Sales Project Manager

Damon Baker

*** ******* **. ~ Oregon, WI ***** ~ 630-***-**** ~ *****.*******@*****.***

CAREER PROFILE

Growth oriented leader with a proven track record of repositioning businesses for growth and dramatic P&L/balance sheet improvements in volatile economic and industry climates. Demonstrated ability to systematically hone in on strategic imperatives, develop game-changing operating plans creating a sustainable competitive advantage and employ an aggressive, disciplined approach to execute those plans. Galvanize and focus teams by clearly defining objectives, establishing key metrics for success and consistently mentoring, following-up and rewarding excellence.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Operational Due diligence and M&A integration, Strategic Planning, Sales Force Optimization, EBITDA focused operational improvements, Working Capital reduction, pre-acquisition due diligence & acquisition integration, Danaher Business System (DBS), Rapid Continuous Improvement (RCI), Toyota Problem Solving Method, Hoshin Kanri, Cellular Manufacturing, 5S & Visual Management, SMED / TPM / OEE, Kanban / Inventory Optimization, Value Analysis & Engineering, 3P and APD, Transactional Kaizen, Standardized Work & Poka Yoke, Kaizen Culture

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

DANAHER CORPORATION, Madison, Wisconsin

2014 - Present

$20B Sales / 71,000 employees (www.danaher.com)

Senior Corporate Director, Danaher Business System

Lead a team of DBS Office Directors in North America, responsible for promoting and facilitating the successful implementation of the Danaher Business System (DBS) for operating companies within Danaher.

Pre-acquisition due diligence and post-purchase integration and execution to 100 day strategic plan (Beckman Coulter = $4B, Sciex = $750M, Nobel Biocare = $730M, Molecular Devices = $200M)

Facilitated standard work kaizen event to standardize due diligence requirements by function for bolt-on Danaher acquisition targets (owned operational due diligence pillar)

Training program development, delivery, and execution in Growth, Lean, and Leadership DBS pillars

Executive coaching and mentoring, driving DBS culture throughout the organization: Problem Solving Process, DBSL Boot Camp, DBS Orientation, Executive Champion Orientation, Daily Management Essentials

Developed and deployed DBS tools and for post-factory finished goods and global demo inventory optimization processes globally in Danaher, to improve working capital turns

Currently leading a Danaher-wide strategic initiative to drive and improve DBS Culture Sustainability as measured by a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics

DANAHER CORPORATION – ORASCOPTIC, Middleton, Wisconsin

2012 - 2014

$35M Sales / 110 employees (www.orascoptic.com)

General Manager, Orascoptic

Strategic direction and P&L leadership of direct and distribution business world-wide at Orascoptic, a mid-size, ISO 13485, Danaher operating company within the Kavo Kerr Group Dental Platform, that is a custom manufacturer of FDA class 1, loupe and light systems for dental and medical markets.

Ownership of in-organic growth acquisition funnel and due diligence of targets (Led diligence team for a $27M acquisition)

Led a direct sales force of 35 associates in US, UK, Canada, and Australia and a network of 57 global dealers

Top line growth of 11%

460 BPS improvement in operating profit

Through implementation of Sales Force Initiative (SFI) drove 22% increase in North America sales revenue year-over-year

27% of revenue came from the launch of new products

DANAHER CORPORATION, Wood Dale, Illinois

2007 - 2012

$18B Sales / 60,000 employees (www.danaher.com)

Global DBS Director – Product Identification Platform

Drive financial results using the Danaher Business System for operating companies within Danaher: Beckman Coulter, Videojet, AB Sciex, Molecular Devices, Wolke, Foba, Alltec, Linx, Leica, and Accu-Sort. Drive ever-improving results by leveraging DBS tools, consulting skills, and change management methods. International management and project experience in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, India, Switzerland, Brazil, Singapore, and China.

Conducted strategic planning analysis of market opportunity for analog-to-digital conversion of legacy printing equipment globally: VOC, Financials, and External Drivers

Drove Lead Generation process improvements at Videojet-North America aimed at increasing equipment sales via increased lead generation from Service, Inside Sales, and Field Sales. Efforts delivered $10.4M in equipment revenue (in recessionary market) vs. prior year of $6.7M

Increased value added selling time in Videojet North American direct sales team by 15% via back-office process improvements and waste elimination.

