Hands-on financial, operational, and IT leadership for growing, changing organizations. Business process engineering and re-design. Especially strong in start-up and work-out situations. Special skills in e-commerce, health care (insurance and devices/pharmaceuticals), independent power producers, high-tech manufacturing, and NFP's.In my consulting career, I have worked with over 60 organizations, from Fortune 5 to family owned start-ups, all successfully. I can probably work with… Show more Hands-on financial, operational, and IT leadership for growing, changing organizations. Business process engineering and re-design. Especially strong in start-up and work-out situations. Special skills in e-commerce, health care (insurance and devices/pharmaceuticals), independent power producers, high-tech manufacturing, and NFP's.In my consulting career, I have worked with over 60 organizations, from Fortune 5 to family owned start-ups, all successfully. I can probably work with yours. Good examples: Acting CFO for fast-growing internet B2C specialty goods firm with 45 employees and heavy international sales. Reversed 6 quarters of losses and falling cash flow in 90 days. Addressed open tax issues and improved payroll systems. Revised benefit plan, getting more benefits for less. Hired permanent Finance Director.Recovered lost revenue for mid-sized company which was victim of ongoing internal check and bank fraud. Designed and installed systems to prevent future losses. Arranged tax filings to recoup additional losses. CEO was convinced he knew all he needed and this could not happen there – but he didn't, and it did. Actively selling on Amazon for over 10 years, for myself and advising others, FBA, Amazon Sellers, etc. Project management and design of new telephone system for leading boating charter firm. Also revised current plan with telephone company. Replaced costly, dying, do-nothing, phones with modern features for better customer service. On-time and on-budget.Many cases: 1 or 2-day fixed-price review of Financial and IT systems and software for new client. Solves current issues, suggests future directions. Includes written and oral report.Revised benefits, insurance and risk management at several firms to take advantage of new opportunities under Affordable Care Act. Often exploited relationship between employee health coverage and other business insurance. Generally got more benefit (and better performance) for same or less money. Show less

TFC Utilities is a disruptor in the energy space. It is a start-up chartered to buy existing electric utilities, capitalizing through private equity sources in the $4 billion range. TFC Utilities also invests in other innovative energy projects and firms. Led formation of Operations Group to transform acquisitions with disruptive models. Set up and managed all financial, accounting, and administrative aspects of firm. Devised and implemented internal expense controls. Set up all IT, designed… Show more TFC Utilities is a disruptor in the energy space. It is a start-up chartered to buy existing electric utilities, capitalizing through private equity sources in the $4 billion range. TFC Utilities also invests in other innovative energy projects and firms. Led formation of Operations Group to transform acquisitions with disruptive models. Set up and managed all financial, accounting, and administrative aspects of firm. Devised and implemented internal expense controls. Set up all IT, designed internet and telephone service, chose and worked with all hardware, software, and service providers. Performed extensive financial analysis and built business plan for first acquisition target. Worked with all team members daily, as well as top managers at acquisition targets and funding sources. Chose not to relocate to the East Coast to continue. Show less

CFO of a dot-com success story! Took this struggling, 3-year-old internet retailer from barely breakeven to an e-commerce powerhouse in just 3 years. Grew sales five-fold, but grew profits much greater. Reported directly to CEO (who replaced me with his father). Responsible for all finance and accounting functions, including: GL, AP, AR, Inventory, and Payroll. 97% of sales on credit cards over the internet. Managed multiple state and federal tax filings. Worked with operations, customer… Show more CFO of a dot-com success story! Took this struggling, 3-year-old internet retailer from barely breakeven to an e-commerce powerhouse in just 3 years. Grew sales five-fold, but grew profits much greater. Reported directly to CEO (who replaced me with his father). Responsible for all finance and accounting functions, including: GL, AP, AR, Inventory, and Payroll. 97% of sales on credit cards over the internet. Managed multiple state and federal tax filings. Worked with operations, customer service, IT, and marketing and sales to achieve success. Also handled most HR, Admin, and Legal, and anything no one else wanted. Reconciled sales and cash from various systems to get reliable picture of company performance. Developed month-end closes and reports, cash-flow forecasts, and budgets. Moved company to negative working capital, so the more we grew, the more cash we could take out. In charge of Mergers & Acquisitions.Oversaw monthly affiliate payments. Assure ongoing profitability of 6-figure Google account. Negotiated two new bank relationships, replacing inadequate banking. Managed card processors. Designed and ran benefits: health, life, and dental; 401k; holidays and Paid Time Off (PTO) plan; etc.Replaced tax and payroll services with new ones able to better meet our needs. Implemented international buying and production, and foreign exchange worldwide. Negotiated shipping contracts with major carriers, and vehicle and real estate leases. Key functions: All Accounting/Finance Procedures; Recruit and Manage Staff; FP&A; Bank Relationships; Contracts and Leases; M & A; Capital Equipment; Risk Management and Insurance; Labor Law; Human Resources; Regulatory Agencies; Benefits; Payroll and Bonus Plan; All Taxes; Forecasts; Budgets, including Cash; KPI's; Variance and Breakeven Analysis; Monthly Closes and Financial Reports; Foreign Exchange; ACH and Credit Card Fraud Control; PCI compliance; Affiliate Payment; Internet Ads. Show less

