A. Grant Connell

**** ******** ***** ********, ******** 23235 804-***-**** (MOBILE)

abl8jm@r.postjobfree.com

SENIOR BUSINESS & OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE

MARKETING & SALES LEADERSHIP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS & BUSINESS

PROCESS DESIGN & TURNAROUND

Polished, high-energy transformation agent converting start-up,

growth, and turnaround challenges to success through strategic

business vision and disciplined, hands-on leadership

OPERATIONAL STRATEGIST AND LEADER with an extensive grasp of

business, market, and technology trends in diverse industries.

Diversified career evolution from program manager and systems analyst,

through senior management role for KPMG Peat Marwick and IT research /

development director for Philip Morris - culminating in VP assignments in

the professional services sector. Consistent delivery of product, market,

and business results despite rapidly fluctuating market circumstances.

Strategic and tactical success in P&L, start-up, global market expansion,

and turnaround - harnessing change through precision execution of business

fundamentals.

Core competencies include:

P&L Business Direction, Financial Competitive Market Positioning

Performance & Cost Control

Strategic Alliance & Vendor Partnership CRM, Sales, & Marketing Leadership

Management

High-Level Contract Negotiation Integrated Communications Strategy

Corporate & Business Development Knowledge & Performance Management

Business Architecture Design & Process IT Infrastructure Strategy & Assessment

Engineering

Project, Program & Engagement Management Software System & Enterprise

Application Integration

Summary of Professional Experience

Strata G's Midlothian, Virginia 2009 - present

Strategic business and technology consultancy providing customer

relationship management, organizational and business development strategies

focused on improving operations, sales and marketing leadership.

President

Information Experts, Inc., Reston, Virginia 2003 - 2009

$8 million e-learning development, marketing communications, and human

capital performance service business supplying strategic consulting and

programs in instructional design, content and graphic design, and technical

development.

Senior Vice President - Business Development & Operations

Planned and orchestrated repositioning of the firm as the competitive

leader in integrated communications programs for the government and

corporate enterprise sectors - achieving EPA recognition as a "Powerhouse

8(a)" business for consistently exceeding expectations in fiduciary,

resource, quality, time, and deliverable program management. Established

long-range and short-term objectives, allocated resources, assessed and

instituted operating policies to support corporate mission. Managed staff

of 40.

Directed daily operations, sales and revenue, expense and margin, and

annual financial goal attainment in operation and project direction of

initiatives for major government and corporate clients including EPA,

Department of Education, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Defense,

Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, Department of

Health and Human Services, FAA, FDIC, and MCI, PGA, PRA International,

American Management Systems, and RefWorks.

. Delivered a 500% revenue increase ($1 million to $5 million) over

previous year while generating an 800% pipeline surge ($3 million to $24

million) by driving substantial penetration into the federal government

market.

. Championed and directed the acquisition and implementation of

salesforce.com CRM SaaS solution, energizing revenue increase through

institution of a single point of reference for customer information and

enabled real-time sales performance reporting.

. Achieved bottom-line improvements to strengthening top-line results. Cut

operating costs by 10% through design and implementation of a three-year

business plan and realigning functioned services, marketing strategies,

operations, and financial infrastructure and reporting processes.

Grant Connell 804-***-**** (M) abl8jm@r.postjobfree.com

2

Senior Vice President - Information Experts, continued . . .

. Drove major improvements in efficiency, customer satisfaction, and

security as SaaS technology and software tool champion.

- Directed development of IEPerform Microsoft SharePoint Knowledge

management portal - improving communication, project review, delivery,

and resultant customer satisfaction by 75%, with a 200% ROI achieved

through cost reductions and a 15% decrease in project cycle time.

- Captured a 150% return on investment through purchase and use of OpenAir

(NetSuite) Professional Services Application as replacement of existing

time / expense reporting system.

Whitlock eBusiness Solutions, Glen Allen, Virginia 2001 - 2003

$12 million management consulting and professional services division of The

Whitlock Group. Focused on customer, employee, and partner relationship

management; technology management and infrastructure engineering; staffing

and implementation services to midsize and Fortune 500 organizations.

