Over 20 years of management with continued advancement and added responsiblities.
07/2015 to 05/2017 RIVER VALLEY NEWSPAPER GROUP La Crosse, WI
Operations Director Promoted positive working environment and culture and fostered employee buy-in of corporate initiatives. Reviewed operations and conferred with technical or administrative staff to resolve production and processing problems. Worked with managers to implement the company's policies and goals. Actively suggested operational improvements to enhance quality, improve production times and reduce costs.
Reduced expenses annually since 2000 to meet 30% margin while revenues continued to decline. Developed and administered department budgets. Planned for major business changes including system conversions and office moves. Evaluated cost reduction and program improvement needs by analyzing financial data.
Troubleshoot problems with equipment, devices or products for graphics, prepress, press, packaging, maintenance and IT departments.
02/2015 to 07/2015 RIVER VALLEY NEWSPAPER GROUP La Crosse, WI
Production and Facilities Manager Responsible for leadership, development, organization, morale, technical and administrative guidance, estimating and scheduling, staffing, coordination, quality control and efficiency of graphics, prepress, press, packaging and building maintenance staff.
Align and carry out strategy and operational expectations by performing duties myself or through subordinate managers. Provide guidance and management to the team to ensure all production work remains on schedule and on budget. Ensured coordination of building and equipment maintenance.
10/2006 to 01/2015 RIVER VALLEY NEWSPAPER GROUP La Crosse, WI
Prepress Manager Creative, dependable, enthusiastic change agent with proven track record in improving efficiencies, reducing costs, and maintaining corporate goals. Ensure quality, accuracy and completeness of work.
Participated in research, purchasing and implementation of direct to plate equipment in 2009. Direct-to-plate technology allowed us to reduce press staff by 2 full time positions. Reduced employee resources with move from DOS based pagination program (c-text) to commercial product (Pongrass Pagination Pro), from 11 part time positions to 3 full time positions. Aligned digital production needs with print production workflow and assumed digital production duties with existing creative department staff, eliminating 3 online positions. Moved ad creation/tracking to Ad Watch system under corporate direction in 2013, reducing creative staff from 13 to 5.
11/2000 to 11/2006 RIVER VALLEY NEWSPAPER GROUP West Salem, WI
Weekly/Shopper group Operations Manager Lee Enterprises purchased another daily and nine weekly newspapers and 5 shopper publications from 2000 to 2006. My responsibility for the weekly group was to manage business operations to increase efficiencies and productivity during a time of growth for the newly established strategic business unit of three daily papers, 9 weekly papers and 10 weekly shopper publications, named River Valley Newspaper Group.
Each publication came with its own office, staff and systems, my role was to provide direction and leadership consistent with the company business plan and goals. Each property was added to the billing system, production cycle and circulation system and duplicate resources were eliminated, reducing staff in each location.
08/1994 to 12/2006 FOXXY SHOPPER Sparta, WI
General Manager Managed all day-to-day activities involving sales, production, distribution and billing for three Foxxy Shopper properties/publications. Responsible for financial budget metrics; provided and submitted budgetary planning and capital expenditures. Guided and motivated the team to achieve goals. Managed personnel functions, including hiring, performance appraisals, employee development and training.
02/1989 to 08/1994 FOXXY SHOPPER Sparta, WI
Secretary Managed daily office operations and maintenance of equipment. Received and screened internal and external communications, including email and mail. Managed the day-to-day calendar for the company's owner. Organized files, developed spreadsheets, faxed reports and scanned documents. Made copies, sent faxes and handled all incoming and outgoing correspondence. Dispersed incoming mail to correct recipients throughout the office. Served as central point of contact for all outside vendors needing to gain access to the building. Maintained the front desk and reception area in a neat and organized fashion. Managed the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.
Leadership: Served as key contributing member to River Valley Media Group Leadership team. Contributed to an annual 30% margin through improvements in operations, quality, safety and administration. Helped team earn “Lee Enterprise of the Year Award" in 2001 and 2011.
Operations Management: Managed all aspects of River Valley Media Group production. Planned, directed, coordinated and assigned manpower to efficiently meet production requirements. Improved department efficiencies through implementation of strategic workflow and process improvements. Supervised and lead all functions related to ad design, layout and printing for all publications. Managed major office relocations without downtime.
Treasurer and Past President of Midwest Free Community Papers Board of Directors Midwest Free Community Papers supports Free Community Papers in ten states in the Midwest thru ad networks, training, peer networking and revenue opportunities.