Robert B Hickman

**** * ******** **

Long Beach, CA 90815

562-***-**** (Cell)

Email: acvwfn@r.postjobfree.com

Experienced Management Professional

Demonstrated management, leadership, sales, and technical abilities over a 40-year career managing people, processes, and operations. Worked for a variety of companies from large corporations to small entrepreneurial businesses. Background includes project management, business/financial analysis, and process/procedure development. Other areas of expertise include sales, computers and communication. Along with a natural ability to motivate people, optimize through organizational efficiencies, resolve complex problems, deal effectively with change, and succeed in complex, high-paced environments, this experience can quickly and easily be adapted to any workplace resulting in measurable results.

Sanitor Corporation, Huntington Beach, CA October 2012 - August 2015

Project/Production Manager for this contract packaging business that focuses on cosmetics and personal care products. Originally hired to assist in streamlining and optimizing inventory control. The role quickly expanded to include control of production processes including management of daily operations, capacity planning, and forecasting for manufacturing, filling, and packaging. Decreases in waste, production times, and costs were achieved during this tenure, which also resulted in increases in gross sales, profitability, output, and deliverables. Additional efficiencies were gained through team building, increases in staff morale, and individual accountability.

Campo Custom Clubs, Long Beach, CA June 2004 – December 2012

Owner / Operator of a small business that focused on precise fitting and assembly of custom golf clubs. Certified as a Professional “Class A” clubmaker and fitter by the Professional Clubmakers’ Society. Required expert detailed knowledge of club component functionality as well as relevant skills and operation of related digital and analog equipment. Global clientele included golfers from fifteen countries.

Cabletron Systems, Inc., Irvine, CA February 1996 – March 2001

Technical Support Manager (February 1996 – January 1997)

Hired to provide leadership and stability for this rapidly growing region. Primary function was coaching and supporting a technical staff that ultimately reached 34 directly reporting field support engineers. Responsible for development of operational budgets and salary plans. Implemented MBO and training plans to assist in employee development. Primary HR resource for region.

Accomplishments - Succeeded in reversing the turnover and morale issues inherited with the position through effective listening and addressing quality of life issues. In eight months, technical staff was increased by 50% and turnover was reduced to less than 10%. Diplomatically reset expectations between Sales and Technical organizations resulting in establishment of mutual respect and higher productivity.

West Coast Operations Manager (January 1997 – May 1999)

Responsible for operation of field offices in Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego and Honolulu. Direct reports included staff of 20, which was comprised of Post-Sales engineers, Networking Services technicians, and admin staff. Project Manager for office relocations in Irvine and Los Angeles. Provided third-level escalation support for critical projects, including onsite monitoring as liaison for corporate resources. Assisted as needed with administration of Netware and NT networks.

Accomplishments - Successfully retained a majority of the technical staff in spite of numerous changes throughout the organization and extremely competitive offers from other companies. Creative decisions resulted in office relocations adhering to the appropriate time lines and budgets. Salvaged numerous accounts by demonstrating company’s commitment to provide superior customer service and appropriate support/solutions.

Area Director for GlobalNetwork Technology Services (June 1999 – March 2001)

One of four pre-IPO companies developed by Cabletron Systems. Responsible for all operational issues related to this new regional Professional Services organization. Primary metrics were bookings, revenue and utilization. Staff included division managers and field staff of 25. Prepared RFP responses for commercial and government organizations including Department of Defense. Responsible for managing 20-30 concurrent contract activities at any given time.

Accomplishments – Developed contract, proposal and statement of work documents to assist in streamlining the quoting process. Recruited several key technical resources in spite of challenging market conditions and relatively small size of the company. Consistently provided accurate forecasts for all metrics in a timely fashion. Top region for billing percentage. Successfully exceeded customer expectations as measured by Prometrics, an outside agency hired to provide independent data and analysis.

USConnect/LA, Santa Ana, CA March 1994 – February 1996

As Technical Support Manager, directed the efforts of the field engineers and HelpDesk of this network integration firm. Staff comprised of 20 field and on-site engineers including specialized contractors. Project management of all contracted activities. Responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction and completion of all expectations and goals. Allocated appropriate resources to satisfy project requirements. Provided technical support via phone and remote access for hardware and software issues including administration assistance for LANs and WANs.

Accomplishments - Successfully transitioned to a new industry by utilizing human, conceptual, and technical skills. Gained tremendous computer-related technical knowledge through hands-on experience and training.

North Sails, Huntington Beach, CA June 1984 – February 1994

West Coast Sales Manager. Directed regional sales efforts for the largest sailmaker in the world. Responsible for direct sales, reseller accounts, OEM, and coordination of seasonal trade shows. Tasks included regional marketing and sales training. Coordinated and participated in North University training programs and seminars throughout North America. Lectured for as many as 125 people.

Accomplishments – Developed CRM program in Dbase III Plus to track client activity and automate contact processes. Restructured policies for purchasing and maintenance of computer hardware to reduce operating costs. Developed a new tactical and strategic approach to trade show participation that resulted in higher show sales. National Sales Awards for Biggest Contribution To The Group, Top 10 in Sales, and Outstanding Editorial Contribution. Authored internationally published instructional magazine articles.

Education:

College of Business Administration, California State University Long Beach

B.S. in both Management and Operations Management, 2004, Cum Laude, President’s List

2003 Jacaranda Award Winner / Persuasive Essay, Long Beach City College

Computer Skills:

Very experienced in installation, configuration, administration, and maintenance of networks, PCs

Proficient with applications such as Siebel (CRM), SAP (A/R), Scopus (HelpDesk), and Niku (Time Management), Programming Languages - Dbase III Plus, Microsoft Access

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