VP of Sales

GERALD W. HENNING

**** ********* **. ******** **. 49441 Cell: 231-***-**** **************@*****.*** Professional Profile

President & CEO Vice President General Manager Accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of progressive P&L responsibility. Developed strategic relationships with major retailers and turned around failing projects. Proven ability to lead businesses from a start-up, as well as develop existing multi-million dollar organizations. Diverse manufacturing, dealer and distribution experience with a strong commercial background in sales and business development. Thorough knowledge of capital assets and investments as well as lead management and customer service. Demonstrated capability to work closely with development and engineering groups to successfully design and launch new products. Marketed consumer durable goods to furniture, RV, marine, commercial vehicle and automotive markets. Established extensive dealer networks through B2B and B2C commerce.

Career Highlights

• Increased gross sales from $11.3M to over $42M from 2011 to 2016 and forecasted over $50M in 2017.

(NAC[$350M]-Interplastics Corporation[$650M])

• Built start-up firm from $0 to over $8M over a ten-year period by executing new project ideas for major customers and capitalizing on contract opportunities with key industry contacts. (Sealand, Inc)

• Grew the Midwest region by over 200% (from $10M to $31M) over four years with $13M in sales across new customer accounts. (Ashland Chemical/Valvoline)

• Improved regional sales by over 70% (from $7M to $12M) over four years with $3M in new customer business by building new relationships and effectively managing resources. (Aristech Chemical) Core Competencies

Over 10 years of CEO experience

Full P&L Responsibility

Contract Negotiations

Project Management

Team Building/Mentoring & Leadership

Product Development & Engineering

Aluminum, Steel and Plastics

ISO, Lean Six Sigma, 5s, Kaizen

Sales Management

Client Relations

Strategic Planning

Inventory Control/Turns

Professional Experience

NAC- Interplastics Corporation 2011 to 2017

$650M chemical manufacturer and distribution company. Executive General Manager Midwest District- Mishawaka, IN – Cleveland, OH – Cincinnati, OH Full P&L responsibility for the entire business unit. Also responsible for: leading/mentoring sales, customer service, logistics, purchasing and operations at multiple locations.

• Directed a $2M purchase and renovation of a new facility.

• Work closely with customers, employees and vendors. Grew business from 11.3M to over $42M from 2011 to 2016 and forecasted over $50M in 2017.

• Created new sales territories by identifying new opportunities, realigning demographics and hiring 6 new direct sales professionals.

• Decreased inventory on hand by over 40% in one year.

• Increased inventory turns from an average of 3 turns per year to 8.

• Expanded customer base and markets including: marine, RV, construction, automotive and sub-distributors.

• Structured multiple business contracts that added over $3.5M in new sales for 2012 and over $6M additional for 2013.

• Achieved average gross margin increase by 30%.

• Hired multiple new staff members including: outside sales team, operations supervisor, customer service representatives, warehouse staff and truck drivers. Gerald W. Henning Page 2

Sealand, Inc. 2000 to 2010

$8M private label (B2B, B2C) and contract manufacturer. President & CEO – Nunica, MI

Directed all aspects of operations including: product development, engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, inside/outside sales and marketing with full P&L responsibility. Implemented operational quality standards and procedures (ISO9001). Implemented Lean standards using ISO, Kaizen, 5s and Lean Six Sigma from start-up to finish. Controlled a $7M operating budget with oversight for 63 employees. Reviewed production goals, scheduling and quality. Monitored incoming orders and the MRP system. Worked with customers and the sales team to generate new opportunities and service existing business while generating new vendor relationships. Negotiated with vendors to formulate BOMs and quotes for new projects. Established a customer network for direct ecommerce sales and resellers.

• Built start-up firm from $0 to over $8M during a ten-year period by executing new project ideas for major customers and capitalizing on contract opportunities with key industry contacts.

• Delivered $4M+ in revenue through a seven-year program focused on three new product launches and positioned company as Steelcase’s primary Tier-1 vendor.

• Secured a $1M purchase order and space for seven product lines (SKUs) across 1,200+ Office Depot stores with a complete inventory and marketing program, delivering nearly 30% of the entire product line to market.

• Generated $3.5M in gross sales over a five-year period after developing, trade marking and manufacturing a patent pending monitor arm.

• Delivered $2.5M in sales with a gross profit margin of over 40% by transitioning a new product line for a new customer; improved customer sales by 20% through reduced lead times.

• Designed and engineered a multiple monitor stand that generated over $3M in sales over two years.

• Expanded the business to cater to industries including office furniture, medical, transportation and audio/video with a strong group of core customers (Steelcase, National Furniture, ITW Dynatec and Tapco International).

• Positioned company as a leader in several markets by designing, engineering and launching 25+ new products including several that have been awarded patent pending status. Ashland Chemical 1996 to 2000

$1B+ worldwide manufacturer and distributor of specialty chemicals. Regional Sales Representative – Dublin, OH

Sold and serviced bulk unsaturated polymer resin systems to OEMs and distributors in the marine, automotive, and construction markets. Drove sales with existing customers and worked to develop new business. Supported product managers in the development and improvement of resin products/systems for a variety of applications. Negotiated internally for customer development and lab projects.

• Grew the Midwest region by over 200% (from $10M to $31M) over four years with $13M in sales across new customer accounts.

• Secured a $7M annual contract with Brunswick Bowling in three months after converting business away from a major competitor, eliminating a rival vendor.

• Ranked as the top salesperson (out of 13) for two consecutive years and earned 10+ sales and champion awards for excellence in new business development.

• Lead a team of chemists to develop a low styrene resin system that became a standard within the product line.

• Delivered $1M+ in new resin sales for Ashland as well as $2M in new gelcoat sales for a customer (Lilly Industries) after developing a new low styrene / low viscosity resin system.

• Helped develop new processes and epoxy resins which led to $1.5M+ in new sales for Tiara Yachts and Formula Boats.

• Developed a new low viscosity filled resin system for heavy trucks (Goldshield, Freightliner) which generated

$250K+ in annual labor savings for the customer.

• Helped lead a team to design a state-of-the-art preventative maintenance program for cleaning and maintaining bulk storage containers which became a customer standard and lowered internal maintenance costs by over 50%.

Gerald W. Henning Page 3

Aristech Chemical (acquired by Ashland Chemical) 1992 to 1996

$700M producer and marketer of chemical and polymer products. Regional Sales Representative – Pittsburgh, PA

Serviced and expanded the company’s Midwest territory. Sold standard and specialty unsaturated polyester resin systems directly to OEMs. Managed multiple independent distributors and a diverse account base of manufacturers with oversight for a sales force of 12.

• Improved regional sales by over 70% (from $7M to $12M) over four years with $3M in new customer business by building new relationships and effectively managing resources.

• Established a strong presence across the distribution network by focusing on smaller and midsized accounts, resulting in a diverse customer base and higher profit margins.

• Played a key role in selling and servicing resin systems to GM and Ford for exterior body panels for the Corvette and F-150 pickup trucks.

Glasscoat, Inc. 1989 to 1992

$40M distributor of fiberglass reinforced products. Regional Sales Representative – Elkhart, IN

Sold fiberglass reinforced products to small and medium manufacturers in the spa, marble, electrical, truck cap and exterior body panel markets.

• Increased territory sales by over 100% (from $960K to $2.1M) annually in less than three years. Education

BA, Communications, Michigan State University, 1989 East Lansing, Michigan

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