Rita Nicholas, PHR

**** ****** *****, ******, ** 44420 ( 330-***-**** (H) (330)

***-**** (M) ( abl6tk@r.postjobfree.com

CAREER PROFILE

Certified Human Resources Professional with more than twelve years

experience serving management and service based enterprises as well as the

manufacturing sector in both union and non-union environments. Career

experience including recruitment and retention, conflict resolution, change

management, labor relations, benefit administration and risk management.

Proven experience collaborating with senior management to conduct Human

Resources strategic planning in order to support and further corporate

goals. Proven skills in labor and employment law including complaint

investigation to thwart legal action. Strong business acumen from

significant operational exposure to and career experience in all aspects of

a corporate setting, including management, accounting, sales and marketing,

personnel and legal departments.

KEY SKILLS

o ( HR Department Startup ( Staff Recruitment & Retention (

Labor Law Compliance FMLA/FLSA/ADA/EEO/WC

( Employee Relations, Training & Development ( Performance

Management, Mediation & Advocacy

( Benefits Administration incl. Health, Dental, STD & LTD, Life, Sec 125,

H.S.A., COBRA, 401K

( Policies & Procedures Development ( CBA Contract Negotiation &

Renewal

( Payroll, Taxes, Reporting and Filings to govt. agencies ( Grievance

and Allegation defense & resolution

( Corporate Insurance Renewal & Contract Development ( MIS & IT

Administration

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

FORNEY Incorporated - Hermitage, PA

Privately held, middle-market international supplier of materials testing

equipment with approx. 10M in annual sales

Manager HR & Administration, 2006 - 2009 (currently on layoff status)

Recruited to manage and develop the full spectrum of all HR functions,

and to serve administration by providing professional support and

assistance to the President and executive team in special projects.

Additional responsibilities included integrated work within the

accounting department as well as managing the MIS/ IT functions,

corporate insurance management and renewal, and all corporate

events/exhibition planning.

Key Results & Responsibilities:

o Wrote a formal, comprehensive Employee Manual for all corporate

entities. Developed and instituted a new Code of Conduct Manual

providing in-depth policy detail regarding sexual and workplace

harassment, violence and discrimination reporting, policies

addressing electronic communication and corporate intellectual

property issues.

o Changed recruitment strategies to include multi-level interviewing,

formal background checks and physical exams for all union

manufacturing employees.

o Reworked new-hire orientation program to include specialized on-

boarding, HR information and company resources.

o Developed core competency performance appraisals, disciplinary

reports and tracking system that insulated company from legal risk

and ensured consistent and fair discipline procedures and

documentation requirements. Revised employee non-compete contracts

and renegotiated vendor contracts.

o Discovered more than 100K in unknown stock assets issued to the

corporate 401K plan, and brought into compliance a 7-year shortfall

in employee contributions and distributions, including changes

necessary to yearly form 5500 filings.

o Worked integrally with CFO to implement new 401K vendor resulting

in a participation increase of 400%.

o Successfully negotiated 0% comprehensive benefits plan renewals for

2006 and 2007.

o Fostered a teamwork/open-door environment conducive to positive

dialogue across the organization for union and non-union employees,

reducing turnover and aiding retention.

o Overhauled state sales tax reporting's to 40+ state entities,

including repair of delinquent accounts and establishment for

collected but unreported funds. Took over all domestic sales tax

filing duties for 9 months until a cost accountant was recruited

and trained.

o Served as liaison to corporate founder and owner in regards to all

marketing strategies and development.

MM Management Inc. - Youngstown, OH

A management company for retail and in-house finance companies- JD

Byrider Franchisee with five locations.

HR Specialist, Executive Asst. to President, 2005-2006

HR generalist position serving the Director of HR, CFO and CEO as a

member of the management team and by coordinating operations for all

locations. Provided HR, accounting, planning, administrative, MIS and

asset control functions for the company.

Key Results & Responsibilities:

o Responsible for assisting HR director in all aspects of

recruitment, including job fairs, resume and interview screening,

background and psychological testing and evaluation, and on-

boarding.

o Manage corporate benefits enrollment and renewals including health,

dental, life, STD & LTD, Sec. 125, 401K and COBRA. Conduct

contract evaluations and negotiations.

o Oversee supply chain needs for all locations and provide daily and

quarterly sales reporting and specialized reports for forecasting

and cost accounting requests.

o Management of all corporate events and functions. Serve as server

administrator and IT liaison.

The Levetz Group, Inc. & Handyman Supply Inc. - Warren, OH

Two privately owned companies, a management and brokerage sales company

for corporate and privately owned aircraft, and a retail hardware chain

respectively held by one owner.

Manager, Director of Charter Sales and Brokerage, 1997-2004

Manage all sales and business operations for The Levetz Group including

all accounting including payroll, A/P. A/R, cash management, expense

reporting, invoicing and FET reporting. Managed contracts, collections,

HR, marketing, quotation and brokerage of services. Responsible for all

sales management, including client and vendor procurement, evaluation and

management. Additionally provided assistance with Handyman Supply, Inc.

to the president and senior management for the retail chain and real

estate properties owned, including sales development and management, POS

network systems, inventory and daily operations.

Key Results & Responsibilities:

o Developed and maintained a network of clientele in BB sales

resulting in more than 1-3M in sales annually.

o Created and developed an on-demand marketing and sales database and

communication system for strategic growth initiative which provided

real-time availability notification and sales promotions resulting

in increased sales volume and domestic presence.

o Established significant and profitable long term relationships with

key decision makers for the top three fractional sales providers in

the industry, resulting in a well established reputation for

excellence, service and dependability.

o Ensured compliance with all federal regulations for corporate and

charter operations, U.S. and international procedures and security

and safety directives.

o Successfully managed a group of commercial and residential

properties, responsible for all management and leasing.

EDUCATION

01/2010 HRCI, PHR Certification 01/10

03/2005 Youngstown State University, Paralegal Certification

03/05, 4.0 GPA (Post-Graduate)

06/1996 Youngstown State University, BSAS 06/96.

06/1990 Hubbard High School, Diploma & State of Ohio Honors

Certification

SPECIAL SKILLS

o Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, incl. Word, Excel, Access,

PowerPoint, Outlook and various desktop publishing

o ERP Software Systems - Progression & Epicor software suites

o Server/Network & IT Administration experience - 3 years

o Foreign Languages - 3 years (Spanish)

References, Salary History, Legal Writing Samples available upon

request

Contact this candidate