Installed SFI Standard Work at AB Sciex – China: Metrics & Reporting, RSM Standard work, and Visual Management

Led L2 team at Videojet around installing Product Planning Standard Work: created standard work for MRD, Value Maps, Product Roadmaps, and searchable archive for VOC and Product Planner deliverables

Installed Value Selling Standard Work in Videojet India: delivered training, developed funnel process, PODs, and ROI calculators.

Created and launched (DIVE) Problem Solving Process for global Danaher Corporation: training modules, Certified Trainer Process, Audit & Sustainability Process. Trained and mentored over 600 employees and Certified Trainers across all 5 strategic platforms of Danaher, from CEO Level / Presidents to front-line associates.

Created Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE) program within Product Identification platform: developed training modules, performed product portfolio analysis, built project funnels, facilitated workshops, which delivered over $3M in annualized savings in first 2 years of program (1% of material spend). This program became the benchmark for global Danaher.

Improved productivity at our $70M Alltec-Germany facility from $934k to $1082k sales per associate and inventory turns from 5.3 to 8.0 annually.

Reduced inventory 46% at Videojet Shanghai, China Distribution Centers (using Kanban, Min-Max, Kitting)

Global DBS leadership responsibility for Danaher Best Plant Award Winner in 2009 and 2010 (Videojet - Zhuhai, China) (Ext. PPM from 200K to 50K, OTD 95%, Inv. Turns from 11.6 to 41.7 over 2 years)

ARGO CONSULTING, Chicago, Illinois

2005 - 2007

$20M Sales / 100 employees (www.argoconsulting.com)

Project Manager

Successfully achieved business transformation with tangible and lasting improvements; through cost reduction, increased working capital, capacity improvements, and revenue assurance. Developed strong interpersonal relationships with client’s organization to: gain buy-in, build highly motivated teams, and thereby drive change involving the whole organization. Clients have included: Private Equity, Henry, Pregis, Flowserve, Ingersoll-Rand, Smith International, Fibermark and Mohawk Industries. Project experience in the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, UK, and UAE.

Example Engagement -16 months

Protective & Flexible Packaging – Project Manager for an operations turnaround engagement at $385M,

LBO operation. Portfolio of mid-market investment PE firm with approx. $2.5B in assets under mgmt.

Worked with another consultant for a 19-week operations assessment of 9 plants in US & Europe.

Summarized findings of $9M in opportunities to the board for a successful bid of a 125 consultant week

Implementation.

Worked closely with Director of Lean Manufacturing and Plant Managers to develop operations strategy for Total Lean Transformation.

Trained and facilitated 20 teams of 5 to 7 members at 6 locations for kaizens targeting SMED, TPM, inventory reduction, throughput, 5S and macro layout.

Client achieved 25% reduction in conversion costs for North American operations in 16 months.

WINEGARD COMPANY, Burlington, Iowa

2003 - 2005

$120M Sales / 400 employees (www.winegard.com)

Focus Factory Manager

Executed the long-term strategic planning, new product launch, operational improvement, Policy Deployment, and factory management, of the Mobile and Distribution Business Units, which generated $37 million in annual sales. Salaried direct reports include: Team Leaders, CI Engineer, and Manufacturing Engineers. Indirect reports include: Group Leaders, CI Technicians, Injection Mold Technician, and 120+ hourly members, across 3 shifts of operation.

Reduced number of OSHA recordable accidents annually by 50%, utilizing methods such as 5S, standard work, and safety improvement teams.

Directed and organized the launch and implementation of 4 Mobile antenna products into production, utilizing 3P, standard work, one-piece flow, and cellular manufacturing techniques. (20% faster than plan)

Reduced direct labor costs associated with manufacture of products by 23%, utilizing the tools of kaizen and continuous improvement.

Led a plant-wide 5S initiative aimed at improving efficiencies, safety performance, and quality of products.

Director of Process Improvement

Led the kaizen project selection at all business levels within the organization. Led and coordinated 15+ formal kaizen events over a period of 1 year. Event activity led directly to a factory wide productivity improvement of 14%. Over this same period launched 2 new products into production. Salaried direct reports included: Training Manager, CI Engineer, and CI Technicians.

Developed and implemented current Continuous Improvement organization structure, which included the creation of job descriptions, interviewing, hiring of CI Engineers, and CI Technicians.

