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• Enterprise Accounting System Integrates JV Operations
  Startup company needed to install an enterprise financial reporting system to account for the joint venture's rapidly expanding operations. Existing staff did not have expertise in enterprise accounting systems that were designed for the commercial real estate industry.
  Formed a staff committee to lead a request for proposal to three industry software service providers. Directed committee to present business proposals to automate development, property management, and construction accounting services into one company-wide financial reporting system. Simulated flowcharts of the company's proposed operations to determine the "best fit" software that balanced the costs of installation against the benefits to the company.
  $100,000 reduction to annual external accounting and property management fees achieved by drawing from extensive experience in financial reporting systems and information technology projects to create a highly efficient solution for a startup company.
• Automated Solution Expedites Annual Budgetary Process
  The $330 million annual budgetary process was prepared by 65 budget centers that used handwritten worksheets and required five months of compilation to complete the annual business plan. Departments had limited training in the use of personal computing spreadsheet applications that would facilitate the automation of the annual budgetary process.
  Partnered with the information technology department to deploy more personal computing equipment that would enable the finance team to conduct worksheet training classes. Educated management team on how to integrate this new technology into their departments. Designed, built, and implemented the new automated annual business planning system to capture sales, cost of goods sold, and cost center budgets into one comprehensive data source.
  Successfully launched the new automated annual business planning process in six months, reduced preparation time from five months to four in the first year of application, and reduced the amount of time to approve the annual business plan by the Board of Directors' Finance Committee from three hours to one.
• Sales Planning & Pricing Drive Multimillion-Dollar Revenue Strategy
  Gross revenues were expanding at rate of 20% annually, and pricing administrative services required development of the first cost accounting system based on activity-based accounting principles. However, actuaries and sales personnel did not want to accept the use of cost accounting principles to price administrative services.
  Championed the development of an interdepartmental team comprised of key stakeholders from the sales, marketing, actuarial, underwriting, and operations departments to develop activity-based categories for direct and indirect cost structures. Models were built and tested by the team to gain universal standards that all management could embrace for pricing administrative services.
  Cost accounting became a dominate factor in achieving a $600 million revenue increase and a 40% cut to the company's operating expense ratio as part of a senior management initiative.
• Region Attains Sales Goals with Competitive Pricing Formulary
  The Michigan division was under intensive budget goals from the corporate headquarters to aggressively expand the region's revenue base to $125 million prior to centralizing the budgetary operations. Expanding the company's revenue base would require a 20% to 30% increase in new business sales and/or renewal increases in a highly competitive marketplace dominated by union contracts.
  Worked with President, Executive Vice President, and Vice President of Sales, engaging the sales and underwriting departments to build a pricing formulary to be highly competitive in the marketplace, and that would provide an 85% success rate toward achieving the target sales goal of $125 million. Team prepared a regional business plan that included a bonus commission schedule to drive forward the plan in the next 12 month operating cycle.
  The Michigan operations reached its goal of $125 million within one year, sales personnel received record bonuses, and relationships with union leaders were bolstered.
• Informed Board Galvanized to Approve Sound Investment Polices
  Investment policies statements were outdated, inconsistent, and not in compliance with the state departments of Insurance and Regulatory Affairs. State laws required each individual state's board of directors to approve the new investment policies, but a majority of the directors lacked investment knowledge or regulatory experience and were resistant to approving investment policy changes.
  Corporate counsel and external investment portfolio consultants were commissioned by investment department to provide educational programs to the directors. Surveys were disseminated to the directors to measure risk tolerance and asset allocation preferences. Staff charted these preferences to state insurance regulatory requirements and created new investment policy statements to govern the $400 million investment portfolios.
  The combined $400 million investment portfolios achieved top-quartile performance by matching or exceeding the S&P 500 investment returns and Lehman Brothers Intermediate Treasury index returns for five consecutive years.
• IT Infrastructure Implementation Streamlines Operations
  The advancement of electronic media and publishing software required the replacement of the company's mechanical inked-based printing systems. Information technology personnel did not support the use of large-scale computing and printing equipment outside of the company's centralized data operations center or the use of unionized workers to operate the equipment.
