Kohler, Wisconsin, United States
What's my purpose? To lead people and businesses to the highest possible achievement in whatever drives THEIR purpose. My passion for delivering better results through better leadership was developed as an officer in the U.S. Navy, and has been made stronger through service to companies, customers, communities, and - most of all - to teammates up, down, and across in organizations. ------ International business leader with 20+ years of CPG/FMCG global responsibility in food & beverage and consumer goods with deep Asia-Pacific operating experience. Proven successes in scaling international businesses, leading nationally/culturally diverse teams, and driving strategic growth across 10 Asian markets. Expertise in global P&L ownership, international customer development, cross-border manufacturing/export, and talent strategy. Differentiated by deep intercultural fluency and a record of delivering sustained business growth in complex global environments. Committed to driving business success and employee growth through my trademarked "Serve-Build-Inspire"® leadership development process.
A career-broadening role that expands my P&L ownership experience by focusing on the people, systems, and processes that enable manufacturing workforce performance improvement. Responsible for the operational capability-building systems in Johnsonville's seven-site U.S. manufacturing network, aligning enterprise learning strategy to measurable manufacturing performance outcomes. Partner with senior company operations leaders and plant directors to improve employee proficiency, operational consistency, and retention through standardized systems, governance, and skill development. Lead a matrixed team of 15 who manage the Reliability Excellence training pillar, Redzone learning governance, employee onboarding across the enterprise, and standard work enablement to ensure training serves as a primary lever for operational excellence. The role provides direct exposure to enterprise transformation, multi-site operations leadership, and performance systems that drive production results.
Global leadership at the intersection of business and culture! Leveraged international P&L acumen, cultural adaptability, and organizational development experience to integrate multiple acquisitions and joint ventures across continents by collaborating with in-country general managers and their teams in Asia, Mexico, and Canada, franchising the core elements of our company identity to deliver better business outcomes. Executive-advising to our senior leaders at U.S. headquarters to support their goal of building a truly global mindset across the enterprise.
General management with top-to-bottom ~$80MM P&L responsibility for Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and ASEAN export markets. Led in-country teams that managed sales, distributor partnerships, consumer marketing, importing, and local production (China). Led global Costco relationship outside the US and various trade association relationships. Built deep intercultural skills to form trusting relationships faster: global cross-cultural agility drives better business results! *Doubled the business in 8 years and grew operating profit +10% CAGR through strategic alliances and channel and product portfolio expansion. *Significant new product development leadership led to achieving placement in all Costco international markets and successful local introductions with Burger King, Subway, 7-11, Tokyo Disney, and top country and regional retail chains. *Launched locally-produced product in China to drive rapid growth via SKU flexibility and through integrated marketing/trade programs, channel expansion, and restructured delivery & supply chain models. *Consistently reduced costs by adapting the supply chain, updating packaging materials, and optimizing pack sizes. Additional projects decreased customer complaints, adjusted formulas for raw material changes, and built a COVID-driven allocation process to prevent shelf outages and protect brand presence. Led the initial exploration of multi-market local manufacturing initiatives to address the impact of import/export challenges, tariffs, and to support flexible product development. *Owned senior relationships with U.S. Meat Export Federation, the USA Food Export Group, the U.S. Food Export Association-Midwest, and the Madison (WI) International Trade Association to gain increased advertising and promotional investments, significantly compounding the effect of internal dollars. Built strong relationships with U.S. embassy support offices across Asia to efficiently handle import/export issues.
*Awarded trademarks by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for The Lens of Leadership® set of skills for consulting, publishing and training, and the “Serve, Build, & Inspire”® accelerated leadership development program in 2018. *Printed version available in Spanish throughout Latin America, Simplified Chinese in the People's Republic of China, Turkish in Turkey, and in English in India. *Under consideration for Korean, Polish, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Arabic (Middle East). *Two Gold Medals at the Global E-Book Awards: Leadership (non-fiction) and Careers/Employment (non-fiction) *Keynotes to companies throughout the U.S., and in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Japan. Virtual keynotes to audiences in Egypt, India, and Canada.
Elected in 2007, re-elected in 2009. Two-time Vice-Chairman of the Finance Committee. Former Chairman of the Salaries & Grievances Committee. Elected by peers as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. Collaborated with state and federal legislators.
Assistant Director for Newell-Rubbermaid's #97 Kurt Busch event marketing team and execution of on-site NASCAR event programs designed to drive brand preference. Led recruitment and hiring of eight new teammates.
Led cross-functional product development team and marketing of the toy trucks line. Delivered 50% top line growth with margin expansion through significant new products successes and mix-management. Integrated advertising, PR, and co-branded marketing program development.
Led the Foodservice Cereal portfolio team and the Honey Nut Chex cereal retail brand. Led development and execution of the Chex franchise's NASCAR program with Richard Petty Enterprises to grow retail share +7 points in SE Region. Developed “Flip-Your-Lid”™ low-cost, high-value foodservice package differentiation, growing top line and profit margin in a flat market.