Summary
Overview
Work History
Skills
Accomplishments
Affiliations
Timeline
Generic

HEATHER ZAHN

Shreveport

Summary

Results-focused management professional offering 21 years of progressive leadership experience. Transforms high-potential staff into outstanding leaders who demonstrate the creativity and savvy that is critical to financial and operational success.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience

Work History

Business Manager

Flower Power, Inc
08.2012
  • Managed team of 5 designers and 1 delivery driver.
  • Reduced and controlled expenses by implementing processes to reduce cost of goods and manpower.
  • Surpassed revenue goals in four consecutive quarters.
  • Initiated program that standardized employee training and led to increase in customer satisfaction.
  • Expanded social media presence for customers to provide feedback to be used for customer service training with employees.
  • Created a merchant website where customers can now effectively order online.
  • Member of the Society of American Florists to stay on top of trends to provide better service to our customer.
  • Streamlined holiday logistics to effectively and efficiently design and deliver five times normal order traffic with minimal addition to baseline staff.
  • Designed, coordinated and executed set up and tear down of large-scale events.
  • Created spreadsheet to track design and labor costs per arrangement to ensure COGS stay below 20% on a weekly and monthly basis.

Logistics Manager

General Motors Shreveport
01.2008 - 08.2012
  • Conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of logistics operations using simulation models and other tools. Negotiated contracts with outside providers to minimize costs to the company and customers.
  • Oversaw scheduling for the day-to-day activities of 9 transportation employees.
  • Defined appropriate metrics and measurements to drive results.
  • Reconciled daily inventory in MGO (Material Global Optimization) General Motors proprietary software for complete 4 walls inventory.
  • Communicated all emergencies, delays due to weather and carrier schedule changes to customers and supervisors.
  • Resolved problems for customers, warehouses and carriers.
  • Acted as a liaison between logistics, carriers and customers.
  • Wrote weekly and monthly global transportation reports.
  • Monitored shipments to guarantee on-time delivery.
  • Managed Carrier Claims from initiation of claim to resolution and payment of claim.
  • Effectively communicated with suppliers via conference call regarding non-conforming status of materials.
  • Worked with suppliers in the event of supply chain shortages to ensure minimal impact to operations at General Motors.
  • Stayed in constant communication with management regarding all issues that could potentially impact production.
  • Worked with quality control to ensure that any quality concerns were addressed and immediately resolved to avoid any impact on production.
  • Managed inner city shuttles to ensure timely delivery of materials in real time from off-site facilities.
  • Assisted in the closing of the Shreveport plant to achieve minimal obsolescence.
  • Coordinated and assisted with shipping of fixtures and equipment to alternate GM locations upon completion of production at GM Shreveport.

Logistics Supervisor

General Motors Shreveport
08.2004 - 01.2008
  • Monitored project schedules for multiple projects at a time.
  • Developed and shared best practices across the company.
  • Recruited, hired and trained all new employees for Material Follow up Coordinator.
  • Mentored, coached and trained 9 team members.
  • Identified inefficiencies and made recommendations for process improvements. Managed and assisted with real time inventory at 7 different off-site locations.
  • Worked hand in hand with the production team to ensure material availability for seamless non-stop production on manufacturing line.
  • Managed team of Material Follow Up Coordinators who actively followed, truckloads, milkruns, consolidated routes, rail and international ocean freight.
  • Managed expedited freight and Chartered in the event of normal transportation failures.

Skills

  • Operations management
  • Staff development
  • Inventory control
  • Computer Literate
  • Calm under pressure
  • Complex problem solving
  • Budget management
  • Results-oriented

Accomplishments

  • Established a new set of company policies and procedures, which resulted in cutting employee turnover drastically.
  • Reduced Cost of Goods to 20% or less monthly by creating a process to track weekly costs versus sales.
  • Reduced manpower costs to 20% or less monthly by creating a process and schedule to track hours versus sales.
  • Created a process to cut premium transportation costs from 1.2 million to less than 10k monthly.
  • Created training manual and processes for all new hires. Presented manual and processes at Management Conference to become common practice across all plants.

Affiliations

  • Previous Member of Elite Chapter Business Networking
  • Previous member of Shreveport Bossier Executive Association
  • Previous Member of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
  • Member of Society of American Florists
  • Completed Corporate training with Penske Logistics and Ryder Logistics with emphasis in Human Resources, Conflict Resolution and Equality in the Workplace
  • Completed training with Team Floral with emphasis in financial strategy regarding the floral business

Timeline

Business Manager

Flower Power, Inc
08.2012

Logistics Manager

General Motors Shreveport
01.2008 - 08.2012

Logistics Supervisor

General Motors Shreveport
08.2004 - 01.2008

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HEATHER ZAHN