Paul Birnesser, CPA
**** ****** ****** ******, ** 80207
**********@*********.***
Cell 512-***-****
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Controller November 2010 - Present
Mine Site Technologies USA, Inc., Golden, Colorado
. Manage a team of five, which conducts all of the accounting and
reporting for the US subsidiary of this Australia-based company.
. Transitioned the monthly closing process and the accounts payable
function from Australia to the United States.
. Conducted monthly project reviews and financial analyses to evaluate
the company's performance against budget at the project level and on
an overall basis.
. Worked with a large customer to improve collections from more than 45
days to the 5-day terms to which the customer was contractually
obligated.
Controller March 2003 - November 2010
Simmons Vedder Partners, Inc., Austin, Texas
. Lead a team of 7 that includes in-house accounting for real estate
development, construction and property management, and coordinating
third-party property management reporting.
. Built the financial reporting infrastructure and implemented
percentage of completion accounting for the in-house construction
firm, which grew from a single person in 2005 to a $200 million
business by 2008.
. Oversee monthly financial reporting and direct the preparation of
annual tax returns for approximately 100 real estate investment and
operating entities.
. Establish and maintain relationships with lenders, investors and
advisors to ensure that financial reporting requirements are met and
other issues are addressed as needed.
. Manage cash, administer payroll and supervise the preparation of
monthly draw requests to lenders and investors. Streamlined the draw
process, significantly reducing the CFO's time spent on each request.
. Administer the company's insurance program which provides coverage to
a real estate portfolio valued at more than $500 million, as well as
to the construction and property management operations. Replaced the
incumbent broker with one that provided improved service, better rates
and creative solutions.
Controller December 2000 - March 2003
Interactive Silicon, Inc., Austin, Texas
. Responsible for all financial aspects of this pre-revenue startup,
including cash management, budgeting/forecasting, accounts payable,
payroll, stock option plan, financial audits, tax returns and monthly
financial statements.
. Prepared financial information for investors and lenders, and
presented financial results at quarterly Board meetings.
Paul Birnesser, CPA
Corporate Controller November 1998 - December 2000
HealthAnswers, Inc., Austin, Texas
. Supervised a staff of seven accountants locally, and oversaw the work
of six divisional controllers located throughout the United States as
well as two international accountants.
. Prepared the monthly consolidated financial statements for
HealthAnswers and its 10 domestic and 5 Asian subsidiaries. Prepared
the financial statements and variance analyses for six such entities
monthly.
. Revamped the financial reporting function, by leading weekly meetings
of the accounting group to streamline processes and improve controls.
This led to the introduction of consolidated financial reporting, a
common chart of accounts and reducing the monthly financial close from
90 days to 20 days.
. Convinced senior management to sell an unprofitable subsidiary that
had been a core business since the company was founded, and assisted
in closing another unprofitable subsidiary.
Audit Manager October 1996 - October 1998
Ernst & Young, LLP, Austin, Texas
. Managed financial audits of public and private companies in a variety
of industries, including hardware, software, manufacturing, broker-
dealer, consulting and restaurant companies.
. Set and managed engagement budgets ranging from $10,000 to $2 million,
prepared client billings, and assisted with collections. Supervised
engagement teams of up to 10 people.
Audit Senior January 1994 - October 1996
Coopers & Lybrand, LLP, Austin, Texas
. Performed audits of companies in the wireless phone, cable television,
manufacturing and restaurant industries.
. Coordinated the financial audit and other work related to the initial
public offering of Schlotzsky's, Inc.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Board Member / Treasurer June 2010 - present
St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School, Thoreau, New Mexico
. Responsible for the financial oversight of the Mission, which operates
a school for 200 children and provides outreach services (food, water,
home repairs, etc.) to the Navajo people.
. Worked with the Board of Directors and executive management to
implement significant budget cuts for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The
result of these cuts has been a significant improvement in the
Mission's financial performance over the previous fiscal year.
. Assisted the Mission's Comptroller with implementing changes that
improved the timeliness of monthly financial reporting. Financial
statements that had not been issued until 3 or 4 months after month
end are now available within 15 days after each month end.
. Teamed with the Mission's Comptroller to improve the effectiveness and
accuracy of the budgeted amounts presented in the monthly financial
statements.
EDUCATION
Masters in Professional Accounting, University of Texas at Austin,
December 1993
Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics and Philosophy, Colgate University,
Hamilton, NY, May 1990.