James A. Zester
8794 Doves Fly Way * Laurel, MD 20723
(C) 240-671-9970 * (H) 301-498-6432

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Chief Operating Officer, Operations, Sales & Marketing

Driven leader with a strong record of accomplishments driving operational improvement, implementing innovative marketing strategies, achieving sustained long term sales results, and achieving real cost reductions within fast-paced, highly competitive industries. Intuitive strategist & tactical executioner extremely skilled at aligning revenue objectives to short and long-term corporate goals. History of effective leadership, interaction, and relationship management with customers, channel partners, & multi-functional teams across industry, cultural, & cross-functional lines. Passionate mentor & coach who can develop and lead great teams.

CORE COMPETENCIES
P&L/Capital Management * Budgeting & Forecasting * Strategic Planning * Product Development Sales Management * Acquisition Marketing * Customer Technical Support * Safety Compliance
Production Scheduling * Inventory Utilization * Process Improvement * MRO Improvement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Ilex Woodworking, Baltimore, MD (Design, fabrication, & installation of custom architectural millwork)
Sales & Marketing Manager, 2008 2009 (Sales, Marketing, & Estimating Management)
Directed new executive position with full accountability for sales, marketing, & estimating.
* Implemented sales development best practices: structured sales management & targeted customer development which resulted in closing $6.0 mil of new business in first 6 months.
* Implemented sales management best practices: structured sales management, targeted customer development, & CRM program utilizing internet, mail, & telemarketing programs.
* Improved estimating and proposal process enabling more efficient and accurate bid development while increasing proposal output by 20%.
* Developed new collateral marketing material including bound business portfolio, bid proposal presentation binders, & created target database for sales & e-marketing.
* Refined estimating software to include historical review of major cost codes ensuring a more accurate development of project estimated costs and proposal submittals.
* Redesigned estimating format to accurately access job costs which improved margin contribution assessment.
* Contributed to the planning and executed company e-mail campaigns.

Nicolock Paving Stones, Frederick, MD (Producer & distributor of professional hardscape products)
General Manager, 2006 2007 (Sales Management, Marketing & Operations Management)
Executive point-of-contact for new manufacturing facility during construction & start-up. Directed local regulatory compliance, personnel recruitment, & business development for 20+ staff.
* Increased 2006 sales by 200% from previous years market entry to $1.2 mil in 9 months through targeted client development.
* Continued revenue growth through strategic sales management which increased sales again by 50% through 2Q07.
* Developed & executed strategies which included development of new distribution partners, new product roll-outs, & Authorized User Program which resulted in 60% channel growth.
* Created marketing program & deployed promotional campaign positioning the company with distinction while cultivating relationships with building products dealer network.
* Created marketing program incorporating radio, cable, and direct mail to develop brand awareness.
* Deployed promotional campaign utilizing public relations initiatives, trade shows, & product demo seminars.
* Led strategic development for new product including product specifications, application identification, launch & roll-out schedule, packaging, and pricing structure.

Oldcastle APG, Crofton, MD (N.A. arm of CRH plc, an intl producer/distributor of building products)
V.P. & General Manager, 2002 2006 (Executive Management-Sales, Marketing, & Operations)
Fully accountable for $22.0 mil P&L with complete operational, financial, manufacturing, HR, and logistics, oversight for staff of 50+.
* Generated nearly $90.0 mil in revenues averaging over 31.0% margin contribution which exceeded annualized budget expectations by over 5.0% over 8 year time period
* Delivered average of 23.6% RONA over 8 years by eliminating obsolete assets, strategically replacing/updating capital equipment, & tactically grew sales improving PBIT performance.
* Achieved #1 ranking of Belgard (professional product) sales for 8 continuous years growing 20% annually to $13.0 mil.
* Lead retail product roll-out to big box customers Lowes, WalMart, & Kmart resulting in #2 Mid-Atlantic region sales ranking totaling $10.0 mil exceeding budget expectations by 13%.
* Improved operational efficiency by implementing cost reduction measures resulting in overhead reductions from initial high of 40% of sales to a low of 15.6% of sales.
* Managed $6.0MM monthly average inventory balance for finished goods inventory; ensured attainment of corporate inventory goals of 4.0+ annual turns.
* Managed weekly, annual, and 5-year forward product production planning which resulted in a 98% order fill, 98% order accuracy, & 98% on-time delivery rates to big-box retailers.
* Developed retail/wholesale pricing strategies that aligned customer satisfaction, market conditions, and variable cost factors to targeted company revenue objectives.
* Evaluated financial return on capital projects valued to $4.2 mil, marketing promotions valued to $1.5 mil, & personnel investment based on company profit/loss expectations.

General Manager, 1998 2002
* Achieved sustained revenue growth resulting in #1 ranking of Belgard sales for 4 continuous years growing 24% annually to $15.0 mil.
* Key member of executive team which directed productivity improvements nationwide; 22% throughput, 13.4% equipment utilization, & 2.1% in product yield over baseline.
* Implemented key MRO & QC programs that became companywide best practices resulting in production uptime improvement to company best 92% and reduced junk rate by 50%.
* Developed, implemented, and managed capital improvement projects valued from $20K to $4.2 MM resulting in achievement of defined financial impact & RONA.
* Managed 2,000+ SKUs for 7 different product categories resulting in 98% achievement of on-time delivery, order accuracy, and order fill-rate to big-box retailers.
* Directed new product roll-out including market positioning, product specifications, packaging, & collateral resulting in #1 ranking nationwide and 75% growth within 2 years.
* Managed master production plan for annual needs & 5 year production forecasts based on projected trends ensuring adequate production capacity & exceeding 98% big-box fill rate.
* Procured largest municipal contract in company history valued at $2.1MM.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES
* Oldcastle APG Presidents Award - 2 time award winner; exceeded sales & profit budgets.
* J.N. Fauvers Most Promising Service Center - exceeded market & sales growth vs. budget.
* J.N. Fauvers Presidents Club - recognized for leading performance beyond expectations.

EDUCATION
BS Business Administration, Concentration in marketing, Towson University

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS
* Leadership Breakthrough I JFDI, Rapport Leadership International
* APG University, Oldcastle

COMPUTER SKILLS
* Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Projects, Outlook, & Access