Glendale, AZ CFO

Mark brings more than 30 years of diverse financial and operational experience from closely held small and medium size entities to large public companies serving as a CFO, CPA, and a Project Consultant. His background includes:

• Senior Manager with KPMG, an international public accounting firm. In his twelve years as an auditor, he specialized in banking, financial services, manufacturing, hospitality and agribusiness

• Multiple senior management positions with Fortune 500 retailers, such as PetSmart, Victoria's Secret Stores and others

• Chief Financial Officer for a family-owned $250 million retailer in New York City

• Chief Accounting Officer for two start-up ventures in Arizona

• Project Lead-Consultant on the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) internal controls documentation and testing for casinos such as Caesar’s Palace, Bally’s/Paris and the Riviera in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as RSC Equipment Rental in Scottsdale, Arizona

• Instructing accounting and auditing courses for students at Arizona State University's West Campus and Western International University

Case Study

However, simply listing Mark's multiple experiences does not give a true sense of the impact he made at each business. A prime example of this occurred in 1999, during Mark's time as a chief financial officer for an 18 store retailer in New York City. He and his staff developed a turnaround strategy that allowed the company to become profitable after losing more than $15 million the previous four years. This retailer was able to improve their revenue stream through the finance departments’ comprehensive business plan. He renegotiated the working capital line of credit with the primary lender; therefore, lowering the cost of funds by 10 percent and increasing funding, in addition to simply reducing $2.5 million of expenses. His financial expertise and business experience contributed to helping right a sinking company and guide it back onto a profitable path.

 

Small Business Credentials

In addition to his many years working with larger corporations, Mark also has hands-on experience with both start-up entrepreneurial and middle market companies. He stresses a continuing focus on ethical business practices and moral thought in order to properly establish a base with which the company can comfortable be built upon for the foreseeable future. However, money is also a vital necessity for businesses, and Mark has had great success in finding bank financing and managing cash flow needs for his clients. In June, he completed a training class on Exit Planning and Strategies in order to assist business owners that desire a plan to diversify their investment portfolio as well as provide them with a source of funds for retirement.

Individual Assets

Mark is a highly creative individual with a desire to complete any given task in an efficient manner. He also possesses many concrete skills, such as extensive computer systems experience, ranging from SAP and Lawson implementations to Peachtree and Quickbooks. Mark also has an intimate knowledge of policyIQ, a document management software program available over the Internet to businesses of all sizes. Mark is a certified KPMG Course instructor, giving him the qualification, as well as the ability, to train and inspire staff so they can reach their full potential. In thanks to his extensive experience all over the country, Mark has the willingness and capability to hit the ground running with turn-around and start-up organizations, as well as the insight to manage cash flow and create financial projections for fast growing, successful entrepreneurs. Mark quickly develops relationships with his clients, which means he is always looking out for their best interests while producing a productive yet enjoyable working environment.

Personal and Life Information

Mark moved to Arizona in 2000, bringing with him years of experience from Minneapolis, Columbus, Orlando and the New York City area. Mark and his wife of more than 30 years, Deb, are active in their church and community. Mark has held positions of leadership at his church, within the local Cub Scout Pack, and with his son's soccer club, all in a purely voluntary fashion. Mark also currently serves on the Board of the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, is the Regional Director of ProGrowth, and chairs the local chapter of the Financial Executive Network Group. Their youngest son, Kyle, is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and a sports beat writer for the school's newspaper, The Daily Wildcat. Their older son, Ross, is a graduate of the University of Arizona and is working for the legal firm of Snell and Wilmer while also attending the W.P. Carey School of Business, at Arizona State University, in order to earn his MBA.

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