Formalized organizational kaizen methodology through the use of standardized forms, events, training, management reporting, and target selection.

Developed and implemented current curriculum for the Winegard Lean Leadership Institute, aimed at training front to top-level managers in lean concepts and implementation.

Designed, outfitted, and implemented the current Continuous Improvement Department and training area; and introduced the use of flexible Cre-form structures to cell layouts.

HNI CORPORATION, HEARTH & HOME TECHNOLOGIES, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

2001 - 2003

$2B Sales / 13,000 employees (www.hnicorp.com)

Manufacturing Team Leader

Responsible for directing, planning, and staffing all functions for the Heatilator Gas Fireplace Fabrication & Assembly Department (Shingo Prize Winning Facility), which generated $20 million in annual sales, totaling 90+ members, and 3 shifts of operation.

Reduced number of high risk workstations in department from 11 down to 2, utilizing ergonomic RCI principles, and job hazard analysis.

Improved on-time delivery levels to 99.5% across all 3 production lines, through daily waste elimination, continuous improvement, member training, and problem resolution

Conducted 15 formal kaizen events within the department over a period of 10 months, coaching 6 new leaders, and involving 50% of departmental members in events; including set-up reduction, ergo, standard work, and value-stream mapping.

Led a department-wide 5S program, which improved daily operations, reduced WIP inventory levels, and created standard cleaning diagrams for member responsibility.

Created and implemented visual standard work, critical processes for quality, and Job Safety Analysis of all workstations within the Gas Department, which became a benchmark for the facility.

Developed visual training matrices to increase ease of staffing function and drive cross-training through job rotation, which became a benchmark for the facility.

EXPERIAN, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

1999 - 2001

$1.3B Sales / 4,500 employees (www.experian.com)

Production Group Leader / Project Manager - Facility Expansion

Directed the production activities of 20+ members of the Specialty Department, which improved from $35/labor hour to a plant-high revenue-per-labor hour of $44 (26% improvement).

Utilized set-up reduction techniques within a letter shop environment to reduce lead times on average 33% on contract work and improve profitability of projects.

Eliminated stops for batch processing by “in-lining” processes for reductions in labor and lead-time, thus freeing up capacity for more contract jobs.

Project Manager of plant expansion which added 27,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing floor space, creating a “clean-room” environment for the packaging department, and also set-up logistics of the new operation.

KPI CONCEPTS, INC. West Burlington, Iowa

1996 - 1999

$3M Sales / 50 employees (www.kpiconcepts.com)

Production Supervisor

Managed a team of 15+ hourly associates at a Store Fixture manufacturer. Duties included: receiving of incoming materials, inventory control, on-time shipment of Customer orders, training of personnel, and quality assurance to product specifications.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts (Management / Marketing), 2001

Iowa Wesleyan College

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

3.7 / 4.0 GPA, Cum Laude

MBA (Management), 2005

St. Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

3.5 / 4.0 GPA

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Leadership Essentials & Daily Management Master Trainer (2015)

DIVE Problem Solving Certified Master Trainer (Wood Dale, IL - DBSU, 2011)

Enhancing Brainstorming Using TRIZ (Long Beach, CA – Pretium Innovation, 2010)

Crucial Conversations Certified Trainer (Chicago, IL – Vital Smarts, 2010)

VA / VE – CVS Certification (Phoenix, AZ – Advanced Value Group, 2009)

Value Engineering Benchmarking – Isuzu, Canon, IHI (Tokyo, Japan - SJVE - 2008)

Lean Bronze Certification (Society of Manufacturing Engineers - 2008)

Shingo Prize Examiner (Utah State University - 2008)

Training & Facilitation Techniques (Radford, VA – Danaher Motion, 2008)

Executive Champion Orientation Training (Wood Dale, IL - DBSU, 2007)

Danaher Business System Leader Boot Camp (Wood Dale, IL - DBSU, 2007)

Shingijutsu Consulting Kaizen Training

VA / VE – AVS Certification (Phoenix, AZ – Advanced Value Group, 2007)

Japan Kaikaku Experience – Toyota, Omron, Toto, Misawa (Gemba Research, 2007)

Lean Healthcare Certification, (University of Michigan, College of Engineering, 2006)

Lean Enterprise Institute, (Cambridge, MA, 2006)

