Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
I believe HR isn’t just about policies and processes—it’s about driving real business results. With over 25 years of experience, I’ve built a career on aligning people strategies with business goals to create workplaces where employees thrive and companies grow. Whether it’s enhancing engagement, optimizing operations, or leading cultural transformations, I approach HR as a strategic function that directly impacts profitability and success. I specialize in leadership coaching, talent management, and succession planning, ensuring organizations have the right people in the right roles at the right time. My experience in change management and process improvement has helped businesses streamline operations and enhance workforce performance. I’m passionate about building high-performing teams, fostering employee engagement, and driving organizational development to create cultures that support long-term growth. My background isn’t just in HR—I grew up in a family business and personally revived a failing operation, so I understand the challenges leaders face and the importance of connecting with your customers. I know how to optimize workforce planning, implement effective people strategies, and support M&A transitions to help businesses scale effectively. Beyond work, you’ll find me walking my two German Short-hairs through the blueberry farm and surrounding woods, cooking up something new, hunting, or binge-watching Netflix. Key Achievements: • Talent Management & Retention: Designed and implemented a talent management system at Global Finishing Solutions, reducing turnover from 28% to under 9%, saving $750K annually while increasing employee engagement by 12%. • Cost Optimization: Negotiated vendor contracts at Northern Engraving Co., resulting in $275K annual savings. • Operational Efficiency: Led a culture transformation initiative at Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co., reducing turnover from 30% to <15% and increasing employee engagement by 25%. • Process Improvement: As Interim CI Manager at Watlow, improved throughput by 30% using Agile methodologies and coached teams to meet project deadlines. Improved IT SLAs by over 50% at Global Finishing Solutions. • HR Technology & Systems: Spearheaded an ERP upgrade project, bringing it back on track to be completed on time and under budget by more than $150k. • Safety & Compliance: Partnered with union leadership at J.R. Watkins Co. to enhance safety protocols, reducing Workers’ Compensation costs by $250K+ per year. Let’s connect and talk about how strategic HR can drive real business impact!
Provide Human Resources leadership for Drylock Technologies US with locations in Eau Claire, WI and Reidsville, NC. Drylock is a family-owned business specializing in private-label absorbent hygiene products. Drylock Technologies has 11 production facilities worldwide with locations in the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Spain, Brazil, and the USA (including plants in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Reidsville, North Carolina).
Advise owners and executive teams of small and mid-sized organizations on workforce planning, organizational alignment, and strategic people frameworks, delivering practical, hands-on HR solutions that support growth, scalability, and business performance.
• Drove talent management system design, improving employee engagement by 12% and reducing turnover from 28% to under 9%, achieving $750K+ in savings. • Led IT group during a highly complex ERP upgrade project (2-year assignment), turning an off-track initiative into a successful, on-time, and under-budget implementation. • Spearheaded a Performance Management system overhaul, aligning talent development with career progression and business needs. • Reengineered HR function to optimize efficiency, reducing HR headcount while maintaining service quality. • Implemented accelerated staffing strategies, successfully supporting $20M+ in additional field service sales.
Independent Consultant, WI • Provided HR strategy consulting to a rapidly growing hospitality business, ensuring scalable talent management. • Improved staffing processes and developed visual headcount metrics at Merrill Steel, increasing staffing flow efficiency by 50%. Provided coaching to 4th generation owner resulting in improved relationships.
• HR leader for 4 manufacturing sites – with revenues exceeding $175m and 1300 employees. • Led succession planning initiatives, strengthening internal talent pipelines to align with business growth. • Revamped onboarding programs, significantly increasing new hire retention and engagement. • Negotiated vendor contracts, achieving $275K+ in annual cost savings.