Gary Kesser, MBA

***** ****** ***** *****, ***. *21, San Diego, CA 92130 Cell 646-***-**** ~ aczyvp@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY

Visionary, accomplished Supply Chain, Operations and International Trade professional

Successful track record of providing leadership & management of high performance teams leading to increased profitability, improved cash flow, competitiveness, low cost and Lean operations

Proven track record of establishing beneficial long-term relationships in global markets such as Americas, China and Southeast Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE

Manufacturing (CPG, FGDS, Industrial) Electronics Manufacturing

Agriculture and Food Products (grains, oils, processed) Metals (base, alloy, non-alloy, precious)

Chemical, Resin, Plastic, Wood, Glass, Corrugated Oil and Gas

Maritime and Global Logistics Industrial Equipment

COMPETENCIES

Supply Chain Operations and Management International Trade and Commerce

Commodity, Materials and Category Management Strategic Sourcing and Procurement

Lean Manufacturing, Forecasting, Demand Planning All-mode Logistics Management

Production Planning, Inventory Management, QA and QC Supply Chain Interfaces

Operational Optimization Contractual Management

Trade and Regulatory Compliance Structured Commodity Finance

Commercial and Financial Risk Management Business Strategy and Modeling

Product Development and Product Management Value Stream and Process Mapping

Vendor and Customer Management Financial and Capital Analysis

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (Corona) www.fender.com

Consultant, Global Sourcing and Procurement 2016 - 2017

Resources Global Professionals (San Diego) www.rgp.com

Consultant, Supply Chain 2015 – Present

MCW Energy Group (San Diego) www.mcwenergygroup.com

Consultant, Supply Chain Operations 2014 - 2016

Providing consulting and liaising services in global supply chain solutions, sourcing and procurement strategy, trade compliance, risk management and operational optimization for Tier 1 Global CPG/FGDS and commodities originating, producing, manufacturing and trading companies.

Optimized operational planning and IMS system for a client yielding 20% net savings on annual operating budget

Transitioned Trade Compliance program for a client during corporate restructuring proceedings, reinstating client’s Drawback Duty privileges with US Customs worth $1MM annually

Provided leadership in global supply risk management project, re-structured supply chain operations and Lean optimization, ATO, 100% operations adherence, supply contingency, QC standardization, materials and inventory management, vendor KPIs and contractual compliance

Achieved 30% cost reduction per produced Oil barrel on a landed cost basis in 6-month period, by conducting full-scale operational transformation. Net annual cost savings $1.2MM

Completed a 12-month plant expansion project doubling production capacity from 250bpd to 500bpd. Resulted in Overhead reduction of 200%, total cost per barrel reduction of 40%, through automation and operational optimization. Net annual cost savings $600K.

D’Addario and Company, Inc. (New York) www.daddario.com

Head of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement 2011 – 2014

Lead a global supply chain team in procurement and strategic sourcing for finished goods, raw materials, commodities, production consumables and industrial equipment for the world’s largest manufacturer of music accessories and managed portfolio of 200+ global vendors and 10000+ SKUs. Annual Purchasing and Operating budget $150MM+.

Restructured, centralized and leveraged supply chain department in a disruptive fashion

Successfully leveraged and optimized supply base reducing the portfolio of suppliers and service providers by 30% and strategically allocating business by Tiers (1, 2, 3, 4)

Brought 40% of strategic supply portfolio from overseas back to US in 3 year tenure, allocated with company’s production divisions and domestic suppliers. Created 100+ new jobs

Achieved annual PNL budgetary cost reductions of $500K+ via Lean operational efficiencies

Transitioned Blanket and Spot PO system to Long-Term Supply Agreements, renegotiated contractual terms with strategic global vendors yielding 15%-20% net cost savings

Achieved just-in-time (produce-to-sell) percentage completion on customer orders from production point of origin to end destination from 75% to 99% rate in 8 month period

Achieved inventory turn ratios 5 times on top revenue generating products.

