Chief Operating Officer

Maria C. Markusen

Business Acumen Operational Resourcefulness Financial Ingenuity Success Imperative

President – Chief Executive Officer

The Consummate C-level Management Professional with a notable record of repeated success guiding startups and established firms from across healthcare, tech, and CPG through turnaround, go-to-market, and growth offensives building brand image, expanding customer bases, and changing business models to meet market demands. Ingenious and resourceful at securing financing, aligning positive channel partnerships and transforming financial performance.

Driving Business-Process Excellence to Ensure Top-Line Expansion Becomes Bottom-Line Growth

Knowledgeable and skilled enhancing manufacturing facility, supply-chain efficiency, and work-environment vitality. A talented communicator, gifted mentor, valued counselor, and dynamic leader of cross-functional teams able to draw colleagues from all levels together in dedication to meeting challenging objectives. Respected, trusted, and depended upon to produce significant ROI in consequential situations.

Core Competencies

• Financial Readiness • Teaching / Training / Coaching • Product Development

• Mergers & Acquisitions • Strategic Thinking / Tactical Talent • Board & Investor Relations

• Holistic Team Leadership • Collaborative Planning & Implementation • Change Initiation & Direction

• Entrepreneurial Perspective • Marketing / Sales Planning & Deployment • Manufacturing / Supply Chain

Professional Experience

Pacha Soap Company Hastings, NE 2016 - 2022

A $30 million soap, beauty, and bath products manufacturer supplying grocery, major retailers and membership warehouses.

Board Member I 2016 - 2022

President I 2020 - 2022

Responsible for strategic direction and oversight of daily operations. Led a team of 100+ with 15 direct reports.

Strengthened the Total Financial Picture

$12 million in additional equity and debt financing garnered, 67% from existing shareholders, by hiking profitability, enlarging production volume, and improving messaging about vision and reengineering.

300% surge realized in major retail outlets served by promoting unique product features, a US manufacturing site, and rapid, complete supply accompanied by utilization of an in-store product-placement service.

275% boost in shareholder value to $55 million generated by introducing a vision and plan for growth and restructuring the senior management team to incorporate positions required for success.

17 percentage-point EBITDA spike nourished by modifying product formulas, changing suppliers, eliminating vendors, introducing analytics, offering bonuses, and as controller cutting overhead and corporate expenses.

Augmented Manufacturing and Shipping Capabilities

98% on-time-in-full delivery rate achieved in three months from a starting point of 15%, while adding 5,200 customer locations, by tightening cost controls, introducing daily reporting, providing access to analytics through updated dashboards, and expanding communications company wide.

92 truckloads fulfilling a leading mass merchandiser’s first order developed afresh and shipped in 30 days in addition to adjusting to unusual FDA requirements and overcoming the most restricted supply chain in 50+ years.

Doubled production capacity by purchasing and equipping a manufacturing facility using no-interest state and city loans, eliminating third-party producers, and holding labor-cost increases to only 10%.

7% shrink in shipping costs earned by formulating a proprietary analytics tool that helped carriers surmount transportation limitations and assisting with development of methods for controlling distribution expenses.

The VGM Group Waterloo, IA 2013 - 2020

$200+ million national organization comprised of 30+ business units and a 1,000-member workforce providing franchising, consulting, logistics, and management services to 25,000 healthcare businesses and organizations.

Chief Operating Officer / Director of Development

The industry’s subject-matter expert on patient centered, cash retailing within the healthcare industry and consultant helping franchisees prepare strategies for shifting business models in response to market changes.

Grew a company selling to 550 hospitals into a $22 million enterprise servicing 7,000 multi-discipline healthcare providers and millions of patients by shifting the business paradigm to a franchising model, signing 182 extra members with 300 locations, and introducing $9.7 million in new products and services.

oCoined the eventually industry-adopted term “caretail” to describe the evolving marketing environment and championed the concept at events nationwide through writing, presentations, and training.

Assisted Living Concepts Milwaukee, WI 2010 - 2013

Provided assisted living, memory care, and independent living services in 200+ communities nationwide

through 1,800 employees. Revenues topped $250 million.

Vice President – Sales & Marketing

Headed promotional and customer-development activities for a $78 million division encompassing 2,000 units in 37 locations across six states with a management team of 42 executive directors.

570% surge in occupancy rates to 86% across 1,022 locations attained by devising and directing execution of a maturation program that encompassed simultaneous improvement in sales, customer service, and operations.

Facilitated the firm’s private-equity sale by fulfilling C-suite-assigned responsibility to attractively position the company through framing of an action plan that raised performance in 10,000 units, extolling turnaround successes to prospective buyers, and providing senior management with data and case studies used in presentations.

Restored operating licenses for 47 locations and cut turnover 240% by composing and administering a system-wide upgrade in procedures, conducting unit-by-unit training, and promoting results through a nationwide PR effort.

Simply Retail, Inc. Minneapolis, MN 2004 - 2010

Gift and ancillary services franchise located in 500+ hospitals and clinics generating $550 million in annual proceeds.

Chief Operating Officer

Managed product development and delivery, financing, human resources, vendor relations, franchisee additions, and daily operations for a 200-store network through a cadre of 15 vice presidents.

$15 million in incremental top line gained by leveraging decreases in traditional payor fees to drive a successful shift in the company’s business to a more forthright retailing model.

35% sales growth in 500 hospital gift shops contributed by converting the business model from overhead expense to profit center. Saved an average of $12,500 per patient and lowered employee turnover.

Sunrise Senior Living McLean, VA 2001 - 2004

REIT-owned, $54 million, nationwide provider of assisted and independent living, memory care, and skilled

nursing in 329 communities that employed 32,000.

Cluster Sales Manager & Executive-Director Mentor

Directed integration of a major competitor’s properties and supervised daily performance of six regional managers, three operational leaders, and executive directors of 40 communities in six states.

$20,000 per-month-per-location labor savings reached by installing a productivity program designed around findings from research conducted with staff, families, residents, and the connected clinical community.

Gained senior management’s approval to restart the opening of additional locations by doubling sales from units recovering from a tarnished image, efficiently building three greenfield locations, installing a best-practices program company-wide, and assimilating 126 acquired units.

Restored the company’s tarnished local image by improving the quality of care in response to an invited state-run corrective survey and piloting a PR plan that promoted the changes and strengthened community connections.

Spurred the region’s first profitable year in five, doubled occupancy in disparaged facilities, truncated bad debts 175%, and created and conducted a mentor program that trained 300+ executive directors in the techniques used.

Previous Experience

President & Chief Financial Officer, Welcome to Our Home, Redwood Falls, MN

$48 million first-of-its-kind business developed by expanding from one location to 15 in two years, seeking out and securing unique government and private financial instruments, and changing the range and nature of services available in the local market.

Education / Presentations - Publications / Volunteering

Bachelor of Arts in History; minor in Literature & French, Carthage College

Seminar Presenter, MedTrade, NHIA, Heartland, Essentially - Women Waterloo, IA, MAMES & HOMES

Featured Guest & Contributor, • HME News, Modern Healthcare, Homecare Magazine

Fund Raising / Academic Performance Enhancement Support, Carthage College • Artist’s Business Boot Camp, Omaha Creative Institute • Pro Bono Business-Growth Consulting, Brobe International, Inc.

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