TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Contract Academic Staff | School of Business & Economics                            2011 – Present

Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON

• Instructor engagements including,

-       Intermediate Accounting Course BU 387 for a class size of 55 third year business students.

-       Graduate Student course BU 607 for a class size of approximately 50 MBA students.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Executive Vice President | Chief Financial Officer | LLC                                   2007 – Present

Avon Lake, OH

CFO consulting services to small and medium size business on a contract and interim basis.

International Financial Consultant engagements including:

• Chief Financial Officer for PDS Marketing, Puerto Vallarta & Los Cabos, Mexico, $50M fractional ownership marketing company.
• Chief Operating Officer for Playa del Sol Resorts, Puerto Vallarta & Los Cabos, Mexico, Resort Developer and Corporate Office for 4 resorts throughout Mexico.
• Vice President for MYB2B, LLC Ohio website developer for bid and auction fulfillment.
• Consultant for Buzz Water Company, Ontario producer of caffeinated beverage products.
• Recommended and improved cashflow, developed long term sustainability and was instrumental in negotiations of exclusive contract for PDS marketing with Worldmark by Wyndham in Mexico.
• Secured positive cashflow and sale of existing resorts due to Textron Financial’s exit from resort financing.
• Created benchmark for evaluating profitability of sales and marketing locations, resulting in rapid exit strategy from 3 unprofitable locations, saving $800,000 annually.

 

Chief Financial Officer                                                                                      2003 – 2007

Lower Lakes Towing Limited, Port Dover, ON

$100M Great Lakes shipping company targeting construction, coal, wheat, and salt products.

• Directed all finance and treasury functions, with focus on long-term sustainability, of company in loan default situation. Led 3 successful refinancings and change in lender, resulting in business comeback and ultimate purchase. Handled all due diligence requests as well as meetings with lenders, brokers and potential buyers to facilitate sale. Supervised direct staff of 4 and 2 indirect reports.
• Created positive cash flow and positioned company sale for $57M to publicly-listed Rand Logistics in March, 2006.
• More than doubled fleet capacity through the FMV purchase of 6 additional vessels totaling $61M.
• Slashed interest costs from 20% to 8% through aggressive lender re-negotiations. Reduced future rates by 150 basis points in a series of senior debt refinancings and negotiations regarding risk/vessel age.
  • Decreased average A/R days outstanding from 55 to 42, increasing cash flow by $500,000.
  • Prepared all SEC filings necessary to complete acquisition and successful NASDAQ listing.
  • Recommended and implemented Phase 1, Sarbanes-Oxley as well as an ERP accounting system. Trained and mentored staff through implementation process.

 

Chief Financial Officer                                                                                      2002 – 2003

Golf North Properties Inc., Conestogo, Ontario

$25M leading consolidator and owner of 12 mid-market golf courses.

• Directed financial operations including A/P, payroll and membership, with emphasis on developing systems for cash control for this primarily daily cash business. Customized budgets to include incentives to drive course traffic through targeted media and ad campaigns. Managed staff of 3 with indirect reports from each of the 12 courses.
• Added $2M in golf, food and beverage revenue annually by leading due diligence and purchase of an established, 27-hole golf course.
• Improved financial processes, reporting and controls for 12 independent golf courses, including the establishment of automated payments to maximize utilization limited staff.

 

Vice President Finance                                                                                    2000 – 2002

EDJ Packaging, Cambridge, ON

$3M International used equipment broker for the packaging industry.

• Managed all financial functions and negotiated major transactions/relationships with Tropicana, Brick Brewery and Andres Wines for equipment purchases and installations.
• Reduced accounts receivable and established additional lines of credit to support company growth.
• Established warehouse operation in Florida (due to the scope of the Tropicana’s purchase and transition from glass packaging to plastic).
• Championed the use of direct eMarketing to specific industry contacts, resulting in higher sales efficiency and a more targeted data base.

 

Vice President, Finance and Acting CFO                                                          2000

Hip Interactive Corporation, Toronto, ON

$200M start-up distributor of Playstation2 and XBOX platforms in Canada

• Charged with establishing a new accounting system, consolidating operations for 11 subsidiary companies and ensuring regulatory compliance in preparation for taking the company public.
• Generated 1st year revenue of $200M as a result of consolidated operations.
• Raised $10M in special warrant offering and expanded company’s access to financing by negotiating an increase in company’s line of credit from $5M to $30M.
• Led due diligence of multiple acquisitions, including the largest distributors of video games in Canada.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE | PRIOR TO 2000:

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary                                                               1995 – 2000

Brick Brewing Company Limited, Waterloo, Ontario

$25M Regional Microbrewery.

• Recruited as Vice President, Finance and within 8 months promoted to CFO. Managed all financial functions with emphasis on cash flow monitoring, sales forecasting and implementation of major accounting and network systems. Oversaw preparation of all public financial reporting. Supervised staff of 10, to support the doubling of plant capacity and sales of the company.
• Directed acquisition of Algonquin Brewing Company, performing all due diligence and negotiations.
• Expanded the company’s profile in the highly competitive Ontario market and exceeded 3% market share in key retail outlets through revamped sales reporting, marketing and distribution to ensure optimal distribution in key markets.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE | PRIOR TO 1995:

• Algonquin Brewing Company, Controller.
• Richardson Greenshields Supervisor, Bond trading Administration.
• University of Waterloo Co-op Work Experience,

-       Molson Breweries of Canada, Accountant.

-       Energy, Mines and Resources Renewable Energy Division, Policy Analyst.

-       Woolco-Woolworth, Sales Tax Accountant.

 

TRADE ASSOCIATION APPOINTMENTS:

• Great Lakes Protective Association – Compensation and Finance Committees.
• Ontario Small Brewers Association – Treasurer.
• Brewers Association of Canada – Taxation, Human Resources & Industry Packaging Committees.

 

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATES:

• CPA Australia (CPA) – 2009
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) – 2005 Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
• Certified Management Accountant (CMA) – 1991
• Canadian Securities Course (CSC) – 1989
• Bachelor of Arts – 1998 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada