Richard P Solger

*** ***** *****

Cary, Illinois 60013

Home :847-***-****

ac86sg@r.postjobfree.com

Controller - Financial Executive

Results-oriented, financial professional with a 40 year proven track record in planning, budgeting and financial analysis. Offering an array of skills in cost control, forecasting, team management, written and verbal communication, accounting, insurance policies, cash flow management, asset-based lending, staff development, negotiation, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and project management and implementation. Demonstrated success in managing multi-million dollar accounts with multiple locations and a diverse range of workforces. Consistently delivers business results via cost controls, analytical reasoning, technology, and team collaboration. Adapts to ever-changing situations and takes on significant accountability in order to create a culture of high performance in the work environment and seamlessly manage all aspects of a company.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Home Owners Bargain Outlet, Waukegan, IL 2003-2018

Controller

●Manage banking and financial reporting for six home improvement centers, a distribution warehouse, an advertising company, two real estate companies and an internet company with annual revenues more than $90 million

●Responsible for cash management, consolidating financial statements, budgeting, all general ledger entries, sales tax for the states of IL and WI, cash forecasting, and banking relations

●Supervise a staff of two accounts payable clerks

●Report directly to the owner/president

●Collaborate in the selection, implementation and training of the company’s first point of sale system in all stores and warehouses with an integrated accounting software program. This included reviewing several different systems as well as the negotiation of the price. This new system converted all of the companies from a retail accounting method to a cost accounting system. As a result, the company was able to view more accurate inventory levels and locations.

●Negotiate numerous bank loans for new store openings, as well as an increase of $2 million in our lines of credit with acceptable covenants and later to an asset based line of credit

●Responsible for all weekly borrowing activity and a weekly submission of the Borrowing Base Certificates

●Conduct annual review and negotiation of all insurance policies for all the companies, as well as the annual review of our financial statements by the independent auditors

Treasure Island Foods, Inc. Chicago, Illinois 1997-2003

Controller

●Managed all activities relating to human resources, information systems, risk management, banking and the financial reporting and consolidation of six grocery stores with annual revenues in excess of $75 million

●Responsible for all general ledger accounts, payroll for 600 employees, quarterly financial statements, all sales and payroll taxes, scheduling and reviewing physical inventories, cash management and forecasting

●Administered and complied to three separate union contracts

●Directed a staff of eight employees

●Reported directly to the president/owner

●Established contacts at several banking institutions and insurance brokers, and began an open bidding practice for the company's credit card and insurance business. This procedure netted the company an annual savings on insurance coverage of $200,000 per year and an additional savings of $75,000 on credit card fees and bank service charges.

●Developed and implemented numerous operational and procedural changes that pinpointed and assisted in correcting several internal control issues

●Evaluated and redistributed the workload of the office, including cross-training the accounting personnel in order to reduced turnover and overtime along with improving the effectiveness and credibility of the department

●Trained office staff to prepare the majority of all schedules needed by the external auditor in order to complete their quarterly review of the financial statement and thus reducing the time and the cost of these reviews

●Worked with the external auditors and an outside consulting firm to complete a change in the accounting software being used by the company

●Collaborated with bank to negotiate a one million dollar operating line of credit along with a one million dollar capital line of credit

Braude Jewelry, Inc. (Page Jewelers) Chicago, IL 1996-1997

Controller

●Directed and supervised a small staff in the financial reporting of 22 retail outlets as well as the corporate office

●Responsible for the timeliness and accuracy of the monthly and year-end financial statements, bank reconciliation, cash flow, account consolidations, and cash forecasting

●Additional duties included fixed asset schedules, payroll and sales tax filings, employee benefit management, trial balance preparation analysis and the supervision of annual inventories

●Reported directly to the owners

●Wrote and issued the first Policy and Procedural Manual in the company's 104 year history. This manual improved internal controls and gave the stores a consistent approach in handling the day-to-day financial matters in the stores

●Designed and implemented a cash forecasting model which allowed the company to project its cash needs for one year and allowed the company to anticipate its borrowing needs

●Developed with team several innovative methods of increasing sales and the necessary cash flow to meet the company’s needs

Speedy Muffler King, Inc. (Car-X Muffler & Brakes) Chicago, IL 1992-1996

Divisional Controller US Operations

●Directed a staff of four in the consolidated financial reporting of four separate companies and 354 retail/service centers

●Maintained the standard cost files, credit and collection, liability and damage insurance claims, audits of franchise shops as well as the coordination of the annual inventories for all corporate operations

●Duties also included the general ledgers, capital expenditures, and new site analysis, annual budgets and five year strategic plan and the timely and accurate monthly and year end closings

●Reported to the president of US Operations

●Assisted in the due diligence reporting during the company’s initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange

●Initiated and directed the implementation of procedures which verified the costs of 38,000 SKUs in the standard cost file, correcting numerous errors, increasing the integrity of the company’s balance sheets and recovered a vendor billing error totaling $415,000

●Developed and used various computer models to analyze new store sites, new merchandising programs, as well as new equipment purchases

●Prepared and conducted training seminars for the Regional Directors and Area Supervisors on financial statements

The Southland Corporation (7-Eleven Food Stores) Schaumburg, IL 1974-1992

Division Controller-Midwest Region

●Directly responsible for the financial reporting of 250 retail outlets in a franchise environment with total revenues in excess of $250 million annually.

●Directed and developed a staff of 95 within a five state area

●Reported to the Division Manager

●Instituted a collection procedure that included negotiation, financing, or litigation of both franchisee and consumer debt. This procedure resulted in collections of past due accounts in excess of $250,000 and reduced future debts by 25%

●Developed the procedures, and directed a task force which divested 150 unprofitable stores in Ohio

●Reorganized the accounting department, which resulted in the elimination of some staff and reducing overtime by 1550 hour per year producing an annual savings of $200,000 without losing productivity

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EDUCATION

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

B.S. in Accounting

●N.T.L. Management Courses

●American Management Association Courses

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