KEN BROWN MBA, CPM

3509 S. Fisher Ct. (509) 942-8242

Kennewick, WA 99337 kb4d9a06@westpost.net
President/CEO who improves small and mid cap firms that design and build custom
equipment and instrumentation by restructuring, identifying market opportunities
, controlling costs and taking them profitably to the next level. Extensive expe
rience serving industrial, government and scientific customers. Broad market kno
wledge including nuclear (NQA-1), food, material handling, scientific research,
heat treating and industrial gases. Strong knowledge of percent complete and boo
k-ship accounting.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
? Operations ? P&L Management
? Industrial & Government Customer Management ? Cost Control and Audit experienc
e
? Strategic Planning ? Turnaround & Financial Management
? Continuous Improvement Methodology ? NQA-1 Quality experience
? Merger and Acquisition ? Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S
? Business Development & Product Management ? Global Technology Sales and Market
ing
? Supply Chain Management ? Staff Development
EDUCATION / LANGUAGE SKILLS
CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager) - APICS
MBA - Grand Valley State University
BS Chemistry - Bucknell University
At one time was fluent in Spanish
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mid Columbia Engineering, Inc. (MCE) ? Richland, WA March 2009 ? Present
President & CEO ? Custom Equipment Fabricator for the Nuclear Industry $17 milli
on
? Performed due diligence for NuVision?s acquisition of MCE, a government nuclea
r equipment fabricator.
? Established a culture of profitably delivering on time and on budget and meeti
ng the NQA-1 quality requirements of our customers.
? Implemented accounting and contract procedures to ensure accurate estimation a
nd costing of jobs and compliance with government FAR regulations.
? Created initiatives to selectively identify and win targeted business.
? Upgraded and organized the plant facility (5S) and improved project management
skills.
Smart Machine Technologies, Inc. ? Martinsville, VA Nov. 2006 to Oct. 2008
President ? Equipment Fabricator for the Food & Material Handling Industry $14 m
illion
? Increased Revenue from $8.6 to $13.7 million by securing new OEM?s and streaml
ining production.
? Increased Gross Margin from 15% to 20% and Operating Income from 2% to 11%.
? Funded $750,000 of capital investments (3% of sales) solely through cash flow.
? Implemented a transformation from an owner/operator culture with neglected fac
ilities and stagnant sales to a professional, profitable and growing concern thr
ough aggressive recruiting, goal setting, metrics management, capital investment
, employee communications, quality and sales efforts.
? Nominated for Virginia Small Business of the Year in 2007 and received ?excell
ent? appraisal rating.
? Built a team by recruiting 8 key staff/office positions and 25 additional shop
workers.
? Reduced the time from order to shipment by 7 days by performing a value stream
 analysis at no cost.
? Implemented programs in 5S, non conformance reporting, document control and on
time shipments.
? Restructured shop scheduling resulting in less overtime and increased on time
shipments.
? Left company when owner brought in his son as president.
Innovative Coachworks Inc. ? Huntsville, AL Feb. 2006 to Oct. 2006
Chief Operating Officer ? Turnaround of Ambulance Remanufacturer $3 million
? Led a job shop re-manufacturer of ambulances out of bankruptcy and turned the
business around.
? Increased shipments by 33% and increase Gross Margin from 21% to 44% by reloca
ting the plant, implementing cellular manufacturing and reducing inventory.
? Implemented cash flow forecasting, budgeting, product pricing and break even a
nalysis.
? Company was closed due to owner?s personal issues.
Advanced Profit Technologies of TN, LLC. ? Knoxville, TN Jan. 2004 to Feb 2006
Franchise Owner ? Consultant for Underperforming Manufacturers
? Consultant performing in-depth analysis and restructuring of the operations, f
inance and organization of underperforming manufacturing companies.
? Worked with a metal container fabricator to improve their profitability by $40
0,000 in 6 months.
? Used a holistic Deming based continuous improvement methodology.
? Closed franchise due to personal desire to be a direct contributor not a consu
ltant.
Bull Run Metal Fabricators and Engineers ? Clinton, TN Aug. 2003 to Jan. 2004
Chief Operating Officer ? Turnaround of Nuclear Container Fabricator $5 million
? Led the turnaround effort of a nuclear container fabricator by increasing prod
uction and reducing material costs, resulting in operating profits increasing by
12 percentage points.
? Structured an acquisition of a competitor and performed the due diligence.
? Located a site and helped specify equipment for a new product line.
? Business was sold when largest customer, 70% of revenue, delayed release of th
eir orders.
American Magnetics ? Oak Ridge, TN Sept. 1996 to Nov. 2002
Executive Director ? Scientific Equipment and Instrument Manufacturer $7 million
? Increased profits by 135% for a manufacturer of superconducting magnets and in
struments.
? Created global sales/marketing plan and formed strategic alliances, which incr
eased sales by 85%.
? Started up a new instrument division by creating a business plan, identifying
market needs, defining product specifications and establishing production target
s.
? Helped implement the GE Six Sigma quality process by creating bills of materia
ls, written and visual work procedures, and tracking quality defects and their r
oot causes.
? Reduced material costs 28% by changing supply methodologies, competitively bid
ding products, revising product specifications, securing alternative vendors, an
d issuing larger purchase orders.
? Left family owned company due to limited upward mobility.
C.I. Hayes ? Cranston, RI Dec. 1993 to Aug. 1996
Global Director Sales & Marketing ? Heat Treating Furnace Manufacturer $12 Milli
on
? Increased global capital equipment sales by 17% and grew the spare parts busin
ess by 16%.
? Increased qualified leads by 300% by revamping ads, increasing trade show and
association participation and writing press releases.
? Arranged international financing and letters of credit, which represented 20%
of the company?s sales.
? Left company prior to its sale.
Abar Ipsen ? Bensalem, PA Jan. 1993 to Dec. 1993
Business Group Manager ? Atmospheric Heat Treating Furnace Division $15 million
? Recruited a team of engineering, sales, and production to re-launch a product
line in the US.
? Achieved bookings of $15 million, 40% over plan, by educating the sales depart
ment, targeting key customers and quickly securing a state of the art order from
a flagship customer.
? My position was eliminated due to decision to direct efforts from the German c
orporate office.
MG Industries ? Valley Forge, PA Aug. 1990 to June 1992
North American Director of Sales ? Industrial Gas Plant Division $25 million
? Increased annual sales from $12 to $25 million in 2 years, with a 25% net prof
it, by creating a target customer profile and a defined decision matrix for the
sales reps and application engineers.
? Broad industry exposure gained by working with over 500 plants, universities a
nd laboratories.
? Resigned due to lack of a team culture.
Praxair/Union Carbide ? Industrial Gas Division ? Chicago, IL July 1978 to June
1990
Midwest Region Sales Manager ? Industrial Gas Plants $100 million
? Managed regional sales and led the nation in new business for 4 consecutive ye
ars.
? Sold the worlds largest Membrane-Deoxo Nitrogen Plant and first Nitrogen VPSA
Plant.
? National account responsibility for Amoco and Monsanto.
? Recruited by the competition and left the company.
Sales Representative
? Known as ?The fixer? for underachieving sales territories, increased the perfo
rmance of 4 faltering territories, earning a top 10% performance rating for 6 co
nsecutive years.
? Created "Project Tulip?, a plan that thwarted 2 new competitors by re-signing
customers to long term contracts, while maintaining minimal price erosion. The
project was later implemented nationally.
? Increased sales to a distributor by 40% by teaming with the owner, working clo
sely with the sales people, and creating a stocking program, allowing them to ea
rn the "Distributor of the Year? aw