives in North America. The Chicago Chapter has more than 500 members, the third largest in the country.Accomplishments: under my leadership literally facilitated the transformation of the chapter | attendance increased by 40% | sponsor revenues increased from $85k to $260k | doubled the size of the board and amount of membership participation on committees | grew the mailing list from 600 to over 5000 | received the Chapter of the Year Award at the annual national conference held in April 2011. Finally, my idea for a marquee event for the chapter, the first annual FEI Chicago CFO of the Year Awards Presentation was launched during my tenure on November 3rd, 2011 (www.chicagocfo.org), with more than 600 attending.

Columbus, Ohio, Us

The National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP), headquartered in Columbus, OH, provides cost effective, community based services and support to children, youth and families. NYAP offers flexible, creative, outcome-based solutions to meet the unique needs of the communities they serve and the individual needs of the youth and families involved in their programs.Accomplishments: consulted for the board of directors | collaborated with the management team and drafted a plan for organizational renewal | performed financial due diligence and advocated for re-engineering of the accounting operations | outsourced technical support for network communications and IT infrastructure with a managed services provider, improving the user experience and stabilizing the utilization of multiple systems.

Sacramento, Ca, Us

MHP International is a market leader importer and wholesaler of high-end massage tables, sold through retailers such as Costco and Walmart to professionals and consumers. Products include both stationary and portable massage tables, chairs, stools and accessories.Accomplishments: improved processes for inventory control and costing | modified financial reporting system to better meet requirements of owner.

Lombard, Il, Us

Program Productions (PPI) is one of the nation's leading providers of live event video production support and labor management services. PPI manages more than 2000 live events per year, ranging from professional sports leagues and music concerts, to corporate trade shows and conferences. Program Productions services include professional crewing and labor management, mobile production trucks, equipment rentals, satellite transmission management, travel coordination, facilities management, production management, and site surveys.Accomplishments: advised owner to modify business model and value proposition, positioning company for explosive growth (on Inc. Magazine's annual list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies) | introduced and implemented job costing system, improved and segmented labor reporting | stopped losses and became cash flow positive.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Vienna Beef, a domestic food processor of sausages, deli meats, pickles and soups, was a $100 million privately-held, family-owned company with 400 employees in three plants, and based in Chicago since 1893. Scope of responsibilities included corporate finance, accounting, treasury, information systems and services, legal, insurance and risk management, human resources, and administration.Accomplishments: restored the credibility of the finance function by re-engineering the general ledger and implementing a new “business intelligence” based enterprise reporting and analysis system (formerly "green bar" printed reports) | variance in reported performance in my first fiscal year was more than $3 million | contracted with a professional employer organization (PEO) to co-source and more effectively manage critical human resource responsibilities, and employer compliance and risks. Realized $650,000 in annual cost savings from workers compensation and employee health insurance.

Jönköping, Sweden, Se

Nefab, an international manufacturer of transport packaging products, was a subsidiary of Nefab AB, a $300M private equity owned, global packaging and crating group based in Jönköping, Sweden.Accomplishments: Member of the management group responsible for starting up operations in the U.S. | responsible for three ERP implementations in three different locations in N.A. | architect for changing the global group’s business model from “manufacturer of wooden boxes” to “service provider of complete packaging solutions” | created the schema supporting Nefab’s Packaging Portal for Major Group Account customers. Nefab grew from sales of $100 million in 11 countries to $300 million in 19 countries over eight years, after following my two initiatives above. (see project details below)

Stuttgart, De

Coperion Waeschle is the worldwide market and technology leader in compounding & extrusion, materials handling and service - as well as being a partner for global corporations and small to medium-sized enterprises in the plastics, chemicals, food and aluminum industries. As an integrated technology provider, CW uses their comprehensive system and process expertise to implement individual solutions for compounding technology and bulk materials handling. This includes extruders, compounders, pneumatic conveying systems as well as components for bulk material handling.Accomplishments: reverse engineered a Unix-based multi-variate application for quotation and pricing of these systems in Excel. Eliminated errors in application with complex algebraic equations and recursive logic. (see project details below)

Worked as an independent consultant and contract controller for clients needing senior financial and analytical advisory services. Clients included Gerber Collision & Glass, Armitage Industrial Supply, Compdisk, Nugent Wenckus, Citywide Building Maintenance, Coperion Waeschle, Sonoscan, and Coronado Holdings Group.

