Human Resources Manager

Barry A. Smedstad

Atlanta, GA 678-***-****

www.linkedin.com/in/barrysmedstad abik8k@r.postjobfree.com

Senior Human Resources Leader

Demonstrated Strengths in Growth, Restructure, & Turnaround Situations

Skilled at forging partnerships to accomplish critical strategic business

initiatives. Adds value with unique breadth of experience and expertise in

all aspects of HR. Recognized as a hands-on leader, comfortable from the

shop floor to the Board Room. Delivers multi-million-dollar cost savings

through designing and delivering effective, efficient HR programs in

challenging business conditions. Key competencies include:

. Talent evaluation and acquisition at Executive and Senior

Management levels

. Labor agreement negotiations and maintenance of union-free

status

. Building organizational performance through relationships with

Operations Management

. Proactive management of competitive employee benefits programs

. Assessment and efficient integration of acquired business units

Professional Experience

CARAUSTAR INDUSTRIES, INC. Austell, GA 1998 - 2010

$1 billion manufacturer of recycled paperboard and packaging.

Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Recruited to Executive Management team during a period of extraordinary

growth to provide knowledgeable leadership and upgrade the corporate human

resources function. Directed all aspects of human resources for 6,000

employees at 90 locations in the United States and Canada.

Significant Achievements

. Realigned a decentralized corporate HR function into a centralized

business-focused department to reduce internal barriers to high-quality

service delivery. Significantly improved professional capabilities and

eliminated $2 million in departmental expense.

. Played a central role in upgrading Executive Management team by sourcing

and recruiting Chief Operating Officer (now CEO), Chief Financial

Officer, Senior VP of Operations, and VP and General Counsel.

. Conducted HR due diligence for multiple major acquisitions and

successfully integrated acquisitions with 1,500 employees and $300

million in sales.

. Directed critical HR support for the "Transformation Initiative" - a 3-

year project to rationalize facilities, refocus on core businesses, and

reduce debt. Impact was closure/sale of 30 facilities, $40 million cost

reduction and debt retirement of $200 million.

. Consolidated multiple healthcare plans, instituted aggressive plan

management and employed best practices to mitigate extraordinary

healthcare cost escalation. Achieved 5 consecutive years of zero or

declining healthcare plan costs and a cumulated $40 million decline in

expected expense.

. Served as primary Executive Compensation resource for the Board of

Directors Compensation Committee. With Committee approval, implemented a

revised executive compensation structure to attract and retain key

leaders, including performance-based short-term cash incentives as well

as long-term equity, supplemental retirement, and non-qualified deferred

compensation plans.

. Addressed major retirement plan cost issues by freezing the Defined

Benefit Pension Plan and restructuring the Defined Contribution Plans to

generate projected expense savings of over $50 million.

Barry A. Smedstad

Page Two

. As Chief Spokesperson, negotiated 28 separate labor agreements with

highly competitive settlements while retaining operating flexibility.

Defeated aggressive organization attempt by the Teamsters.

. Developed messages and materials to guide the response to employee,

customer and vendor matters during the 2009 financial restructuring and

emergence. Communications programs fostered positive employee morale and

a renewed business focus.

BOXUSA, Valhalla, NY 1997 - 1998

$500 million corrugated packaging manufacturer with 2,800 employees and 28

facilities.

Vice President, Human Resources

Recruited by new CEO after a major acquisition to establish proactive HR

function to support a more aggressive, performance-based corporate culture.

Significant Achievements

. Personally sourced and staffed executive manpower requirements including:

COO, CFO, VP Sales & Marketing, two Regional VP's, 5 General Managers and

2 Staff Department Heads.

. Restructured corporate benefits programs into a more competitive, cost-

effective benefits platform and reduced annual costs by $500K.

. Initiated company-wide performance and career management review systems

to better identify and assess key personnel resources for current and

future talent needs.

. Managed sensitive labor relations matters involving concurrent closing of

two plants, sale of two other plants and merger of two facilities in

close proximity. Rationalization process was completed without customer

service disruption and loss of key personnel.

. Revised corporate compensation programs, creating new salary structure,

upgrading operations and sales incentives, and adding new executive

reward programs to facilitate retention of key personnel in an extremely

competitive labor climate.

BAXTER HEALTHCARE CORPORATION, Edison, NJ 1996 - 1997

$10 billion diversified health products manufacturer.

Director of Human Resources - Northeast Region

Senior HR Manager recruited to orchestrate a strategic realignment of

personnel resources in the NE Region. Also challenged to reorganize all

core sales, service and operating functions in conjunction with a corporate-

wide High Performance Organization initiative. Successfully accomplished

redesign of workforce planning, staffing, training and management

development programs for multiple distribution and sales facilities

producing annual cost savings of $2 million. Concurrent and equally

significant responsibility as HR generalist for the entire region.

FEDERAL PAPER BOARD COMPANY, Montvale, NJ 1985 - 1996

$1.8 billion paper and packaging manufacturer with 7,000 employees.

Corporate Director - Labor & Employee Relations

Key member of corporate management team responsible for HR and labor

relations programs for all domestic and international operating businesses.

Significant Accomplishments

. Directed HR matters for multiple corporate restructuring and growth

initiatives involving the closure/sale of 14 facilities with $400 million

in sales and acquisitions with $300 million in sales. Created and

implemented personnel plan for efficient and on-time start-up of three

manufacturing plants with annual sales exceeding $100 million.

Barry A. Smedstad

Page Three

. Provided ER support to international operations including joint venture

in India, paper manufacturing operation in Scotland and start-up of a

London sales and distribution center.

. Negotiated over 25 labor agreements and obtained concessions at two

financially troubled facilities to reduce plant operating cost by over $2

million.

. Defeated nine organization attempts by Teamsters, Autoworkers and

Steelworkers and introduced proactive union avoidance systems to prevent

future union activity.

. Coordinated division-wide reengineering plan for $300 million packaging

manufacturing subsidiary. Over 3 years, eliminated 400 positions with

total cost savings of $16 million.

CONTAINER CORPORATION OF AMERICA 1976 - 1985

$2 billion subsidiary of Mobil Corporation with 20,000 employees and 130

operations.

Manager, Human Resources - International M & R, Mobil New York (1984 -

1985)

Directed strategic staffing and organizational development activities for

marketing and refining operations in 120 countries. Managed employee

relations events for operational restructuring, including the closing of a

German refinery and a London regional office. Developed computerized

database to efficiently track and access over 2,000 foreign nationals

available for international assignment.

Group Manager - Human Resources and Corporate Manager, Career Development,

Training & Recruitment - Chicago (1982 - 1984)

Primary professional resource for all HR matters for Mill and Converting

Business Group with 4,000 employees at 41 plant and regional facilities.

Promoted to staff position to manage corporate-wide professional

recruitment, manpower planning, training/organization development and

employee relocation. Chaired project team benchmarking corporate staff

utilization and developed/implemented staff downsizing plan resulting in

the elimination of 200 staff positions and $11 million of expense.

Previous experience in Southeast U.S. Paper Mill and Lumber operations from

1976 - 1982. Promoted from Assistant Personnel Manager to Employee

Relations Manager to Regional Employee Relations Manager for 2,000-

employee, multi-site paper manufacturing/converting and lumber

manufacturing/distribution businesses.

Military Experience

U.S. Navy Supply Corps Officer

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon

Graduate Coursework at Cornell and Georgia

Professional Affiliations

Career-long member of SHRM

Human Resources Policy Association

Human Resources Leadership Forum

Contact this candidate