Experienced Results Oreinted Executive

Ernest (Ernie) R. Leonelli

**** **** ***** ****, ********, Georgia 30064

Home 770-***-**** Cellular 404-***-**** **********@*******.***

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SENIOR EXECUTIVE

Vice President - General Manager - Managing Director - Division Manager

Operations / Manufacturing / QA & Technical Services / Procurement / Engineering Management

Dynamic Successful Corporate Executive possessing extensive operations, manufacturing, and business management expertise. Successful track record of new company start up, acquisition integration, leading existing companies to business expansion, sales growth, and significantly increased operational efficiency. A change leader skilled in taking charge of every facet of operations with the ability to quickly adapt to new markets, new products and develop innovative and profitable operating solutions. Result-oriented manager with a passion for challenge and commitment to enhancing cost effectiveness while exceeding company objectives. A Team Leader with excellent interpersonal skills, troubleshooting and process improvment capabilities, insight, strategic planning capabilities and extensive facility and process line design and build experience. Core competencies include:

• Start up and Acquisition integration

• Manufacturing Operations

• Multi-site Operations Management

• Profit & Loss Accountability

• Staff & Policy Development

• Organizational Development

• Employee Relations & work force training

• Maintenance & Engineering Management

• Project Management & Planning

• QA & Technical Services Management

• Managed Union & Non-union work groups

• EH&S

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Professional Experience

Tip Top Poultry, Inc., Marietta, Ga. & Rockmart, Ga. 2004 – 2008

Manufacturer of ready to cook (RTC) and fully cooked ready to eat (RTE) poultry products for retail, foodservice, industrial and government school lunch programs.

Vice President, Operations

Managed manufacturing operations for multi-site food company with 1300 plus associates, 35 management staff and 6 direct reports with annual sales of $200 million. Completed new equipment research, performance evaluations, purchases and line layout designs and designed and managed all equipment installations and facility upgrades.

• Improved overall plant product quality reducing both internal and external customer complaints 30% through advanced Quality Assurance techniques, SPC and Key Performance Indicators, as well as continuous process improvement implementation and food safety associate training for an operation producing over 4 million pounds each week. Managed all plant sanitation, USDA and other regulatory oversight. Extensive Food Safety and Quality Assurance responsibility including Microbiological and Chemistry analysis.

• Improved over all plant performance in multi-site locations. Production yields increased by 110%. Labor efficiencies improved by 120%. Increased through put capability an average of 135%. Lowered operating costs through continuous process improvement and cost containment programs.

• Identified a strategic plan for reducing $4 million in operating cost.

• Successfully completed the start up of one new manufacturing department, redesigned and renovated multi-site locations in order to improve food safety product flow and product handling.

• Achieved Superior Quality ratings from third party auditors for 3 consecutive years as well as numerous customer superior quality audit ratings over the same time period.

• Written and managed SOP's and product specifications.

Gold Kist, Inc., Sumter, SC 2001 – 2004

Number two poultry processing company in the country only behind Tyson Foods. Manufacturer of fresh, frozen, par fry ready to cook (RTC) and fully cooked ready to eat (RTE ) poultry products for retail, foodservice, institutional, industrial and government school lunch programs.

South Carolina Division Operations Manager

Recruited to manage the largest facility of the 12 Gold Kist locations with 2500 plus associates, 48 management staff and 7 direct reports, processing 1.2 million birds per week in excess of 7 million finished pounds per week. Directed all aspects of plant operations including all manufacturing, quality assurance, food safety, plant sanitation, environmental, maintenance and engineering, as well as plant scheduling supply and demand, and procurement.

• Improved the line speed efficiency in three further processed departments 134%. Improved the yield efficiency in the same three departments 110%.

• Installed on six further process lines real time telemetry tracking for shop floor key performance monitoring to support the management team's performance goals. Implemented a continuous process improvement program utilizing key performance indicators and a closed loop system of tracking performance.

• Installed and implemented a real time fully automated SPC network using Infinity Software and twenty-five hardware stations throughout the plant. Arranged for SPC training for over 120 management and hourly personnel through an onsite Clemson University certified SPC course.

• Improved overall finished product quality using SPC data on incoming raw materials and reduced customer complaints in the further processing plant by 50% for the entire year.

