James S

§ Accomplished, results-oriented finance professional committed to continual self improvement and success through exemplary performance.

§ Significant financial reporting and analysis experience, coupled with a hands-on style, positive attitude, and an impressive aptitude for computerized information systems.

§ Adept at identifying and correcting procedural inefficiencies and initiating policy modifications to improve reporting accuracy, inventory control, and cash flow.

Professional Experience:

10/2006 – 03/2009| Breyer Casting Technologies, Inc. Brampton, Ontario

Controller

(Breyer Casting Technologies Inc. is a North American leader providing one-stop aluminum casting capabilities in sand, permanent, and die-casting moulding.)

Reporting directly to the President & Chairman (Co-Owners), I achieved the following:

§ Obtained critical corporate financing via an asset based lending arrangement, which provided up to $3 million in funding to the company.

§ Completed the 2007, 2008 and 2009 business plans and all interim forecasts and financial statements.

§ Worked with outsourced IT personnel to upgrade the Accounting/ERP system and to develop a set of comprehensive Labour Efficiency and Overall Equipment Efficiency reports.

§ As part of the above project, I worked with employees to improve the accuracy of production data and initiated the transition of the company from a process costing environment to a more appropriate job costing methodology.

§ Implemented policies and procedures to reduce inventory, accounts receivable, and overtime.

§ Developed financial models and due diligence for an impending acquisition.

§ Improved timeliness and accuracy of financial reporting, including developing procedures to improve revenue and cost matching.

§ Strictly managed all overhead costs.

§ Modernized the company’s computer network and phone system.

09/2004 – 10/2006 | EcoWater Canada, Ltd. Mississauga, Ontario

Controller / Operations Manager

(EcoWater Systems, LLC, a member of the Marmon Group of Companies, has been in business since 1925 and is the world’s largest manufacturer of residential water treatment systems. EcoWater Canada Ltd., their wholly owned subsidiary, is the Canadian distributor.)

Reporting directly to the President, I achieved the following:

§ Managed the successful implementation of a new accounting system, including training, data conversion, hardware upgrades, and refined procedures.

§ Implemented a corporate financial Scorecard, complete with goals for key metrics (DSOs, Inventory turns, etc.)

§ Worked with the President, other managers, and the VP Finance of US Operations to complete the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Business Plans, and all interim forecasts, budgets, reports and financial statements.

§ Reduced average Inventory balances from $1.5M to less than $800k, as a result of improved reporting, forecasting and purchasing procedures.

§ Achieved and maintained planned DSOs through diligent collections procedures.

§ Reduced time required for financial reporting while improving accuracy and simplicity by capitalizing on the capabilities of the new accounting system and streamlining reports.

§ Designed and created a set of segmented financial statements, which were crucial for analysing the separate business units.

§ Implemented standard costing in order to separate out the gains and losses from exchange on cost of goods sold.

§ Evaluated options for a new telephone system and call centre software, chose the best solution for EcoWater, and managed its implementation.

§ Completed Internal Control documentation for senior management.

§ Managed a staff of six – 3 administration/accounting and 3 warehouse employees, including the Warehouse Mgr.

§ As Operations Manager, I directed the Warehouse Manager through a re-alignment and 2 physical inventories.

03/2004 – 09/2004 | NBS Technologies, Inc. Toronto, Ontario

Senior Financial Analyst

(NBS Technologies Inc., a publicly traded company, is a leading provider of card personalization, payment solutions, and commerce gateway transaction services for financial institutions, governments, and corporations worldwide.)

Reporting to the CFO, I completed the following projects:

§ Reforecast of FY2004 revenue and pro forma cash flow analysis across 3 business units and 5 legal entities, including subsidiaries in the United States and United Kingdom.

§ Designed and created a complex sales forecasting template that tracked all leads, orders and sales, which was integrated into the financial forecast model.

§ Initiated and managed an upgrade of the accounting systems.

§ Liaised with the Sales Department to formalize sales forecast procedures for integration with finance and formal reporting to the executive team and helped to evaluate different CRM Solutions for eventual implementation.

§ Worked with the US and UK subsidiary finance teams to streamline financial reporting while improving clarity, accuracy and timeliness.

§ Managed and planned for the billing and finance requirements of an impending acquisition.

§ FY2005 Budget and Business Plan

03/2000 – 06/2003 | Master Lift Truck Service, Inc. Oakville, Ontario

Controller/Office Manager

(MasterLift is Canada’s fastest growing forklift dealer, employing over 50 people and quickly becoming recognized as an industry leader for innovative material handling solutions centered on the Mitsubishi line of forklift trucks.)

As Controller some of my duties and accomplishments included:

§ Timely preparation and analysis of monthly financial statements, pro forma statements, and cash flow projections.

§ Cash flow management, budgeting, cost and expenditure analysis and control.

§ Assisted in the preparation of the annual business plan and participated in ongoing strategy formulation.

§ Liaised with the bank, finance company, all government agencies, corporate lawyers and vendors.

§ Set-up and maintenance of all computer hardware and software, including network administration.

§ Entrusted to make all purchase decisions regarding office equipment, computer systems, service providers, etc.

§ My knowledge of Access and SQL allowed me to generate ad hoc queries and reports ‘on-the-fly’ as required.

§ Identified and resolved procedural gaps, reducing lost inventory from $250,000 to $30,000.

§ Reduced annual bad debts from more than $70,000 to less than $10,000 through aggressive collection procedures.

§ Designed a web-based Customer Loyalty Program to allow customers to collect and redeem reward points and managed the implementation by an outsourced IT company.

§ Implemented a change in accounting & business software and assisted in data conversion and employee training.

§ Performed all payroll, benefit plan administration and human resource functions, including the development of the Corporate Policy Manual.

§ Managed office/accounting staff consisting of six employees.

Academic Achievements:

2006 - Society of Management Accountants of Ontario – Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

2003 - University of Toronto - Master of Business Administration (MBA)

1999 - University of Toronto - Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm.)

§ Double Specialist degree in Economics and Business Finance.

§ Other areas of study: Marketing, Mathematics, and Chemistry.

1985 - Streetsville Secondary School - OSSD

Technical Expertise:

§ Significant experience using high-end multi-module accounting packages (Accpac, Samco, Connected, Business Vision, E2) and knowledge of several off-the-shelf accounting software packages such as QuickBooks.

§ Crystal Reports and database solutions such as MS Access and SQL, including query and report generation.

§ Extensive knowledge of mainstream operating systems including Windows Server & MS Exchange.

§ Advanced level knowledge of all Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).

§ General computer network set-up and administration.

§ Computer construction, hardware upgrades, software installations, troubleshooting.