Vice President - Corporate Strategy and Marketing

Infused a strategic mindset into all aspects of the business, influencing

the corporate culture as a strategic role model, while planning and

piloting marketing programs. Structured and applied a disciplined business

approach to business development, marketing, communications, business

process, and delivery operations, and technology and financial

infrastructure / methodologies.

Directed all in-bound and out-bound corporate, partner, channel, and

product marketing, including product management. Managed branding, public

relations, advertising, website design and content, white paper

development, trade show / events, and collateral; market and customer

research; product development, pricing, launch and lifecycle management.

Partnered with VP of sales in channel and partner strategy development and

execution, lead generation, and tracking. Developed and controlled a $1.5

million corporate marketing budget.

. Generated 30% revenue growth within six months of implementing the

business development, marketing and communication strategy.

. Repositioned the firm as leading central-Virginia consulting organization

- driving 150% growth in three years - through focused market research and

corporate rebranding initiative.

AnswerThink, Inc., Miami, Florida (corporate) / Atlanta, Georgia (primary

office) 1997 - 2001

$300 million business and technology consulting firm helping clients

generate increased return through best practices in finance, HR, supply

chain, off shoring / outsourcing, shared / web / portal services, and CRM

solutions.

Managing Director / Vice President

Launched the business and technology consulting firm as one of a 40-member

founding group and corporate strategy designer and business driver in the

CRM / Customer Solutions and Emerging Technologies practice areas. Defined

and directed business development, vendor / partner relationship, and

practice management start-up and growth strategies and activities.

Managed total consulting engagement cycle from business case development

and project design to the identification and execution of deliverables,

coordination of resources and logistics, and management of client

relationships. Served a wide range of client companies including Visteon,

Gartner Group, IMS Health, and SEI Investments.

. Energized corporate growth - reaching a revenue run rate of $300 million

in three years, 2000 employees, and record-13-month NASDAQ public

offering.

. Delivered $18 million in revenue through the establishment and growth of

$10 million customer solutions practice and $8 million emerging

technologies practices.

. Drove a 10% revenue increase through comprehensive market and strategic

alliance planning. Designed and executed market segmentation, demand

creation, and business development plans that aligned AnswerThink and

technology vendors to focused go-to-market strategy and revenue targets.

. Realized a 25% decrease in project delivery costs through optimization of

project structure and processes.

Grant Connell 804-***-**** (M) abl8jm@r.postjobfree.com 3

Previous Experience

Director of IT Research and Development, Philip Morris, USA (1995-1997):

Tapped to lead the strategic development of enterprise IT infrastructure,

systems, and services following leadership of successful sales force

automation implementation while KPMG consultant. Created corporate IT

Development Services organization and designed strategic plan guiding

implementation management, organizational learning, methods and tools,

applications and databases, and strategies and architectures required for

efficient, high-return business systems delivery.

Charged with development and roll-out of new open-standard, Intranet-based

infrastructure and enterprise knowledge management system after legacy

email system crashed and caused loss of $100 million contract.

Senior Manager, KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP (1992-1995): Initiated customer

relationship management (CRM) practice. Delivered a 100% increase in sales

calls, 95% reduction in call errors, and 5% increase in market share for

Philip Morris USA by leading development of CRM sales force automation,

expense processing, and performance metrics systems. Performed wireless

PDA technology and client / server messaging application feasibility

studies for Apple Computer / Department of Defense and U.S. West.

Systems Analyst, CSX TECHNOLOGY (1989-1992): Designed, developed, tested,

and implemented rail network and car management systems and applications

for the Transportation Car Management Business Unit. Enabled cost,

delivery, and productivity improvements leading system and application

development including geographical information system for real-time rail

network monitoring. Defined corporate standards for Windows, Mac, and VAX

development platforms as contributing team member.

Scientific Analyst / Consultant, Sachs Freeman Associates (1987-1989):

Advanced active noise cancellation, target detection, and false alarm

development programs for the United States Navy, as consultant to Johns

Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Geophysicist / Program Manager, Geophysical Services Incorporated (1981-

1987): Managed technical program engagements for clients in the oil and

energy industry segments.

Education & Professional Development

Education

Bachelor of Science, Geology

Radford University, Radford, Virginia

http://www.linkedin.com/in/grantconnell

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