Built consulting firm from scratch. Services, retailing, not for profits, high-tech manufacturing, and energy. Many accounting system conversions for clients, handling all IT and accounting issues. Typical efforts:- Developed planning and financial analysis for new electric generation plants. Balanced complex mix of forecasts of fuel prices, energy demand, construction costs, and operating costs to choose best projects for huge utility.- "Productized" new family of goods for electronics… Show more Built consulting firm from scratch. Services, retailing, not for profits, high-tech manufacturing, and energy. Many accounting system conversions for clients, handling all IT and accounting issues. Typical efforts:- Developed planning and financial analysis for new electric generation plants. Balanced complex mix of forecasts of fuel prices, energy demand, construction costs, and operating costs to choose best projects for huge utility.- "Productized" new family of goods for electronics manufacturer. - Developed sales and profit improvement methods for under-performers in national quick-serve restaurant chain.- In charge of accounting system conversions at: premium wineries; multi-title magazine publisher; automotive chemicals distributor; and many others.- Responsible for store planning and problem-store turnarounds at 500-location retailer. Show less

This was a large, long-range, constantly-changing project which required non-stop attention and work with many different stakeholders over more than 5 years.I worked as contractor, not employee, at client request. Mission San Juan Capistrano is the west coast’s oldest historic site and Orange County’s 3rd largest tourist site, and part of the Catholic Diocese of Orange. Its 3 annual budgets (6,000 family parish, K-8 school, and Historic Mission) are each multi-million dollars… Show more This was a large, long-range, constantly-changing project which required non-stop attention and work with many different stakeholders over more than 5 years.I worked as contractor, not employee, at client request. Mission San Juan Capistrano is the west coast’s oldest historic site and Orange County’s 3rd largest tourist site, and part of the Catholic Diocese of Orange. Its 3 annual budgets (6,000 family parish, K-8 school, and Historic Mission) are each multi-million dollars. It is an extremely sensitive place, in many ways. With “Y2K” an issue, I was asked to find and install compliant accounting software that would take the Mission’s 3 parts into the next century. I surveyed the market, made a choice, and coordinated installation and training. The CFO and I designed three separate accounting databases, each using a different fund-accounting chart of accounts, and each able to budget, track, and control funds for many separate projects. We also designed new transaction procedures. The new software also required hardware upgrades for all users, and fiber-optic and Ethernet networking throughout the 11-acre campus. We ultimately had a 100+ user, cross-platform network, with new, broadband internet service. I devised plans, hired and managed contractors, and was responsible for completion and assuring everything was compatible and working. A new school building, added during this time (and removal of several older buildings), demanded a new telephone system, replacing outdated, fragmented gear. I researched the market, made a choice, and contracted and managed installation, cutting phone costs by 20%. I also developed the first server for the mission network and hired the first full-time IT Director to succeed me. Throughout, I worked daily with the Mission’s lay Administrator, Pastor and clergy, and School Principal, as well the Mission’s 100 employees and huge volunteer team, and many outside vendors. Show less

I was on the masthead of Santana Magazine and H2O Magazine, both covering Southern California boating and with 30,000/mo. circulation, for over 6 years, as part-time work. I did both reporting and feature writing, as well as photography, and edited others' contributions. Along with timely news of regional sailboat racing, my feature series included "You Own A Used Boat," and "Destination" articles for boating on the California mainland, at San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands, many sites at Santa… Show more I was on the masthead of Santana Magazine and H2O Magazine, both covering Southern California boating and with 30,000/mo. circulation, for over 6 years, as part-time work. I did both reporting and feature writing, as well as photography, and edited others' contributions. Along with timely news of regional sailboat racing, my feature series included "You Own A Used Boat," and "Destination" articles for boating on the California mainland, at San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands, many sites at Santa Catalina Island, and south of the border in Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. For 3 straight years, I edited and contributed to our biggest article of the year (5,000 words plus photos) covering the annual Newport Beach to Ensenada race - then about 500 boats. Lots of writing and photos, and I was involved in all aspects of publishing advertiser-paid regional active sports magazines.Key Responsibilities: Reporting; Photography; Feature writing; Editing; Integrating news reports into final stories; Fact checking; Publishing Software and IT; Accounting Software. Show less