LAWRENCE J. BIELAWSKI, MBA

**** ******** ****** ******* *****, IL 60515 (C) 630-***-**** add95l@r.postjobfree.com

CAREER SUMMARY

Global Financial Executive with progressive experience in global business environments. Experienced in planning with tactical execution to implement complex banking relationships and systems for streamlining operations, improving productivity, cutting costs, and maximizing profitability. Facilitates new processes and establishes strategic partnerships with functional leaders, effectively bridging gaps between operational decisions and financial targets.

Key areas of strength:

Financial and Operational Reporting

Expert in Excel, Word and Power Point

Strategic & Annual Planning

Cost/Benefit & Business Analysis

ERP Technology Implementation

Cross Functional Team Leadership

Non-Profit Financial Reporting

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

STONEBRIDGE COUNTRY CLUB – Aurora Illinois 2016 – Present

A private, non-profit corporation providing full service golf, restaurant, tennis and cabana experience in the hospitality industry.

Controller

Senior Finance and Human Resource Manager reporting directly to the Board of Directors. Collaboratively work the management team to execute the Board of Directors approved Operational Plan.

Restructured the Finance function to a successful year-end audit opinion after a period of employee transition.

Converted excel financial statements to system generated Jonas ERP financial reporting.

Worked with the existing bank relationship to transition to a 18 month loan mortgage extension with a SWAP agreement that locked in the existing borrowing rate for that period.

NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE, Chicago, IL 2015 – 2016

The collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare encompassing the research, teaching, and patient care activities of the academic medical center.

Interim Finance Manager

Managed two Accounts Payables staffs during an ERP conversion at Cadence Health Care and Northwestern Medicine with fourteen business units on four campuses and sixty locations. Cadence Health Care converted from Lawson to the Northwestern Medicine PeopleSoft ERP system in September 2015.

Managed the combined staff of 20 associates to fully integrate to PeopleSoft on an annualized spend of $2B and 600,000 invoice payments using OCR technology.

The successful ERP conversion at Cadence Health Care to PeopleSoft increased payments of $14M in September 2014 to $46M in December of 2015.

Assisted in year-end audit and account analysis responsibilities.

Designed a past due reporting analysis by vendor to give visibility to the Accounts Payable staff to target vouchers for payment.

TURTLE WAX, INC, Chicago, IL 1989 – 2014

$175M private manufacturer and global marketer of professional and consumer car care products. Owner and operator of four car washes in the Midwest.

Corporate Controller, 2000 – 2014

Responsible for all accounting, finance, treasury and risk management functions with 3 direct and 7 indirect reports. Global financial reporting included complete balance sheet analysis and cash flow reporting for management reporting, bank reporting requirements and year-end global audits. Worked on cross functional teams to transformed the company from a highly capitalized manufacturing and carwash company to a variable cost consumer products sales and marketing company model with a well managed fixed cost G&A overhead base that reduced debt by $65M.

Selected Accomplishments:

Led Finance Team in implementing JD Edwards Oracle, October 2013 to October 2014. Achieved Go-Live date within one month of Plan. Total Plan spend of $3.5M was within 10% of original projection.

Worked with CFO to negotiate an asset based loan agreement with Bank of America that provided increased availability, dividend flexibility, and better pricing. A five year global revolving credit facility was negotiated to support future growth opportunities. The $30M "Asset Based Loan", was negotiated with covenants to support business growth. The pricing grid was negotiated down from LIBOR +350bps to LIBOR +200bps. The negotiated asset based loan provided a central cash management portal to provide global visibility.

Finance engaged the outside auditors to declared operations of 21 Car wash locations "Discontinued Operations". Reduced 21 locations in 2009 to four locations by the end of 2011. Car Wash cash flow losses of $2.1M were converted to $400k positive cash flow by year end 2014. Separate Car Wash financial division was incorporated into TW corporate global finance to decrease fixed G&A expense by $400k and increase financial reporting efficiency and timeliness.

Member of Leadership Team in direct negotiations and exchange of information to sell the company in 2003 & 2004. Decision was made not to sell. The US debt position was methodically reduced from $46M in 2003 to zero in 2013.

Finance Team lead in a cross functional group that addressed a series of three initiatives starting with procurement to eliminate excess manufacturing capacity and non-productive labor.

oStrategically put component contracts out for bid which resulted in negotiated contracts tied to commodity indices producing $1.2M cost savings and related cost forecasting accuracy.

oChanged the fixed distribution and logistics model to variable cost by first engaging in sales leaseback arrangements of warehouse facilities to complete transition to third party 3PL logistics model providing $5.3M of cash for debt reduction.

oEliminated excess manufacturing capacity and non-productive labor while insuring continuity of supply through a network of Midwest service providers and add greater flexibility and adding variability to the cost structure. Sale of manufacturing facility ($6.4M) and outsourcing model ($3.4M) totaled $9.8M in total cash flow and debt reduction.

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION

Master of Business Administration

DePaul University, Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL

Passed Illinois C.P.A. Exam, May 1983

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Member, Illinois C.P.A. Society

Member, Beta Gamma Sigma, National Scholastic Business Honor Society

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

Expert in Microsoft Office, Excel, Word and PowerPoint

ERP Systems – JD Edwards Oracle (JDE), PeopleSoft, Jonas and System 2000 (S2K)

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