Stephan Seko Email & Phone Number

Sw Chicago Suburbs

Certified business mentor for SCORE Fox Valley which is a non-profit organization of business executives serving the greater SW and NW counties outside of Chicago. SCORE is under the umbrella of the Small Business Administration, and its mentors provide free advisory business counseling to small business owners and emerging entrepreneurs to identify and overcome business challenges in growing their business. My prior experience includes a track record of developing, supporting, and strengthening customer relationships. I bring expertise in creating business plans, understanding your target market, brand messaging, sales execution, customer relations, and meaningful financial projections & analysis.

Chicago Suburbs

Credit/collections professional leading and coaching credit teams for consumer goods manufacturing companies in managing domestic/international AR portfolio’s by executing operational practices and building customer relationships to meet financial performance goals. Specialize in negotiating and rapid recovery of compliance deductions from major mass merchants, sporting goods, drug stores, and food retailers to improve profitability and reduce delinquency.

Plano, Il

Directed and mentored Accounts Receivable group executing turn-around initiatives utilizing new operational disciplines, practices, and building closer relationships with major customers. Responsibility included credit risk management, collections, billing, and cash application with domestic and international customers including major retailers, wholesalers, industrial users, medical, federal/state government, and institutional facilities. • Managed implementation of Accounts Receivable module for JD Edwards Enterprise One system during company-wide ERP implementation in 2012. • Recovered over $3 million in compliance claim deductions from world’s leading retailer.

Greater Chicago Area

Contract assignment to complete credit and collection management activities for catalog division with a $100 million AR portfolio consisting of major retailers, wholesalers, publishers, distribution, mixed media, and advertising companies.

Woodridge, Il

Directed and coached credit group for fast-paced, high volume transportation broker. Responsibilities included credit investigations, extending lines of credit, risk analysis, daily order approvals, financial statement analysis, collections, external legal actions, and deduction resolution for AR portfolio with customers in a wide variety of industries and markets.

Waterloo, Iowa

Responsible for uncovering and delivering insightful marketing knowledge on end users in the workplace and at home for consumers seeking home storage & organization product solutions. Analysis included understanding shopping and buying habits, product requirements, POS feedback, store signage/graphics, distributor/retailer purchase influence, brand loyalty, competitive intelligence, and shifts in demand from the working professional & homeowner.

Waterloo, Iowa

Coached and mentored the credit team in credit investigations, credit line extension, risk analysis, daily order approvals, financial statement analysis, letters of credit, collections, deduction resolution, and financial performance reports for a domestic/international AR portfolio. Products were distributed globally through retail, industrial, construction, institutional, agricultural, government, and health care markets. Directed and executed corporate wide strategic projects reporting to CEO and VP of Finance.

• Managed 250,000 sq/ft multi-shift DC supervising 30 union associates and responsibility for outbound/inbound freight, private truck fleet, and contract drivers. Achieved 3 day improvement in delivery time, 25% reduction in shipment damage, and 15% reduction of freight costs.• Led a ten-member customer service team responding to domestic and international customer requirements including order fulfillment, billing, product availability, forecasting, returns, sales literature, service parts, and telemarketing.