Private Equity firm with investments in food processing and consumer packaged goods companies in North America. Developed financial model for assessing acquisition of potential companies by CHG.

Commercial photography studio and catalog house for Montgomery Wards, Sears, Spiegel, JC Penney, et al. Built sets and shot stills for production of catalogs for major retailers. Maintained general ledger and provided financial reporting to owner.

Elk Grove Village, Il, Us

Sonoscan is a trusted authority on the application of Acoustic Microscopy and Acoustic Micro Imaging (AMI) for nondestructive inspection and analysis. Across many industries, Sonoscan's advanced acoustic imaging technology is relied upon for inspecting and finding defects in a wide range of samples—wherever the bonding between layers or the integrity of the materials themselves is of critical importance. Worked with engineers and operations staff to increase throughput of complex engineered-to-order products, improve inventory costing, and to better understand job profitability.

Compdisk was a privately-held, family-owned replicator of CDs and DVDs for distribution of media by publishers and other content providers. Developed a pricing model for quotation of jobs and calculation of job profitability.

A janitorial service provider for commercial office buildings and retail stores, offering both contract labor and cleaning supplies. Installed a new accounting system using a vertical market package for the cleaning supplies and building maintenance industry.

Distributor of industrial supplies in Chicago metropolitan area. Offered solutions for vendor-managed inventory and other highly customized services. Adapted the business model to better meet customer requirements while leveraging the strengths of AIS. Grew sales more than 70% in one year.

Elmhurst, Illinois, Us

Gerber Collision & Glass has grown to one of the largest collision auto body and windshield auto glass repair companies in North America. Upgraded the accounting system and network infrastructure. Implemented an ERP system with a front end customer service application modified to support customer car repair quotes and work orders in the shop.

Brush Fuses, an international manufacturer of electrical overcurrent protection products (commercial grade electric fuses), was a subsidiary of BTR (now Invensys Plc), a $15 billion, publicly-traded, global engineering group based in London. Brush Fuses was acquired by the Edison Fuse Products division of Cooper Industries in 1993. Cooper Industries is a subsidiary of Eaton Corp.Member of the management group responsible for restructuring the company through a controlled shutdown of the plant in Des Plaines, and opening a new shelter-based maquiladora operation in Mexico using cellular manufacturing processes. Restored company to profitability. (see project details below)

Stockholm, Se

ASSA, an international importer and wholesaler of builder’s hardware (mortise locksets, high security cylinders), was owned by a Swedish group based in Eskilstuna, and a subsidiary of GKN Plc, a $3 billion, publicly-traded, global engineering group based in London.Member of the original management team assigned the task of starting up operations in North America. Solved a critical customer service problem by developing a real-time, option-driven, bill of materials processor. Positioned company to purchase a domestic lock manufacturer in New York, where it re-located operations. (see project details below)

Worldwide, Oo

Worked in the Small Business Services division helping clients determine their information and computing requirements. Then developed RFPs for prospective vendors to obtain the best enterprise solution. Left to join a client starting up North American operations as Controller and Operations Manager. (See ASSA ABLOY above)

Bloomington, Indiana, Us

Director of the Documentation & Analysis Center for the International Development Institute. The institute's major initiative at the time was the Program for Advanced Studies in Institution Building and Technical Assistance Methodology (PASITAM), funded by the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA) and U.S. Agency for International Development (AID). PASITAM's mission was to acquire, develop, and disseminate information about project design and implementation, particularly in indeterminate environments in developing countries. In carrying out this mission, the staff did not do original research but instead gathered information from project reports, technical publications, scholarly research, and other secondary sources. Once collected, the information was synthesized into brief, readable documents, including a newsletter, a series of problem-oriented "Design Notes", and videotapes. (see project details below)

Non-Degree, Accounting (Undergraduate Classes)

Mls, Information Science

Ba, Liberal Arts: Philosophy

Mathematics