CRAIG WELLONS

229-***-**** ac7sgw@r.postjobfree.com www.linkedin.com/in/craig-wellons

International Chief Financial Officer & Vice President of Operations

Finance ~ Operations ~ Financial Planning & Analysis ~ Data Analytics

Executive Summary

Senior executive with 20+ years combined Financial Management / Manufacturing Operations background with the primary focus being creating value.

Leads the financial vision by providing analysis that predicts and delivers financial results and creates value.

Assure both CFO and VP of Operations roles’ top and bottom line results by contributing across levels, from bank presentations and reporting, budgeting to controlling daily operations, using knowledge gained in roles from warehouse up to C-Suite.

Recent achievements include creating successful new offshore manufacturing facility, while simultaneously overseeing parallel domestic site.

Advance company brand and strategy, developing improvements roadmap and business case for necessary changes, via gap analysis, benchmarking marketing and new product development, and investment against Best Practices.

Maintain work process flows by coordinating information and requirements with related operational departments; controls AP and Inventory levels and monitors cash flow.

Achieve operating and financial goals by directing team, creating and implementing plans, and maintaining collaboration among managers, analytically ensuring clarity and compliance via financial planning and analysis.

Assure overall company performance, by successfully analyzing company and opportunities. Increase daily operations value immediately for comprehensive long-term prosperity, driving outstanding ROI for owners, and enjoying balancing satisfaction among stakeholders, customer value, vendor partnerships, and employees. Entrepreneurial spirit, dedicated to mutual success, honed by working closely with small international furniture manufacturing and distribution company owner.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Finance: P&L Analysis Budgeting Reporting Strategic Planning Creating Financial Narrative

Vision: Creating Start-Up with Shelter Company Forecasting Process Improvement Presentations

Operations: Client Relationships Inventory Management Project Management Cost Control

KEY STRENGTHS:

Communicating objectives clearly and visibly to stakeholders from banks to employees.

Accountability from team members, providing guidance with financial controls to enhance P&L.

Creating financial narrative for owners and stakeholders of company’s direction and how it will be achieved.

Financial analysis to recognize cost drivers, opportunities to increase revenue, and increase margins.

IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS:

Successfully established new offshore manufacturing site, generating 85% of revenues in first 2.5 years and Direct Labor costs savings of over $1.5 million annually.

Improved customer experience by shortening shipping delays, reducing from $600K+ orders delayed 8+ weeks to $230K orders with no more than 6 weeks’ delay in year over year comparison via improved production scheduling and inventory controls.

In most recent 6 months, reduced inventory and payables by $1.2 million or 25% and increased YTD earnings by $800k or 59%.

Developed internal systems and processes for production scheduling, inventory forecasting and reorder and accounts payable payment selection.

Entrusted to generate monthly financials and make presentations to outside stakeholders.

Took lead in new product development with largest customer resulting in an increase of revenue of $5 million and act as the primary contact for other key accounts. Also initiated an across the board price increase and guided marketing in successful implementation resulting in increased annual revenue of over $430k.

Career Progression & Select Contributions

CFO 2015 - Present

Container Marketing, Inc. Americus, GA, USA, and Juárez, CH, MX

Challenge: Promoted to take charge of daily operational functions. Evolved into 2 plants’ oversight, 1600 miles apart and in different countries, USA and Mexico.

Scope: $22M annual sales. Assure both top and bottom line results: Financial oversight of plant and company profitability, balance sheet health, and short-term liquidity. Direct 3 AP / AR staff. Report to CEO/Owner.

Provide monthly financial reporting to owners, and external stakeholders including bank, by organizing conference calls and accountability reports on: Material, labor, and OH cost variance; and customer profitability, returns and allowances, and AP analysis, comparing actual, budget, and last year, month to month.

Develop budget / financial / P&L statements with plant and company profitability, balance sheet health, short-term liquidity, sales, and operating budgets, and rolling 13-week cash flow statements.

Responsible for financial oversight and guidance to support operations and providing leadership to supply chain.

Developed and maintain Financial Models used in Financial Planning and Analysis function to predict and control desired financial objectives.

Guides financial staff to enable accomplishment of daily and monthly objectives.

Contributions:

Assured continuous operations as the company shifted focus to offshore manufacturing:

oResolved liquidity shortage by creating primary vendor financing for ramp-up supplying both plants’ inventory and equipment, through collaborating to increase AP and lengthen payment time-frame.

oEstablished cycle count models and developed AP selection model ownership decision system to select weekly payables in response to vendor limits, for predictable vendor shipping to both sites.

oAssumed responsibility for planning and executing successful price increase to all customers.

For the first six months of 2018, beat full operating budget and revenue production with no unpleasant surprises, after planning with CEO and Marketing Team for company and for each site.

Created and assured financial visibility by establishing monthly reporting meetings with ownership and stakeholders, creating monthly and yearly budget planning for both locations and for company.

