Customer Service Quality Assurance

M ARK E. BUDDE

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P rofessional

Results-focused and innovative operations leader with proven success at assessing

P rofile

corporate needs, developing strategic plans, and providing critical on-going input towards

meeting organizational goals.

Recognized for proactively identifying and resolving problems, automating processes,

developing new procedures, and implementing quality control measures to foster

continuous improvement and growth.

E xpertise in distribution, material processing, in-house printing, purchasing, web & sheetfed

p rinting, warehouse management, customer service, system design & implementation, and

facilities management.

Proven t rack record managing operations for start-up, entrepreneurial, and Fortune 500

companies including educational assessment, printing and publishing, gift and stationery, and

retail support.

Skills and

• •

Operational & Strategic Planning Continuous Quality & Process Improvement

Qualificatio

• •

Project Management Organizational Design & Change

ns

• •

Negotiating & Strategic Sourcing Turnarounds, Acquisitions & Start-Ups

• •

Budgeting & Forecasting Distribution & Production

• •

Organizational Development Team Building & Performance

• Customer Relationship M anagement

•

M anagement Equipment & Inventory Management

• •

Scheduling and Capacity Planning Supply Chain Optimization

Employment

H isto ry Questar Assessment, I nc., Apple Valley M N (05/2001 – 03/2010)

Vice P resident of Operations for a $43M educational publisher and K-12 large scale

educational assessment company. Assumed full responsibility for the management and direction

of all business operations including distribution/collection, document scanning (high-speed

i mage and OMR capture), purchasing, in-house print production, warehousing, and facilities.

Reporting directly to the CEO/Senior Vice President, supervised six directors and managers,

and managed a team of 30 FTEs and over 180 seasonal staff. Member of an eight-person

Executive Leadership Team directly involved in the strategic planning, development and

i mplementation of key business policies and decisions.

• Developed the operational infrastructure for a start-up large-scale assessment company

realizing rapid growth from $1.2M to $43M gross sales in five years

• Recognized by an independent auditing fi rm as having the most comprehensive

documentation and operating infrastructure among leading competitors

• Reduced expenses and increased service levels by developing strong business partnerships

w ith shipping companies, staffing agencies, printers, fulfillment houses, and general

p rocurement vendors

• Developed new systems, processes, and quality audits, reducing errors by over 89% while

reducing expenses by 14%

• Managed facilities and telecommunications for multi-location operation, including the

construction of two 50,000 square foot facilities

Ga rborg’s L LC/DaySpring Cards, Bloomington M N (07/1999 – 04/2001)

D i rector of Operations for a $10M wholesale distributor in the gift industry. Responsible for

overseeing all business operations including system administration, sales and financial

analysis, inventory control, purchasing, production management, warehousing, and

d istribution. Reporting directly to the president, supervised three managers and indirectly

managed five additional employees. Member of a four-person Executive Committee directly

i nvolved in the strategic planning, development and implementation of key business policies and

decisions.

• Managed over 25 vendors – domestic & international – to produce over 430 new gift products

annually

• Reduced order processing time from 4 days to 24 hours, cut office supply expenses by 35%,

reduced manufacturing costs by 15%, and t rimmed telephone and Internet service expenses

by 32%

Ga rborg’s LLC/DaySpring Ca rds (continued)

• Recognized for developing reorder quantities, safety stock levels, and seasonal demand

calculations for all finished goods and raw materials which resulted in over 99% in-stock

w hile reducing inventory carrying costs by 23%

• Developed financial reporting tools to analyze new product profitability, mass market

p rojects, and reorder costing analysis

Best Buy Co., I nc., Eden P rai r ie M N (05/1998 – 07/1999)

Operations M an ager/System Administrator for Corporate Services Department for a

Fortune 200 specialty retailer which operated more than 400 retail locations in over 40 states at

t hat time. Managed the printing and distribution of $2M of promotional signage and $11M in

p rinted and point-of-purchase material for the retail and corporate divisions. Directly managed

purchasing, production, and inventory management; coordinated the IS and system

administrative needs of the department.

• Recipient of two PRISM Awards, recognizing strategic efforts to enhance profitability and

g rowth

• Increased inventory In-Stock levels from 42% to 97% while reducing Inventory carrying

costs 10%

• Member of A-Team, a cross-functional team within the Advertising Department

Hea rtland Samplers/Northwestern P roducts, I nc., M inneapolis M N (05/1994 -

05/1998)

D i rector of Pu rchasing, Production and I nventory for national gift publisher of printed

calendars, journals, and stationery items. Hired by Heartland Samplers to manage inventory,

f ulfillment, and distribution for the $8 million inspirational gift publisher. Purchased by

Northwestern Products in 1997, resulting in combined sales of over $20 million. Responsibilities

M ARK E. BUDDE

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were expanded to include purchasing and system administration. Reporting to the Vice

P resident of Finance, managed a staff of five.

• Managed a $2.5 million inventory and maintained an accuracy of 99.5%

• Directed the implementation, system maintenance, and daily operations of MAS90 Software

• Developed and instituted Quality Assurance guidelines for all product receiving

Augsburg Fort ress, Publishers, M inneapolis M N (02/1989 – 05/1994)

M an ager, Production Planning for the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America. Responsible for all print production activities – both internal and external –

of over 8,700 books and curriculum materials on an annual basis. Led the integration efforts to

combine Philadelphia-based Fortress Press and Minneapolis-based Augsburg Publishing offices

i nto the Minneapolis location. Promoted to positions of increasing responsibility within the

department. Managed a staff of six Production Planners.

• Member of six-member team to streamline processes and reduce costs

• Elected to a fourteen-member task force to determine company structure and operating

p rinciples

Chicago T r ibune, Chicago I L (06/1987 – 02/1989)

Lead Operator of the Operations division of the Chicago Tribune, a national newspaper which

p roduced five daily editions. Maintained five editorial computer systems and managed

p roduction of all copy for the daily newspaper publications. Served as systems liaison between

editorial departments and composition & printing foremen.

• Member of a ten-person quality team which evaluated quality and content on a daily basis

• Recipient of the Chicago Tribune Innovator and Tribute To You awards

• Recognized for outstanding performance in a crisis situation

Education University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, Wisconsin

Major: I ndust rial Technology Concentration: G raphic Arts Management

Degree: B achelor of Science May 16, 1987 Graduated with Cum Laude Honors

Recipient of the Arrandall/Schmidt O utstanding Graduate award

M ARK E. BUDDE

11274 - 72nd Avenue North M aple Grove, M N 55369

home: 763-***-**** cell: 612-***-**** email: *********@***.***

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