Global Manufacturing and Engineering Executive / Consumer Goods

Rene I. Gonzalez, PhD...

** ****** ******, *** #* . Jersey City, NJ 07302 . 787-***-**** .

********@*****.***

Multidimensional Global Manufacturing and Engineering Executive who builds

and revitalizes organizations within highly specialized environments.

Leverages analytical mindset, engineering, business development and

operations management expertise to advance market position, drive

multimillion-dollar outcomes and improve productivity, quality and

customer service. Formulates and implements process improvements and

strategic plans that deliver successful product development and launch,

cut waste and improve utilization. At ease interfacing with all layers of

the organization, from shop floor to the boardroom. Sought out time and

again for ability to articulate direction, gain buy-in, and build

cohesive, empowered multinational, multicultural teams. Hands on leader

and strategic thinker with multiple patents, chemical engineering

expertise, and recognition for developing high performance nano-composite

polymers for the U.S. Air Force. Fluent in Spanish. Extensive knowledge

of polymers, beverage, whiskey, spirits, distillation, rice, grain, and

coffee processing and packaging.

Executive Leadership that Builds Organizational Capability

. Strategic / Tactical Planning

. Operations Management / Planning

. Organizational Restructuring / Consolidation

. Change Management

. Start-up / Turnaround

. Project Development and Management / R&D

. Financial Analysis / Planning

. P&L Management / Cost Analysis / Reduction

. Lean Management: TPS, Kaizen, TPM, 5S, KPI

. Continuous Improvement / Process Development

. Value Stream Mapping / Management

. Quality Assurance / Regulatory Compliance

. Supply Chain / Advanced Materials Management

. Cross-functional Team Development, Mentoring and Leadership

. Chemical & Materials Engineering / Polymers

A Career of Leading Cultural Transformation for

Business Growth and Operational Efficiency

The Cooper Spirits Company, New York, NY

Independent, privately held alcoholic beverage company developing the well-

known St. Germain elderflower liqueur.

Vice President, Production and New Product Development 2012 - 2013

Chosen by company president to facilitate development and launch of new

whiskey brands. Leveraged supply chain knowledge to streamline operations,

including procurement of raw materials and machinery, while sourcing all

necessary spirits Interfaced with vendors across Europe to secure required

items for product launches.

. Championed establishment of two new brands guaranteeing logistical

functions were in place to enable a successful production process.

Coordinated production of finished goods at multiple manufacturing sites.

Sourced spirit / whiskey stocks at various distilleries.

. Developed five-year business financial analysis roadmap and forecasted

P&L for newly created brands, Slow and Low Rock and Rye and Lock Stock &

Barrel for president of company.

. Company recently sold major brand St. Germain to Bacardi resulting in

restructuring of operations.

William Grant & Sons, NJ and NYC Metro Area

Luxury spirits company and wholly owned American subsidiary of William

Grant & Sons, Ltd. based in Scotland.

Manufacturing Director 2009 - 2012

Recruited by SVP of North American Operations, who had recently transferred

from Scotland. Hired to transform, turnaround and revitalize U.S.

manufacturing and distribution operation and culture. Key focus was to

standardize US operations to mirror company's global manufacturing sites

best practices. Direct manufacturing and distribution operations of

Scotch whisky, Sailor Jerry Rum and a variety of other spirits and liquors.

Oversee alcohol bottling operations for 1.4M cases worth of production

($130M) in a highly automated, unionized, single-shift production facility

with 40 employees. Responsible for spirit procurement, processing,

rectification and warehouse distribution operation 2.5M cases ($300M).

Accountable for full manufacturing and distribution P&L.

. Productivity Improvement / Cost Control: Increased total net productivity

by over 10% year on year by establishing metrics and applying continuous

improvement and lean manufacturing initiatives. Implemented Just in Time

production scheduling, and receipt of raw materials to reduce working

capital. Successfully implemented 5S, Planned Preventative Maintenance

and quick changeover methods adopting best practices from overseas

operations. Used value stream mapping to improve plant automation layout

resulting in $1.4M in labor savings over 5 year plan. Led initiatives to

achieve reduction in facility energy costs by 20%.

