Controller, CFO

Laura Joan Hicks

New Braunfels, TX · 281-***-**** · **************@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Results-driven and resourceful finance leader with extensive experience providing financial leadership, reporting, and strategic insight to support key business decisions. Skilled at translating complex financial data into clear insights for non-finance leaders while ensuring strong financial controls and full regulatory compliance. Recognized for sound judgment, process improvement, and the ability to balance long-term strategy with day-to-day operational execution.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Financial Reporting & GAAP Compliance

Multi-Entity Consolidations & Eliminations

Job Cost Accounting & WIP Reporting

Internal Controls & SOX Compliance

Percentage-of-Completion Revenue Recognition

Month / Quarter / Year-End Close

Treasury & Cash Flow Forecasting

Construction & Manufacturing Accounting

Working Capital & Liquidity Management

ERP Implementation (JD Edwards)

Budgeting, Forecasting & Budget-to-Actual

Team Leadership & Process Improvement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Chief Financial Officer Mar 2026 – Present

BLCCS · San Antonio, TX

Financial leader for a $20M commercial trades contractor (75 employees) providing HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and systems controls services; strategic partner to ownership on growth, profitability, and long-term planning.

•Own all financial operations — accounting, financial reporting, treasury, budgeting, forecasting, and regulatory compliance.

•Serve as strategic financial partner to ownership, translating operational performance into actionable insight on profitability, growth, and capital deployment.

•Direct job cost accounting and WIP reporting across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and controls divisions; oversee percentage-of-completion revenue recognition and project profitability analysis.

•Manage cash flow forecasting, banking relationships, lines of credit, and working capital planning to support project execution and growth.

•Establish GAAP-compliant accounting policies, internal controls, and reporting infrastructure; lead the accounting and administrative team and build scalable back-office processes.

•Oversee bonding capacity, workers’ compensation audits, insurance renewals, and trade-specific regulatory filings; manage relationships with external CPAs, auditors, bonding agents, brokers, and lenders.

•Partner with operations on estimating discipline, change-order management, billing, and collections to protect margin and cash flow.

Corporate Controller Oct 2024 – Mar 2026

Travis Companies, Inc. · San Antonio, TX

Oversaw financial operations for a $24M multi-entity holding company (85 employees); scope expanded from 3 to 6 operating companies while leading an 8-person accounting and administrative team.

•Directed accounting, consolidated financial reporting, budgeting, cash management, and regulatory compliance across six operating companies.

•Scaled financial oversight from three to six entities — integrating new companies into existing reporting infrastructure and reflecting expanding executive trust.

•Led and developed an 8-member accounting and administrative team; owned monthly, quarterly, and annual close and delivered consolidated statements and performance analysis to executive leadership.

•Managed cash flow forecasting, banking relationships, and working capital planning to support operational stability and growth.

•Implemented GAAP-compliant policies, internal controls, and standardized processes across entities; coordinated with external CPAs, auditors, banks, brokers, and government agencies.

Corporate Controller Oct 2023 – Oct 2024

Precision Strand Rebar · San Antonio, TX

Controller for a $15M rebar and post-tension cable manufacturer serving the construction industry (team of 50), with heavy day-to-day focus on cash management and working capital.

•Directed all accounting operations — monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, financial reporting, and variance analysis.

•Managed daily cash position and forecasting in a working-capital-constrained environment; prioritized payments, maintained vendor relationships, and partnered with ownership on cash flow decisions.

•Maintained inventory accounting for raw materials (steel, strand) and finished fabricated product; reconciled physical counts to the general ledger.

•Supervised AP, AR, billing, and payroll; established and maintained GAAP-aligned accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls.

•Administered sales/use tax filings, personal property renditions, and insurance renewals; partnered with operations on product profitability and process improvement.

Director of Finance Jun 2022 – Jun 2023

Hill Country Tech Guys · San Marcos, TX

Executive role directing finance, accounting, procurement, HR, and administrative functions for a $15M Central Texas managed services provider (50 employees).

•Led accounting, procurement, HR, and administrative teams; served as a core member of the executive leadership team guiding financially-driven business decisions.

•Oversaw all accounting operations — financial reporting, cash management, inventory, controls, insurance, payroll, AP, and AR.

•Compiled and analyzed P&L, Balance Sheet, and management reporting; developed accounting policies, annual budgets, rolling forecasts, and performance measures aligned to the strategic plan.

•Ensured HR documentation and employment practices complied with applicable regulations; served as primary liaison with banking and insurance partners.

Corporate Controller Mar 2021 – Jun 2022

InstaBuilt · Austin, TX

Controller for an early-stage modular housing startup during product development, partnered with a manufacturing affiliate in Kosovo; built and ran the full accounting function.

•Established the accounting infrastructure from the ground up — GAAP-aligned control policies, procedures, and financial reporting systems.

•Prepared consolidated intercompany financial statements across related entities; reported results directly to the President/CEO and external CPA firm.

•Built budgeting processes and delivered budget-to-actual reporting with variance analysis; performed monthly cash forecasting and reconciliations in a pre-revenue, capital-constrained environment.

•Set up job cost accounting for long-term construction projects, including contract entry, job cost tracking, and percent-completion reporting.

•Owned AP, AR, billing, payroll, and HR; supported strategic planning, tax planning, and special projects alongside the executive team.

Corporate Controller Aug 2017 – Mar 2021

ACME Bridge Company Inc. · San Antonio, TX

Controller for a $12M bridge construction company (75 employees), owning all accounting, financial reporting, and treasury functions.

•Directed all aspects of construction accounting — job costing, percentage-of-completion reporting, and revenue recognition on long-term projects.

•Coordinated monthly, quarterly, and annual close; reported financial results to ownership and the external CPA firm.

•Performed weekly cash forecasting and cash management; reconciled bank and credit card accounts.

•Established and maintained GAAP-compliant control policies; supervised AP, AR, billing, payroll, and HR.

•Administered property tax renditions, sales/use tax, workers’ comp and OSHA filings, and employee benefits; managed annual insurance renewals and led companywide process-improvement initiatives.

Assistant Controller Oct 2011 – Apr 2017

BETCO Scaffolds · Houston, TX

Oversaw accounting operations, internal controls, and annual budgeting for a 4-branch, $24M scaffolding company (200 employees).

•Directed annual budgeting across all departments and four branches; built standardized budgeting processes and worksheets to drive consistency across locations.

•Prepared consolidated financial statements and monthly variance analysis; executed monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, and implemented internal controls bringing the department into full GAAP compliance.

•Managed fixed asset tracking and depreciation, supervised the AP department and bi-annual physical inventories, and led cross-functional process-improvement teams companywide.

EARLIER EXPERIENCE

Progressive corporate accounting and financial-analysis roles spanning publicly traded (SEC / SOX, 10-Q / 10-K) and privately held, multi-entity companies.

Corporate Accountant · J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. · Houston, TX 2008 – 2010

Staff Accountant · Mechanical Technology, Inc. · Albany, NY 2005 – 2008

Staff Accountant · Robert Half Finance & Accounting · Albany, NY 2003 – 2005

Financial Analyst · Westwood Studios (Electronic Arts) · Las Vegas, NV 2000 – 2003

Sr. Accounting Assistant · The Rouse Company (Howard Hughes Corp.) · Las Vegas, NV 1996 – 2000

EDUCATION

University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2000

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology · Summa Cum Laude

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