Christopher A.

Socha
5134 Danton Court S.W.
Wyoming, MI 49519
Home (616) 531-6903, Cell (616) 916-9023
email: csd67bdc@westpost.net
Objective:
To put my skills and abilities to use in the manufacturing or service Industry.
I have experience in personnel management, supervision and customer service. I
have with working knowledge of domestic (LTL, FTL, distribution and cross dock
operations), international transportation (air, ocean, and the import process),
warehousing (multiple commodities and pick & pack), inventory management, and sh
ipping/receiving. I'm and experienced negotiator and have been involved in purc
hasing from office equipment, automotive parts, warehouse material, and service
contracts. I enjoy achieving goals and results. I believe in the maintenance
of excellent customer service and strong business practices for both internal an
d external customers.
Employment History:
Self Employed
Wyoming, MI
03/2005 - 08/2010
International Business Consultant and Small Business Entrepreneur:
Consulting for small business to assist with international and domestic transpor
tation concerns. I review problematic areas within their supply chain and provi
de them with workable cost effective solutions. I also aid in the areas of AES e
xport setup, regulations, compliance, commodity classification, sourcing and the
documentation processes for domestic and international transportation.
Crane Worldwide Inc.
Detroit, MI
05/2009 - 11/2009
Global Account Manager:
Responsible for following: Directing the routing of transportation (inbound and
outbound), domestic and international. Development and maintenance of customer
SOP's, management and development of international trade lanes to meet or exceed
service and cost requirements. Coordination of communications between customer
s, suppliers, vendors, and operational personnel. Customer development including
sales, sales support, and service personnel, negotiation and maintenance of ser
vice and pricing contracts as well as meeting growth goals for assigned accounts
. I also developed various KPI reports for the customers and trained operationa
l personnel to help effectively grow the business.
Employee Capital / Supply Chain Shipping
Grand Rapids, MI
05/2006 - 10/2008
Export Operation Manager:
Management of daily operations for the international export, select import accou
nts and related domestic transportation department. Evaluation of international
and domestic shipments for regulatory compliance, documentary requirements, pack
aging, and commodity licensing and classification conformance. Purchasing goods,
services, and equipment along with contract negotiation and vendor analysis. S
ales prospecting and development of new international accounts. Management of t
he flow of communications from point to point and the resolution of all service
issues within the department and customers. Development of customers SOP's and a
continuous improvement process for customer service. Utilize meetings, company
software, programs, KPI, reports, periodicals, and to better service customers.
Scrutinized shipping and import operations to insure strict adherence to company
and customer time tables and requirements. Managed departmental records regardi
ng all business transactions and systems operational improvements. Daily hands o
n involvement with all phases of the import and export operations.
EGL, Eagle Global Logistics
Grand Rapids, MI
09/1999 - 07/2005
Operations Manager
Management of all international and domestic transportation, warehousing, equipm
ent and personnel. Recruitment and training of personnel for departmental operat
ions. Monitored shipment and transportation compliance according to regulatory a
nd company policy. Negotiated with suppliers and vendors for services, materials
and equipment used in the business. Utilized a number of company report and han
ds on review of departmental operations to insure correct process and transactio
nal flow. Responsible for purchasing and maintenance of company equipment and bu
ilding. Contract negotiation, quoting, sourcing, distribution and follow up of
material in the supply chain. Maintained safety and security objectives for comp
any and regulatory conformance Managed and organized warehouse for shipping, rec
eiving and storage of customer's product inventory. Worked closely in the sales
and development of new accounts both outside and inside. Hired and trained drive
rs for domestic ground services department consisting of vans, box, straight and
tractor trailers. Worked with DOT regulations and inspections of driver's equip
ment and logs. Worked on sales and profit improvement plans as well as regularly
attended sales and customer performance visits. Note: Eagle merged with Circle
International.
Fritz Companies
Grand Rapids, MI
02/1991 - 09/1999
International Department Manager
Processed documents for adherence to international regulations and international
banking UCP 500 as applicable. ISO implementation and compliance on departmenta
l activities. SOP development for customers, suppliers and carriers. Supervised
and trained employees along with departmental personnel. Purchased warehouse and
office supplies and negotiated pricing with service providers. I was certified
and processed dangerous goods. Planned the departmental budget.
Circle International
Grand Rapids, MI
06/1988 - 02/1991
International Operations Supervisor
Trained export employees for all phases of the export process. Evaluated export
transactions for accuracy and compliance. Established customer profiles to estab
lish operational efficiencies and consistency. Purchased office and warehouse su
pplies. Gained in depth knowledge of international transportation of airfreight,
ocean, import processes and domestic transportation. I Negotiated carrier pric
ing and reviewed service levels. Reviewed shipments for appropriate routing sele
ction and made recommendations for needed changes.
DHL Worldwide Express
Grand Rapids, MI
07/1985 - 06/1988
Branch Manager
Opened and managed a new branch office for DHL. I was involved with recruitment,
training and evaluation of personnel performance. I was directly involved with
inside/outside sales of company service. I performed route development and prod
uctive efficiency reports and review for employees and the company. I managed b
oth the facility and vehicle records according to code and MPSC regulations (for
vehicles). I developed and managed the branch budget on a monthly basis and pr
epared various productivity, sales, safety, and employee safety reports for corp
orate regarding all lines of business for the branch.
Education:
B.A.A. Industrial Engineering Technology
Major: Industrial Supervision and Management
Central Michigan University, MI
Skills and Abilities:
Familiar with the following; U.S. Government Departments concerning export regul
ation and compliance DOS & DOC. Working knowledge of NAFTA, CTPAT, Letter of Cre
dit UCP 600, AES, U.S. Export Schedule B (HTS )Commodity codes, Import classific
ation, Duty rate schedules, and NMFC classification. Working knowledge of domes
tic transportation, international transportation, purchasing and distribution to
complete the supply chain flow.
Activities:
Volunteer work includes: Food distribution -2nd Harvest Gleaners Mobile Pantry,
Adopt-A-Highway cleanup, church council member.
References: Are available upon request