. Oversaw logistics of over 7 million liters of high proof alcohol from

international distilleries. Delivered above a two fold increase in

alcohol blending capacity through engineering redesign and process

automation. Led projects to improve safety of alcohol processing and

bottling areas.

. Managed all capital projects. Directed the procurement, design,

installation and commissioning of $2M high speed glass bottling line. Led

the construction and design of alcohol quality control laboratory and

acquisition of analytical instrumentation. Trained employees on spirit

quality testing procedures.

. Headed contract manufacturing initiatives with Caribbean rum supplier to

bottle their product in the USA. Led the liquid product development of

new flavors for Stolichnaya Vodka for distribution client, SPI Group,

through working with top flavor chemistry houses.

. Originated concept for new Glenfiddich national marketing campaign "Cask

of Dreams." Supported development of craft micro-distillery at

Tuthilltown Spirits.

Pan American Grain Manufacturing Company, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Premier national food and beverage entity with $400M in annual revenue.

Director, Beverage and Liquid Foods Manufacturing and Product Development

2003 - 2008

Asked to join privately held family business (5 plants, 600 employees) by

company president and lead the development of a new business unit

subsidiary focused on the manufacturing of juices, cocktail beverages, and

tomato sauces for sale in pouch format. Led construction of new state of

the art manufacturing plant and spearheaded the design, production, and

rollout of new products. Managed P&L, 115 team members, for a 3-shift

manufacturing operation and consolidated distribution center. Developed

and implemented strategies to maximize revenues / profits and efficiency,

and optimize production and cost control.

. Directed the production planning (4M Cases), procurement (including

equipment and raw materials), security, and quality functions for an

automated facility with $25M in machinery / equipment.

. Productivity Improvement: Worked closely with international equipment

vendors, to resolve commissioning /startup problems with sophisticated

robotic equipment. Achieved 80% production efficiency rate with zero out-

of-stock incidences.

. Engineering: Oversaw capital expenditures and the sourcing, purchasing,

and deployment of equipment. Lead 3 plant startups including a state of

the art Italian designed coffee torrefaction and packaging facility, and

tomato sauce processing and packaging facility.

. QA & Compliance: Ensured adherence to regulations and corporate policies.

Responsible for HACCP, and cGMP procedures and policies. Oversaw audits

from FDA, and third parties audits from FPA/GMA Safe to meet contract

manufacturing requirements.

. Established profitable partnerships and led contract manufacturing

operations for Welch's, Tres Monjitas Dairy, and consolidated

distribution operations with White Rose Foods.

. Cost Control: Delivered $1.3M annual savings in rice milling and

packaging facility (for a 1-time $300,000 investment) by managing a Six

Sigma project to reduce number of defects and percent overfill in

consumer packages.

. Market Leadership: Grew sales 40% in 1st year by creating a new market

niche with innovative packaging for Ready to Drink Cocktails; the

Gasolina High Octane Rum Cocktail (in a pouch); brand has added new

products under the Gasolina Urban Blends label. www.gasolinadrink.com

. Enhanced company position by capturing a 36% juice drink market share in

Puerto Rico (outperforming Capri Sun) and successfully introducing 21 new

pouch-based products.

. Generated a $250,000 savings in 1st year by redesigning a top company

beverage through reformulation to alternative sweeteners and flavors.

. Minimized susceptibility to shifts in commodity prices by developing

strategic expertise in purchasing (terms, timing, etc.) and negotiating

fixed-rate agreements with international commodity suppliers for juice

concentrates, high fructose corn syrup, sweeteners, and other

ingredients.

US Air Force, Edwards Air Force Base, California

Program Director / Senior Research Scientist 2002 - 2003

Rocket Propulsion Research Scientist Engineer 1998 - 2003

Air Force Research Laboratory, Polymeric Materials Group, Materials

Application Branch, Space and Missile Propulsion Division.

Science and technology program with 8,800 employees.

