Sandy James Email & Phone Number

Overland Park, Ks

Kansas And Missouri

Overland Park, Ks

Embracing an entrepreneurial opportunity to run my own business, I acquired a Cookies by Design franchise and built it from the ground up, creating the vision and strategic plans, managing all operations, and holding full P&L accountability, as well as eventually negotiating the successful sale of the business.SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:➤ Recruited and supervised an exceptional team, including contracted delivery drivers and holiday staff, including cookie artists, customer service representatives, and bakers.➤ Drove sales growth through persistent follow-up on leads, including a sizable contract that resulted in $50,000+ in revenue over 3 years. Formed strategic partnership with 1800flowers to create new revenue stream that increased annual sales significantly.➤ Relocated business with no interruption of daily operations, resulting in elevated brand awareness and 50% higher over-the-counter sales.➤ Hand-picked to join the Cookies by Design Franchise Advisory Board, serving as a liaison with the franchise office to improve relationships with franchisees.➤ Improved brand reach by convincing franchise office to train franchise owners in social media marketing to promote the business.➤ Influenced reinstatement of Regional Quarterly CEO Meeting to share critical information on past performance, upcoming events, and future plans with franchisees.➤ Delivered exceptional customer service, fostering customer-centric team mindset.

Mission, Ks

In this role, I assisted the Controller with accounting and financial reporting to ensure accurate and appropriate financial statements and accounting transactions, as well as managing close-out of monthly, quarterly, and yearly financials and external audits in adherence with Sarbanes Oxley requirements and internal policies. SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:➤ Recruited and managed high-performance team of 6 accountants, accounts payable, and accounts receivable staff.➤ Collaborated with HR to create a revised pay-scale plan to attract both entry-level accountants and experienced professionals to reduce high staff attrition rates in the accounting department.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Finance, I performed financial analysis, FTE reporting, audits, journal entries, account reconciliations, and special assignments as needed.

Wichita, Kansas Area

Over the course of my 20+-year career with the Wichita Eagle-Beacon Publishing Company, I rose through the ranks, ultimately serving as the liaison between the Accounting and Advertising departments. In this role, I managed the financial reporting for the advertising, online, and commercial print revenue areas representing more than 80% of total company revenue, as well as overseeing a billing department comprised of 6 cashiers, accounting clerks, and billing specialists accountable for:» Invoicing» Contract management» Account maintenance» Credit & Collections» Internal reporting» Program and project management» Budget management» Collection performanceSELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:➤ Championed numerous system implementations, upgrades, and modifications to improve operations. Submitted change requests to IT, conducted pre-launch tests of system modifications and trained staff on new systems.➤ Developed documentation to comply with established SOX control objectives, conducted reviews, and implemented changes to policies and procedures to maintain compliance.➤ Partnered with programmers to develop and implement new billing system to improve efficiency and eliminate manual processes.➤ Led taskforce in revamping pre-pay initiatives, resulting in significant annual savings.➤ Served on the Classified Section Redesign Team that drove $300,000 in additional revenues by recommending operational improvements.➤ Delivered outstanding results with low write-off rate by developing sound credit policies, aggressive collection strategies, and effective communication with delinquent account-holders.

Wichita, Kansas Area

In this leadership role within the billing department at this Kansas-based newspaper publishing company, I managed 10 staff members, including advertising billing, accounts receivable, cashiers, and front counter customer service representatives. I was instrumental in bringing a custom accounts receivable system online, working with programmers to design, test and implement the system.★ PREVIOUS ROLES AT WICHITA EAGLE-BEACON ★➤ Advertising Statistical Analyst➤ Accounts Payable Assistant➤ State Subscriber Pay-By-Mail Supervisor➤ City Subscriber Pay-By-Mail Clerk.