James S. Blair Sr

P.O. Box *** ( Stephen, MN ****7

507-***-**** ( acy2vh@r.postjobfree.com

Financial

Delivering 20%+ gains in productivity and 25%+ cost reductions in start-up,

high growth

and turnaround environments in the renewable energy and manufacturing

sectors.

Executive with 20 years of corporate accounting and management experience.

Expertise in accounting systems development, fiscal management and

financial reporting. Proven record of developing and implementing

financial and operational controls that improve profit and loss account.

Formidable record of manufacturing improvements and organizational

restructuring. Experience with developing banking and board relationships.

Strategic Planning ( Operations Management ( Performance Metrics ( M&A

Analysis

Capital Raising ( Regulatory Compliance ( Financial Management / Public &

Private Companies

Budgeting & Forecasting ( Team Leadership ( Change Management

professional experience

Minn-Dak ASPHALT InC. Thief River Falls, MN (

2015-Present

Road Construction/Asphalt Company

CFO

Increased the utilization of existing accounting system. Implemented cross

training and development of standard operating procedures for the

accounting staff. Led the restructuring of a debt refinancing package.

Coordinated the completion of month end and year-end financial statements.

. Facilitated the monitoring and control of cash flow.

. Developed and monitored internal controls for GAAP compliance and risk

mitigation.

. Create forecast, budget for banking covenants and bonding

. Work with firm to complete audit and tax

. Focused on collection of accounts receivable

. Utilize cost monitoring controls to determine departmental profitability

. Led a 3 day team building session for leadership team

Northstar agri industries Hallock, MN (

2011-2015

State of the art canola crushing facility

Controller

Led the selection of IT and financial system with a vision for multiple

locations. Selected and trained the staff of 5. Provide financial

leadership for the facility. Facilitate the preparation of month and year

end financial statements. Serve as liaison for community relations.

. Manage day to day seed procurement activities, create procurement and

hedging strategies.

. Developed system to account for derivative instruments and hedging

activities on a monthly basis

. Created matrix for internal and financial controls as part of a publicly

traded company.

. Create forecast, budget for banking covenants and operating goals

. Led audit for a division of a publicly traded company

. Issued timely month end and year-end financial statements

. Developed strategic operating metrics and reporting mechanism

Latex International

Shelton, CT ( 2009

Leading manufacturer of latex mattress components and foam pillows.

SVP, Operations & Finance

Led 165-member LEAN manufacturing team spanning 3 facilities in the US and

UK. Created and monitored daily production metrics to drive productivity.

Recruited/developed leadership team (5 director-level reports) and

administered $150M operating budget. Provided guidance to Finance

Department as a result of prior CFO experience, including tax planning

strategies and costing methodology.

. Established P&L's, budgets and inventory control for individual

facilities

. Saved $750K through a risk mitigation strategy for natural gas purchases.

. Controlled costs to improve operating profit by 2%

Renewable Energy Resources (REER)

Tampa, FL ( 2008

Publicly traded company that purchased/operated alternative energy (ethanol

or biodiesel) facilities.

VP, Operations

Recruited to spearhead M&A opportunity analysis with intention of leading

acquired Operations team. Assembled data for SEC filings, including but not

limited to 10K, 8K and 10Q.

. Evaluated numerous projects from an operational, financial and practical

perspective. Shortcomings of projects did not merit completion of

acquisitions or mergers.

Core Ventures Renewable Fuels

St. Paul, MN ( 2005-2008

$2M consulting firm specializing in renewable fuels. Provided project

evaluation, financing, operational support, and design/build services.

Developed management teams for plants.

Chief Financial Officer

Manage all financial and accounting functions. Reviewed project

opportunities, led construction, and operations of a $85M biodiesel plant.

Raised capital and established financing of $50 million.

. Financial and Strategic Planning

. Cash Flow Management and modeling

. Developed facility SOP, including HR and Finance processes and

documentation.

. Selected IT system to interface with Operations and Finance.

. Established costing model and daily metrics which enabled company to

become the low cost producer.

. Budget Development and Management

SoyMor

Albert Lea, MN ( 2004-2005

$100M cooperative that leveraged soy bean value.

Chief Financial Officer

Raised capital and established financing of $50 million. Built

organization's infrastructure, including design, hiring 35 staff,

technology selection, and project management of a lecithin fractionation

facility and a biodiesel plant. Created policies and processes across

functional groups including compliance with SOX.

. Raised $22M and structured bank debt on a $50M biodiesel plant. P&L

Management

. Generated $12M+ in operating profit in 1st year of operation.

. Cash Flow Management and modeling

EXOL

Albert Lea, MN ( 2002-2004

$100M dry mill ethanol production facility with 30 employees.

Chief Financial Officer

Led all financial and accounting functions as well as HR and IT. Emphasis

on understanding costs and developing meaningful performance and financial

metrics. Managed 4 reports across A/P, A/R, Payroll, HR and IT

. Added a minimum of 1% operating profit by developing a costing model and

daily metrics that enabled company to be the low cost producer in the

industry.

ACROMETAL COMPANIES

Brainerd & Albert Lea, MN ( 1998-2002

Progress Castings, 2000-2002

$80M producer of aluminum products for military, aerospace, and industrial

use.

Division Controller

Promoted to lead change in leadership style, philosophy and management for

2 geographically separate facilities. Directed all financial and

accounting, and oversaw HR and maintained union relations. Led 9 staff

members.

. Facilitated auditing and compliance

. P&L Management

. Led system implementation of Oracle.

AcroTech Midwest, 1998-2000

$20M plastic blow mold manufacturing facility. Top division of the 7

AcroMetal companies. (130employees.

Controller

Co-led (with executive team) development of a more dynamic and assertive

management style, philosophy and team. Managed all financial and accounting

functions, including financial statements, costing, budgeting, and

receivables/payables, and payroll. Supported HR and IT, plus 4 reports

across A/P, A/R, Payroll, HR, and IT.

. Drove up sales 30% by adding shifts and running 7 days per week.

Increased margins by lowering labor costs by 10%.

. Generated $250K+ in savings by managing energy consumption and purchase

of electricity and gas.

. Saved $100K annually by cutting inventory 25%, and establishing blanket

POs and JIT orders.

. Led upgrade of IT system to support Y2K.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE:

Diverse Finance and Operations roles in the dairy and liquor industries.

EDUCATION

Currently studying for the Series 3 Exam

MBA, University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, LaCrosse, WI, 2002

BS, Economics with emphasis in Accounting, Macalester College, St. Paul,

MN, 1985

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