  Engaged bargaining unit employees to participate in research, selection, preparation of budget approvals, and installation of the new technology. Built unprecedented commitment by union workers to operate advanced computing systems. Recruited Information Technology personnel to participate in the training process and provide linkage of the Docutech system to the company's LAN-based computing systems and servers.
  Company in-sourced 100% of its printed marketing and provider communication materials, reducing turnaround times from several weeks to less than five business days and was awarded a $500,000 capital budget to purchase equipment.
• Expert Portfolio Management Boosts Sales & Savings
  Market demand for commercial real estate properties were setting new record highs due to the growth of 1031 Exchange powerhouses. Company was presented with opportunities to dispose of several retail properties at unprecedented profits. Investors were letting purchase agreements with the stipulation that occupancy rates must be a minimum of 85% and deferred maintenance cost must be less than 5% of the purchase price.
  Assembled a capital investment sales team to analyze the company's investment portfolio and earmark which assets would qualify for a quick sale. Engaged leasing brokers to fortify existing lease terms and push occupancy rates above the investor purchase requirements. Added exclusive land positions to the available for-sale list to deleverage the portfolio where market saturation was identified.
  Approximately $15 million of investment sales occurred within three years, generating unprecedented profits. This achievement demonstrates executive leadership and financial modeling skills, as well as sharpened knowledge and insight to assess and capitalize on abnormal market conditions.
• Innovative Ownership Structure Propels Startup JV to Success
  Three independent entrepreneurs agreed to form a new commercial real estate holding company to grow their collective investment portfolio assets from $33 million to $250 million within 10 years. Being a startup joint venture, neither entrepreneur had existing legal or operating structures to serve as the umbrella company to drive forward the new strategic business plan.
  Researched commercial real estate laws and tax regulations. Provided the guiding principles to create three new LLCs that were designed to partition different investment classes into safe havens based on market focus: commercial, residential, and brokerage/property management. Utilized negotiation skills learned from government contracting, modeled different ownership structures based on the initial capital contributions that each entrepreneur would invest, and tilted ownership percentages more favorably toward individuals with proven expertise in the different market disciplines.
  Invested assets grew from $33 million to approximately $125 million in less than four years by being able to negotiate and communicate to gain buy-in from vastly different sources.
• Rezoning Effort Revitalizes $100 Million Real Estate Project
  The United States recession, automotive bankruptcies, and financial collapse of the banking system left the company with a newly purchased/entitled 150-acre mixed-use development with no sales against a $12.5 million project loan. Members of the board of managers were unwilling to approach city planners to rezone 75 acres of single-family residential zoning to multi-family and large-box retail zoning due to the negative publicity vocalized by residents that challenged the first approval process.
  Forged a team of six real estate experts to identify a community-friendly, national multi-family operator. Redesigned the site plan to attract national retail giants. Retained legal counsel to gain support of economic development leaders and serve as an intermediary with city council members to gain their approval of zoning amendments.
  City council members approved the rezone application in less than six months, which led to appraised property value increases of $3 million.
• Contract Awarded with Unplanned Profits from DoD-Compliant Cost Accounting System
  The $300 million U.S. government contract was up for renewal with the Department of Defense, and bidders for the renewal contract were required to be compliant with the Department of Defense Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Yet, cost accounting systems were not compliant with the Department of Defense Cost Accounting Standards and staff was not trained to administer these standards.
  Implemented action plans to reprogram the present "activity-based" model into a bidders-approved system that would allow appropriate pricing formularies for the Joint Venture's Business Proposal. Completed gap assessments mapping current cost accounting procedures to the requirements of the Department of Defense Cost Accounting Standards in fewer than 90 days. Synced overhead allocation structures with the Annual Business Plan to achieve congruence with corporate expense recovery objectives for fixed operating costs.
  $1.7 billion contract was awarded to the Joint Venture Team which subsequently led to additional profits of $3.5 million.