• Succeeded in landing the Wendy’s diced chicken meat business along with their new par-fried breaded chicken strip and becoming one of their primary quality suppliers.

• Prepared CAD concept drawings along with project descriptions, project cost estimates and project time lines for top management review and approval. Managed all capital budgets, project expansions, renovations, equipment purchases, line layout designs and installations.

Foster Farms Inc., Turlock, Ca. 1998 – 2001

Largest poultry and processed prepared foods company west of the Rockies. Leading manufacturer of fresh and frozen, ready to cook (RTC) and fully cooked ready to eat (RTE ) poultry products for retail, foodservice, institutional, industrial and government school lunch programs.

Turkey Division Operations Manager

Implemented all facets of operations management for Foster Farms Turkey division resulting in improved product quality, new product launches, increased sales, increased production and expanded production facilities. Managed 1100 plus associates, 45 management staff and 5 direct reports with standard cost, operating budget, capital budget, and all manufacturing responsibility.

• Total of 10 million birds annually, boning 60 million pounds annually, further processing 85 million pounds annually of fully cooked ready to eat (RTE) deli products for both retail and foodservice distribution.

• Primary supplier of fresh and frozen whole body turkeys and parts to west coast retail outlets.

• Ranked in the top two for Margin Over Process and Index Of Operating Efficiency according to Agrimetrics for two consecutive years.

• August 1999, successfully completed the shut down and complete relocation of the slaughter operation and boning operation into the newly acquired ConAgra-Butterball Turlock facility all of which was accomplished over one single weekend and included adding a second shift as well as the start up of a co-pack arrangement with ConAgra-Butterball.

• The design and build of a 40,000 square foot state of the art addition to the further processing plant including all new pass through Alkar Ovens. Incorporated into the design was the latest in Food Safety implementation of employee traffic, process flow and RTE product handling.

• Upgraded roll stock packaging equipment and deli slice and packaging equipment lines.

• Laid the ground work for the purchase of a state of the art post pasteurization process for the retail deli lunch meat line. Designed and implemented extensive food safety program for pathogen prevention.

• Improved overall plant boning and further processed yields and labor resulting in the best year in variance to budget as well as profit and lost contribution to the division.

• Successful installation of three new packaging lines improving packaging design and product quality.

Four Star Products, Inc., Bridgeton, NJ 1985 – 1998

New Market Poultry Products, Inc., New Market, Va.

Leading manufacturer of fresh poultry and fully cooked diced and pulled chicken meat products, chicken broth and rendered chicken fat to foodservice, the government school lunch program, institutional, and industrial end users with sales in excess of $48 million.

Vice President, Operations and Co-Owner

An entrepreneurial start up of two privately held poultry processing companies with 900 plus associates, 25 management staff, and 6 direct reports. Managed all aspects of the manufacturing, procurement, scheduling, Quality Assurance, Micro and Chemistry lab, maintenance and engineering, as well as P&L, budget preparation and capital asset allocation management.

• Formed the privately held Four Star Products corporation in 1984. NJ property was purchased in June 1985. The 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility was fully operational in December 1985 just four months from ground breaking. Directed the design and construction, purchase and installation of all equipment. Within one year the NJ facility was operating two shifts cooking one million pounds of poultry per week.

• 1986 facility became the first USDA TQC approved cooking operation in the country.

• 1988 - successful acquisition and start up of New Market Poultry Products, Inc. located in New Market Virginia. A broiler slaughter plant purchased from Holly Farms and converted to a fowl (spent hen) slaughter operation. This became the feeder plant to the cooking operation in New Jersey.

Employment History Prior to 1985 available on request

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EDUCATION

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida (1976)

Bachelor of Science Biological Sciences (with Honors) - Majors in Microbiology & Marine Biology

Professional Development

- HACCP Certified - SPC Trained - Wastewater Treatment - High Pressure Boilers

- Food and Agribusiness Executive Program ( Kansas State)

- Scheduled for Lean Six-Sigma Certification

Technical Proficiencies

Skilled in the use of:

 Microsoft: Word, Excel, Power Point, Visio, Access, Outlook, XP, Vista

 Lotus Notes

 AutoDesk AutoCAD

 Infinity Quality Systems

 Qualtracks Quality Management Systems

 BOC Logic

 CHASE

 STAR

 CFS - Computerway Food Systems

References available on request

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