Business Process Value Stream Mapping

Creating Level Pull

Making Materials Flow

Six Sigma Black Belt Training, (Arizona State University, College of Engineering, 2005)

Six Sigma Program

Six Sigma Essentials

Six Sigma Installation

Six Sigma Projects

Value Focus

Lean Practices

Quality Tools

Basic Statistics

Continuous Capability

Discrete Capability

Hypothesis Testing

Confidence Intervals

Control Methods

Parametric Methods

Chi-square Methods

Survey Methods

Nonparametric Methods

Experimental Methods

Design for Six Sigma Methods

Measurement Analysis

Winegard Lean Leadership Institute, 2003-2005

8D Quality Problem Solving Training, 2005

FMEA Training, 2005

ISO 9001 Management Implementation Training, 2005

Lean Practitioner Program, (Southeastern Community College, 2005)

Principles of Lean Manufacturing

Value Stream Mapping

Visual Workplace/ 5S

Set-up Reduction

Cellular Flow Manufacturing

Pull/Kanban Systems

Total Productive Maintenance

Change Management

Rapid Improvement (Kaizen)

Performance Measurement for Lean Manufacturing

Team Management Issues in a Lean Organization

The Lean Office

Policy Deployment

Improved Communications

Group Dynamics

Enhancing Performance

Team Building/Problem Solving

Supervisory Certificate Series

Project Management

Lean Manufacturing Certification, (University of Wisconsin, 2003)

Strategies, Implementation, and Results

Lean Manufacturing Enterprise Model

Developing a Lean Manufacturing Strategy

Lean Strengths-Understanding the Tools

Mistake Proofing

Level, Mix-Model Production

One-Piece Flow Production

Quick Changeover

Lean Equipment Management

Enterprise Application of Lean

Profit Focus Training - Hearth & Home Technologies, 2002

5 Why Problem Solving Training, 2002

ISO 9001 Internal Auditor Training-Hearth & Home Technologies, 2002

Hearth & Home Technologies Safety Academy, 2001

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

“I learned an incredible amount on Lean Thinking and problem-solving while working for Damon. He was instrumental in re-creating our selling processes at Orascoptic, and getting the team to focus on the tasks and activities that drive results. His leadership and commitment to the team led to one of the best sales years in the history of the company. He is a great teacher and mentor, and views problems as opportunities to coach the team and determine the underlying root cause rather than focusing on the symptoms. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty and truly work at all levels to get the job done, which is how is able to quickly gain the respect of the team. Damon would make a great asset to any company or project.”

Brian Natzel, Western Regional Manager, Orascoptic

“Damon is one of the best disciples of Lean Thinking I worked with in my 25 year career at Danaher. He's innovative, a great teacher and can work effectively on the shop floor or in "carpet land". He also taught us "Value Engineering" which helped significantly improve customer satisfaction and reduce product cost. A great guy!”

Craig Purse, President & Group Executive, Danaher Corporation

“Damon was a Project Manager at Argo for two years. He demonstrated outstanding talents in both an analytical capacity, as well as a deep, broad knowledge of lean application in improving business performance. He has a reputation as a superb consultant at Argo and with our clients.”

Fernando Assens, CEO, Argo Consulting

“Damon was the one person I always wanted on my implementation teams because of his deep knowledge and experience in Lean Manufacturing and TPS methodology. His ability to lead teams to great results won Argo additional business and contributed to the development of our engagement approach. He is an outstanding leader and comrade. I miss him, but am inspired by his success at Danaher.”

Rick Hartman, Lean Technical Director, Argo Consulting

“Damon is a focused individual, a self-starter who is highly motivated to succeed. He has a rare ability to quickly size up a situation, take corrective action to achieve the goal, while bringing the group along with him. Good problem solver with high degree of human relations skills. He is comfortable in tight situations. I have observed this as his instructor in Business College as well as an associate of his at Winegard Company.”

Brian Stone, Continuous Improvement Manager, Winegard Company

“In the position Damon held at Hearth & Home Technologies, Damon performed very well. He was able to bring change to a large group of associates and maintain high quality and safety standards. His abilities were put to use in a very diverse changing environment, and he responded with speed and innovativeness, which was demonstrated in many of the changes in his area of responsibility. Damon was an asset to our organization.”

Lee Benjamin, Vice-President/General Manager, Hearth & Home Technologies

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