Finance/Administration Mgt, Customer Service, A/P, A/R, Mentor

Karl Hammond Staff Accountant / Accounts Payable Specialist

Visionary ~ Customer Service ~ Mentor ~ Dedicated

Entrepreneurial, innovative financial and office administrative professional with extensive business development and office operations experience within highly competitive markets. Collaborative communicator continually focused on building relationships and promoting cost savings to drive positive change, comprehensive business approaches, and enhanced profitability. Exceptional communication, customer service, interpersonal, organizational, and multi-tasking skills. Keen ability to identify cost savings in many areas and implement those changes successfully.

Areas of Expertise include:

Strategic Planning & Forecasting

Accounting

Revenue & Profit Growth

Business Development

Budgets

Project Management

Sales Planning & Marketing

Staff Training & Leadership

Problem Resolution

Experience & Notable Contributions

LSHD ADVERTISING, INC. Easthampton, MA 2008-Present

Finance/Administration Manager

Proven leader in finance, budgeting strategies, and complete office administration for a full-service strategic planning and advertising agency.

Key Accomplishments:

Support accounting operations by producing all financial records including billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, monthly financial statement preparation, delivering daily financial synopsis of business conditions, and collaborating with the company's accountant.

Identify staffing modifications to meet current workload demands.

Administer the company's HR functions including payroll, insurance benefits, 401K program, and state-mandated reporting.

Slashed costs by over $10,000 annually by researching different vendors for internet service and negotiating a contract.

Reduced costs for IT support by $ 70,000 per year, by identifying inefficiencies in the IT department; the solutions included recommending the elimination of existing full time position and retaining competent external contractors.

Decreased front office operational costs by $16,000 per year by replacing office equipment with more efficient items that did not demand excessive service calls.

Implemented a new “value-added” selling strategy on new proposals, improving accounts receivables and cash flow.

Saved company $22,000 per year in health-care costs by researching alternatives with different providers.

Eliminated several hours of wasted management time per week by streamlining office and bookkeeping operations and saved nearly $2,000 in mileage reimbursements.

MOMENTUM GROUP, INC. East Longmeadow, MA 2005-2008

Finance/Administration Manager

Managed all finance and operational aspects for a full-service market planning and advertising service.

Key Accomplishments:

Maintained all financial records including billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, monthly financial statement preparation, and coordinated with the company's accountant.

Increased company profitability through the development of a custom company database, producing a weekly net sales forecast/profitability analysis and a gross sales forecast for review by senior members.

Assembled monthly variance reports for each retainer or plan management client from monthly accounting sales details.

Coordinated all purchasing and purchase orders relating to job cost-of-goods items.

Spearheaded IT department operations by monitoring the PC network, coordinating with the technical support provider, and providing daily/weekly/monthly tape backups.

Administered the company's HR functions, including insurance benefits, time recording, and 401K program implementation.

Managed company operational needs to include equipment maintenance, vendor relations, hiring outside labor, improving shipping and communications, and assisting special projects as needed.

Took the initiative to bring in a Quickbooks expert to restore the integrity of the bookkeeping and locate lost data as a result of outdated software versions used throughout the office.

COFFEE PAUSE, INC Agawam, MA 2004-2005

Finance Manager

Oversaw all fiscal decisions of eastern seaboard $12.5 million office coffee service, operating through 11 regional offices, and total of 14 individual profit centers. Supported all 11 branch managers and 55 employees and excelled in vendor management and relations, strengthening business relations of more than 150 vendors to achieve preferential price structures.

Key Accomplishments:

Managed all accounts payable using Quickbooks and EMS/KEA software programs.

Served as a key player with converting to an enterprise style-integrated management program.

Performed audits at branch offices as necessary.

Enforced “pick-up-item” weekly sales quotas by using past route sales experience to increase volume and profitability at the Agawam Flagship Branch.

Maximized available cash on hand for investments in new delivery vehicles and other equipment by restructuring accounts payable strategies through the observation of inefficient scheduling details in the $8.8 million of yearly payables being authorized and distributed.

Devised and implemented a company-wide monitoring system to create a competitive atmosphere on supply cost budgets and rewarded the most efficient branches.

Brainstormed with IT Manager to launch company-wide move to hand-held routes sales devices, replacing paper invoice system.

Identified the need for faster accounts payable turnaround to core coffee and dried goods suppliers by developing a system to “fast-track" inbound invoices from all 11 regional branch offices and refining accounts payable aging for core vendors, improving vendor relations and earning favored pricing structures.

RENOVATOR'S SUPPLY Miller’s Falls, MA 1999-2003

Advertising Manager/Media Buyer

Directed many aspects of a unique catalog advertising program for a national mail order company.

Key Accomplishments:

Sold and directly collected national print ads averaging over $400,000 annually.

Recorded and analyzed company business in Microsoft Access database.

Developed a sales strategy to measurably improve stagnant advertising sales program by performing in-depth analysis of last three years of sales activity, related costs and current competitive rate cards, and implementing needed pricing adjustments.

Researched, analyzed, developed, and purchased an effective national print media campaign to drive the web sales, bolster brand recognition, and generate new catalog sales, increasing ad sales by 17.7 percent.

Career Note: Sales Manager, Classic Foods, 1995-1999.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Communications and Marketing

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON Houston, TX

Masters Level Credit Work in Managerial Accounting/Economics - 6 hours of MBA credits, and 6 undergraduate level

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE Springfield, MA

Graduate: Dale Carnegie Human Relations Program, Holyoke, MA

Technical Skills

Quickbooks, Windows 10, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Office Suite, Act! Contact Tracking, Gwava spam blocker, Resq Enterprise System

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