Kenneth Wake

Elmhurst, IL 312-***-**** ac7tgd@r.postjobfree.com http://careerwebfolio.com/kennethwake/

Senior Business Performance & Value Optimization Executive

Driving Organizational Development Invigorating Vendor Relations Regulating Expenses

An Enterprising, Progressive Change and Operations Management Professional – with pervasive experience inspiring performance improvement, implementing cutting-edge technologies and methods to increase efficiency and profit, and designing strategies for process and policy advancement to mobilize corporate objectives. Skilled at promoting staff engagement through mentorship and creative compensation solutions. Focused on client retention, ensuring positive customer experiences to support organizational growth. Insatiable fervor for growth – never settling for status quo.

Core Competencies

● Quality & Customer Experience ● Strategic / Tactical Planning & Execution ● Change Management

● Incentive & Succession Planning ● Business Process Engineering / Metrics ● Organizational Structuring

● Compliance & Policy Development ● Program & Product Management ● Market Analysis

● Resource Planning & Allocation ● Contract Pricing & Negotiations ● Brand & Product Penetration

Professional Experience

Blatt, Hasenmiller, Leibsker & Moore, LLC Chicago, IL

A creditor’s rights debt collection law firm, managing $1 billion in consumer receivables annually.

Chief Operating Officer 2012 - 2017

Responsible for 200+ indirect reports via 12 direct reports throughout seven locations across the U.S. Oversaw profit and loss, customer relationships, process management, employee development, risk mitigation, and compliance adherence.

Optimizing Quality & Change Management

100% decline in client exceptions reaped and various client awards obtained by regulating accountability, surveying system control reporting, and incentivizing team.

62.5% labor costs retained and 28% spike in production derived by restructuring operational efficiencies and procedures in the central office.

Configured compliance management system and corresponding policies, safeguarding conformity with more than 100 unique, ever-evolving, client-centric requirements.

0% error rate achieved by collaborating efforts to create an automated compliance process, which eradicated the need for vendor outsourcing.

Metrics & Cost Control

78% depreciation in expenses actualized by converting an antiquated records system to a modern platform to accommodate growth and increase efficiency.

46% decrease in rental space overhead secured by managing a rigorous relocation in downtown Chicago.

28% boost in customer inventory originated by acquiring a major competitor in a crucial market through expert research, appraisal, and negotiation.

27% uptick in production produced by creating a scorecard tracking system to monitor individual and team performance via department dashboards, KPI reports, as well as exception and control reports.

Executive Director 2008 - 2012

Oversaw 85 indirect reports via 18 direct reports. Supervised new business development, process and policy improvements, team development, territory expansion, forecasting, budgeting, cost control, and data analysis.

$4.4 million in back revenue collected by assembling a cross-functional team to develop a virtual web payment portal, granting clients the ability to pay online and avoid commissionable events.

$3.2 million preserved by trimming costs 53% through the course of vendor relationship by renegotiating terms regarding vendor price adjustments.

300% rise in customer account servicing reached by establishing business alliances, initiating strategic market expansions, and dispensing comprehensive communication regarding client portfolio performance.

18% improvement in team performance delivered by awarding incentives to personnel by tighter alignment of performance to KPIs.

Director of Risk Management 2006 - 2008

Managed 24 internal attorneys as well as outside counsel at three external firms. Mitigated risk and exposure of high liability lawsuits, serving as corporate witness for all discovery, depositions, and trials.

93% plunge in errors procured and enhanced quality by implementing standardized operational policies and procedures throughout five locations as well as providing new standards online for accessibility across multiple sites.

Reduced liability of worker discontent for a multi-site / multi-state enterprise by amending the employee handbook, implementing standardized performance reviews, necessitating a progressive disciplinary program, and administering employee performance improvement plans.

Bolstered operations that determined organizational effectiveness by establishing a lead auditor role and conceiving and overseeing an internal auditing program, which defined methods, identified building tools, and produced timely reports to department managers and process owners.

Propelled business interests by thwarting 17 anti-industry bills as co-founder for two lobbying groups that monitored, governed, and backed corporate interests in two different statehouses.

Operations & Information Technology Manager 2003 - 2006

Directed the legal department with two managers and 45 staff, and IT department comprised of three team members. Oversaw production of all legal documentation, conducted docketing, case management, and software supporting functions.

163% growth in geographic presence generated by launching three new sites, enabling the organization to broaden and penetrate new markets and new customers.

83% reduction in backlogs accomplished by inventing and executing a bar coding and scanning system to integrate into the document management process.

82% surge in client service levels delivered by instituting a comprehensive customer issue resolution ticketing and tracking solution.

75% depreciation in expenditures achieved and less than 1.6% error rate realized by devising an automatic account flow process that systematically managed inventory and workflow, identified exceptions, and reported status and data to clients automatically via EDI.

28% improvements in unit productivity garnered by awarding top producers with performance-based incentives and reducing bonuses for underachievers.

Additional Experience with Blatt, Hasenmiller, Leibsker & Moore

Managing Associate Attorney

Instituted the first regional office, serving as sole employee. Within six years retained three attorneys and 12 law clerks accountable for 94% of the courts in the states. Generated $2.4 million in revenue through relationship building and staff development.

$3.7 million in profits facilitated by landing a new client in an untapped market, sufficiently communicating the company’s ability to provide value-added services that exceed competitors.

345% organizational growth accomplished in three years by developing staffing plans, hiring skilled talent, cultivating skill-based training programs, constructing a vendor network, and effectively allocating resources.

93% expansion of the territory earned by leveraging systems, introducing lean staffing, and forging a vendor network to bolster profitability.

27% upturn in revenue championed while serving as interim site manager through competent recruiting and acquisition of a capable managerial team.

Education

Master of Business Administration

Southern Illinois University

Juris Doctorate

Southern Illinois University

Bachelor of Arts in Economics

Eastern Illinois University

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