Experience

Natural Zing LLC

• United States
• Food and Beverage Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Operations & Sales

  • Jan 2014 - Present

  Operations• Provide Operations leadership, supply chain and logistics management for Natural Zing, a CPG company with a mission to provide high quality superfoods and vegan plant-based foods to health seekers and natural food businesses.• Responsible for operations and supply chain with the additional involvement and support for the financial reporting function, critical for business planning.• Manage co-manufacturer relationships, 3PLs, and logistics providers.• Manage internal resources and external vendors including raw material suppliers, and other logistics vendors.• Manage the company supply chain from production planning and procurement through to fulfillment of customer order.• Create systems and processes to successfully deliver against operational targets.• Plan, develop, and implement strategies for operational management to meet organizational performance plans and gross margin targets within agreed budgets and deadlines• Establish and maintain appropriate processes and dashboards for measuring necessary aspects of business operations.•Develop continuous process improvement strategies to drive operational efficiencies and cost savings•Monitor logistics of orders and work with vendors for freight utilization to minimize case delivery costs• Ensure order fulfillment, invoicing accuracy, and cash collection.• Offering operational excellence with quick turn around of orders.Sales• Creating customized solutions to meet the order needs of independent plant-based stores and cafes. • Participate in account opening strategies for new account acquisition.• Build relationships with customers to increase lifetime value.• Lead discovery sessions to identify the customer's key needs and pain points.• Highly knowledgeable staff and focused on customer care.• Enabling customers needs to drive the size of orders. Show less

• Director of Customer Service and Senior Buyer

  • Jan 2006 - Jan 2014

  Buyer• Responsible for conducting transactional, routine procurement activities for the acquisition of goods or services in accordance with procurement policies, standard practices, sound business and ethical practices.• Perform assignments that require basic knowledge of requisitions, purchase orders, invoices, contracts and other related documents as necessary supporting all procurement requirements for assigned internal customer group(s).• Orders, replenishes and merchandises grocery products.• Monitors inventory control and replenishes product based upon Natural Zing's ordering standards• Orders perishable and/or non-perishable grocery products and maintains appropriate back stock levels• Monitors and acts upon open PO reports for both purchases and credits in an accurate and timely manner.• Ensures orders for product are timely and accurate to monitor inventory turns.• Oversees customer special order procedure.Customer Service• Provides overall direction, including strategic leadership, for all customer service functions.• Supervises employees including selecting or recommending selection, training, assigning and evaluating work, counseling, disciplining, and/or termination or recommending termination• Manages and provides guidance in the development of policies, programs, and methods for optimal efficiency (i.e., performance indicators, continuous improvement, process analysis, etc.)• Handle complex and escalated service issues• Responsibility for 3 customer service representatives.• Manage claims and returns. Show less