VP of Operations 2005 - Present

Container Marketing, Inc. Americus, GA, USA, and Juárez, CH, MX

Challenge: Promoted to take charge of daily operations and all functional results, except marketing. Tasked with direct oversight of 2 manufacturing plants 1600 miles apart, in US and Mexico.

Scope: $22M annual sales. Ensure both facilities’ producing first quality goods the first time, on time and at lowest cost; adequate staffing; appropriate inventory levels. Schedule production and shipping/receiving. Assure top line and bottom line. Direct 2 Plant Managers; 6 Department Supervisors; 8 Customer Service employees. Report to CEO/Owner.

Analyze ways of increasing revenue or reducing costs through marketing suggestions and customer price increases, by constantly scouring data and adjusting staffing per demand.

Develop best near and mid-term business actions translating strategy into actionable plans, working closely with owners and stakeholders.

Ensure facilities QA including product quality, and appropriate levels of inventory stocking and staffing.

Assure daily operations’ meeting customer order requirements by scheduling production; and warehouse functions including shipping and receiving materials meeting or exceeding expectations.

Detail order trends and flag late orders via weekly key marketing and production management meetings.

Operate and handle inventory, AP, purchasing, and invoicing, as unified operation, streamlining processes collaboratively via meetings with key marketing and production management.

Ensured support of employee objectives, by collaborating with ERP supplier for routine maintenance, upgrades, and modifications.

Contributions:

Successfully established Juarez manufacturing plant, with minimal long-term owner investment and without additional outside funding.

oOversaw new plant startup from the ground up, working with shelter company to replicate and improve on processes of initial Georgia facility. Selected plant manager and supervisors.

oDeveloped domestic site “ramp-down” plans in operations, inventory, and equipment allocation, for all new plant and marketing success outcomes.

Increased individual upholstery lines’ production 20%+, by resolving inconsistent output through implementing upholstery production conveyor belt system.

Reduced inventory levels $1.3M – 27% – by developing raw materials purchase forecasting models, assuming extended lead time reorders, and developing ERP-integrated upgrade to suggest re-order levels.

Resolved customer order shipping status uncertainties by identifying old orders, and meeting weekly with top management including production, marketing, and owners, for 6 months, on orders’ status / age.

oIn first 6 months, decreased $600K+ in orders aged 8+ weeks, from 25% to 9%; and reduced delayed orders 50% to $300K with while achieving goal of no more than 6 weeks’ delay.

oIncreased order status visibility for Customer Service, by enabling real-time reports with projected ship dates, through developing production/marketing scheduling system integrated with ERP.

Continue to increase value to key customer partners by collaborating on new product development.

Plant Manager 1995 - 2005

Container Marketing, Inc. Americus, GA, USA, and Juárez, CH, MX

Challenge: Promoted to align production and warehouse functions with ownership objectives and values, implementing discipline and creating alignment with ownership.

Scope: Comprehensive scheduling, inventory control, purchasing agency, and sourcing.

Assured daily customer order operations/requirements, by scheduling production, shipping / receiving, and raw material stocking.

Held key marketing/production management sales meetings weekly, detailing order trends and flagging late orders.

Ensured employee objectives support, by collaborating with the ERP supplier for routine maintenance, upgrades, and modifications.

Contributions:

Developed raw materials inventory purchasing forecasting models, many with up to 4 months lead time.

Benefited company and vendor by sourcing raw materials to lower costs and improve performance.

Increased employees’ pay, better aligning labor with per-piece allocation by developing equitable direct labor system production rates with production pay rates tied to production incentive pay system.

Cultivated and maintained vendor relations of 10-20 years and sustained through new facility transition.

Created manufacturing and marketing order status visibility by developing production system.

Military Experience

Mechanized Infantryman, Fighting Vehicle – 11M MOS (E-4 / Specialist) 1990 - 1996

Georgia Army National Guard Americus, GA, USA

Challenge: Fighting Vehicle Infantryman; Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) gunner. Navigated for Bradley Fighting Vehicle commander. Operated 25 MM cannon and 7.62 coax machine gun during combat patrol.

Scope: Employed, operated, and maintained $2.5M platoon equipment on BFV (Bradley Fighting Vehicle). Supported superiors and subordinates; guided subordinates technically and tactically.

Employed, operated, and maintained platoon equipment, including communications platform and BII.

Collected and reported information, monitoring communications traffic among vehicles and ground units.

Assumed BFV motion control in Commander’s absence. Trained and mentored driver; assured well-being.

Contributions:

Georgia Meritorious Service Medal, for 1994 Operation Crested River activation.

Professional Development & Community Leadership

Education:

MBA Business Administration Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, GA

BBA Manufacturing Management Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, GA

Foreign Language Fluencies: Professional working proficiency in Spanish

Software Proficiencies: Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Microsoft Dynamics Navision

Career Development 4x: Business and Data Analysis Skills

Wharton Executive Education: Business Analytics: From Data to Insight

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