Reduced inventory carrying costs on Supermarket fill by 20% by establishing BOT (Built-On-Time) system on monthly dedicated production capacity

Reduced inventory of obsolete, closed out and discontinued SKUs by 80%

Negotiated BOM Profit Sharing program with overseas contract manufacturers and OEMs

Instituted multiple SOPs, VSMs and ERP interfaces, Strategic Sourcing, Purchasing, Vendor KPI, Supplier Evaluation and others yielding 20% overhead savings in administrative operations

Renegotiated 3%-5% rate reduction with freight 3PL and equipment service providers annually

Created new QA/QC database, Signaling PO management, contractual performance, inventory flow, PPV and cost reporting systems, interactive supply chain interfaces with overseas production units; eliminating operational downtime to ‘0’ (zero)

Reduced overall annual products and commodity rejects, returns and reworks RMA by 80%

Successfully completed Capital Investment projects yielding average 40%-60% net TCO savings on manufactured items’ benchmark/baseline costs, subject to “make vs buy” decisions

Launched a Duty Drawback program collecting over $100K of recovered US Customs duty

CMA CGM (America). (Norfolk, Virginia) www.cma-cgm.com

Trade Director, Agricultural Commodities 2010 – 2011

Lead US Export Trade Desk Tactical Plan for Agricultural Commodities for the world’s largest Container Shipping Line ($17B annual revenue) in accordance with Head Office strategy on trade volumes, revenue, contribution and empty cost avoidance targets.

Achieved annual revenue in just 2 calendar Quarters of the following year (15,000 TEU)

Outperformed annual budgetary requirements for Agricultural Desk by over 300%

Increased total portfolio of largest US Agricultural Accounts by 250%

Reduced deadfreight in Ag segment by over 50% through strategic planning, contractual hedging and operational efficiencies with Customers

Uniwire International Ltd. (New York) www.uniwire.com

Director of Procurement and Operations 2004 – 2010

Lead supply chain operations & its financial functionality, logistics management, production planning, contractual and vendor management for an international metal producing and trading group (Steel, aluminum, copper, scrap metal, iron ore). Annual Procurement and Operating budget $100MM+.

Created complete supply chain solutions resulting in 20% annual revenue growth rate

Centralized and systemized annual production planning across global manufacturing sites resulting in synchronized year-round production operations and customer deliveries

Achieved high profit margins & OPEX reduction of 15%-20% on negotiated trade contracts.

Introduced new method of cargo securement system for heavy coiled metal products enabling market penetration of $50MM in annual sales revenue

Instituted new system of stevedoring and transloading long-steel products yielding 10%-20% operating cost reductions on trade PNL

Represented company in DOC ITC cases and investigations

Won a $2MM marine insurance claim after 1 year arbitration case via AON as underwriter

W.J. Grain (New York) www.wjgrain.com

Commercial Director, Europe and Americas 1997 – 2004

Lead commodity and contractual management, procurement, strategic planning and logistics operations for an international agribusiness group (grains, oils, cereals, meals, ingredients, food products, processed foods, Ag by-products, fertilizers, machinery, diesel, ship’s bunker, luboil, capital equipment, vessel conversion). Annual Purchasing and Operating budget $150MM+.

Successfully lead global commodity and procurement teams handling 3 MM Metric Tons per year in Agri commodities and food products, contributing to company’s 15% annual growth

Achieved an average of cumulative 20%-25% annual cost reductions on annual commodity hedging, forward contracts, Charter Parties on dry/liquid bulk and break-bulk cargoes

Completed a vessel conversion project yielding 30% net savings on 3 year Charter Party

Introduced a new system of “Toll Agreements” in commodity trading operations yielding $400K net annual cost savings in collected vessel Charter Party Laytime dispatch

Generated 20% of annual cost savings with downstream supply base on long-term supply agreements by deploying integrated Lean planning programs

EDUCATION

New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business, 2010

MBA Degree, Major – General Management. Specialization – Corporate Finance

Pace University World Trade Institute, School of International Trade and Commerce, 2005

Certified International Trade Professional, Diploma – International Trade Management

Odessa State University, 1994

Master of Science Degree, Major - Marine Geology

KEY STRENGTHS

Leadership, networking, promotion & communication

Problem-solving, analytics and planning

Risk identification, prioritization and action

Confidence in pressurized situations, diligence, ability to take on challenges

High standards of service, detail- and results-orientation

PROFICIENCIES

SAP, AS400, MAPICS, ACE, EDI, AES, AMS, ABI, SharePoint, LeanKit, Novatus, PeopleSoft, Ariba, Microsoft Office

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