(www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/rz/)Started career as an Air Force officer after

receiving Air Force scholarship to obtain B.S. and M.S. in chemical

engineering. Assigned to work as research scientist and wrote winning

research proposals that received funding, sponsoring continued education

and eventual Ph.D. Promoted to lead the operations for a multimillion

dollar R&D program and 10+ scientific team members under the auspices of

the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Research focused on the development of

novel high performance polymers with applications in solid rockets, jet

canopies, turbine engines, and spacecraft by enhancing the state-of-the-art

in plastics, rubbers, and lubricants. Designed advanced aerospace materials

in cooperation with academic and government resources. Managed 5

contractors and agreements with cumulative value of $3.1M.

. Engineering Innovation: Obtained two patents as co-inventor of #6,767,930

B1 for "Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Polyimide Composites," and

#7,193,015 for "Nanostructured Chemicals as Alloying Agents in

Fluorinated Polymers" in the development of space materials that reduced

oxygen erosion 10-fold as collaborated in test aboard the International

Space Station.

. Recipient of US Air Force Commendation Medal for contributions to the

success of the Directorate Propulsion Program. Designed low-earth orbit

environmental simulator for testing of space materials and new spacecraft

survivability programs; saved over $20M in new materials testing by

integrating basic and applied research efforts into one cohesive program

. Received multiple honors, including: 2001 AFOSR Star Team Award (with

team) for a top 3% performance among Air Force research groups; 4Q 2002

and October 2001 top Project Leader awards, Propulsion Directorate; and

"World Class" assessment from Scientific Advisory Board.

Education

PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2002

MS, Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 1998

BS, Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 1996

US Air Force Training: Intermediate Systems Acquisitions Course; Squadron

Officer School; Rocket Propulsion Technology and Facilities Course; and

Acquisition Fundamentals, 1999 - 2002

Professional Affiliations and Development

American Chemical Society

International Society of Beverage Technologists

American Distilling Institute

Pack Expo International Trade Fair for Packaging and Process Machinery,

Chicago, IL, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012

Interpack International Trade Fair for Processes and Packaging, Dusseldorf,

Germany, 2004, 2008

Metpack International Trade Fair Metal Packaging and Canning Technology,

Essen, Germany, 2008

Drinktec World Fair for Beverage and Liquid Food Technology, Munich,

Germany, 2005

Bevtech International Society of Beverage Technologists Meeting, 2005

Global Pouch Forum, St. Petersburg, FL, 2005

Selected Scientific Publications and Patents

Patent Pending Co-Inventor, "Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes and

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silicates Barrier Materials for Packaging."

http://www.google.com/patents?id=TKScAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4

US PATENT 6,767,930 B1 Co-Inventor, "Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

Polyimide Composites." www.google.com/patents/US6767930.pdf

US PATENT 7,193,015 Co-Inventor, "Nanostructured Chemicals as Alloying

Agents in Fluorinated Polymers." http://www.google.com/patents/US7193015

Zeng, J., Kumar, S., Iyer, S., Schiraldi D.A., Gonzalez,

R.I.,"Reinforcement of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Fibers with Polyhedral

Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS)," High Performance Polymers, Vol. 17, No.

3, 2005, 403-424

Brunsvold, A.L., Minton, T.K., Gouzman, I., Grossman E., Gonzalez, R.I.,

"An Investigation of the Resistance of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

Polyimide to Atomic-Oxygen Attack," High Performance Polymers,Vol 16, No.

2, 2004, pp. 303-318(16)

Gonzalez, R.I., Phillips, S.H., Hoflund, G.B., "In-situ Oxygen Atom

Erosion Study of Flouoropolymer Films using X-ray Photoelectron

Spectroscopy," Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol 92, No. 3, 2004, pp.

1977-1983.

Gonzalez, R.I., "Synthesis and In-Situ Atomic Oxygen Erosion Studies of

Space-Survivable Hybrid Organic / Inorganic Polyhedral Oligomeric

Silsesquioxane Polymers," Ph.D. Dissertation, Chemical Engineering

Department, University of Florida, 2002.

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE1000127

Gonzalez, R.I., Phillips, S.H., Hoflund, G.B., "In-situ Oxygen Atom Erosion

Study of a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Siloxane Copolymer,"

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol 37, No. 4, 2000, pp. 463-467.

Driving Profitability and Growth through Innovation, Quality and Process

Excellence

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