Executive Resume
Jim Knudsen
345 North Lake Dr. Cataula, GA 31804
Phone: (706) 718-9770 Email: [email protected]
Leadership Profile
Top-level executive who drives billion dollar global product development and marketing strategies with expertise in
startups, turnarounds, acquisitions and reorganizations. Proven track record of success in business development, market
share growth, operations, P & L and general management. International experience working from Brazil to Europe to
China integrating global roadmaps and sourcing strategies to optimize manufacturing locations. Built sales and
marketing organizations from the ground up by refocusing and redesigning distribution networks and implementing
innovative product vitality. Dynamic team leader who creates incentive structures and cultivates engagement and
commitment for long-term employee retention. Business development leadership is exemplified by the following
infographic:
Professional Experience
HEATCRAFT WORLDWIDE REFRIGERATION (div. of Lennox International, Inc.), Columbus, GA
($800M global manufacturer of refrigeration equipment and components)
Global Marketing Director (Global Segment Leader) – Food Retail and Foodservice
2011 to 2015
for the coordination of a global strategy for new product, business and marketing development of this $800,000,000
manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment reporting directly to the Vice President of Worldwide Product
Development and Marketing.
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Coordinated country specific product roadmaps with shared resources for globally develop products, including a
joint Brazil/China project to optimize global manufacturing capabilities for a commodity product. Product
increased sales in Brazil by $2 million in the first year and is being deployed globally.
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Guided next generation product development to maintain product vitality (percent of revenue from products less
than 3 years old) over 30%. This required development and upgrade of products representing 1/3 of the revenues
every three years.
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Investigated, targeted, and led multiple brand/product acquisition programs, each representing $20 to $80 million in
revenue.
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Led marketing and strategy on advance refrigeration products and systems, focusing on global regulations and
trends. Products included natural refrigerants (CO2, Ammonia, and Hydrocarbons), Acoustic and Stirling Cycle
refrigeration. These represented over $5 million in ARPA-E funding.
KYSOR WARREN (Acquired by Heatcraft in 2011), Colombus, GA
($200M manufacturer of refrigeration equipment for food retail industry)
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
2002-2011
Led all sales and marketing activities in the food retail markets, including technical service, customer service and parts
sales reporting to the President and General Manager.
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Grew the business from less than $75 million to $207million in 5 years.
more than doubled market share in key product lines.
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Turned around the operational performance of the organization from a $15 million annual loss to over $2 million in
profit and positive cash flow in two years. In five years increased profits to over $10 million.
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Introduced industry benchmark products in Display Cases and Advanced Refrigeration Systems which doubled
market penetration, $65million increase, and raised the profile of the company from an “also ran”, to a technology
leader.
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Evaluated and upgraded the field sales force initiating a program to add sales representatives and distributors to the
direct sales channels resulting in an annual growth rate of 20% for 5 years, during an overall market decline.
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Helped lead the due diligence and integration teams that successfully completed the acquisition of Kysor/Warren
by the Lennox International organization.
This included product strategy which
PRINCE CASTLE INC., Carol Stream, IL
($80M manufacturer of equipment for foodservice industry)
Vice President-Corporate Marketing and Business Development
1997 to 2002
Directed strategic planning and market development including product planning, promotions, international channel
development, business plan development, product development and acquisitions for this $80 million manufacturer in the
food service industry.
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Introduced Implemented a product planning and development process based on product development teams and
market-defined products. This resulted in 5 major new products in the first year, which will generate over $15
million in sales and allow for diversification of customer base.
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Reorganized the servicing of Prince Castle's major account, McDonald’s, to provide more resources, international
coverage, and better project management. Achieved while growing penetration into other major accounts. Netted
15 to 70% growth in revenues in each major account.
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Led the growth through acquisition program. Identified candidates, coordinated due diligence, negotiated purchase
contracts, and concluded acquisitions of 3 operations and 3 product lines. These additions to our portfolio
increased revenues by over $25 million and provided extraordinary opportunities for future growth.
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Oversaw a new venture, a new concept in frozen beverages, f’REAL!, both a branded food product and equipment
system. In 8 months went from zero penetration to being considered by the largest C-store and QSR restaurant
chain, as well as successful installation at several regional chains. Ultimately led to the closing of a $12 million
roll-out and leading to the building of a $30+ million company.
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Led a more focused and disciplined approach to markets and diversification, leading to a recapitalization of the
business that provided funds for future growth through strategic acquisitions.
AEC/STERLING CORPORATION, Wood Dale, Illinois
($120M manufacturer of auxillary equipment for plastics industry)
Vice President-Automation Division, Vice President Marketing and Engineering
1993-1997
Responsible for the fastest growth product line areas including: P&L operations, management of multiple sales
channels, and coordination/management of OEM product suppliers from Europe and the Far East for this $120 million
manufacturer of auxiliary equipment for plastic and industrial markets, leading 50 engineers and designers and
technicians.
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Redefined the manufacturing process to allow modular assembly of robots reducing lead-time from 12 weeks to
eight (8) weeks with the possibility of two (2) week delivery through stocking of subassemblies. While providing
marginal cost savings (~3%), doubled customer service and reduced inventory by over 15%.
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Implemented a product positioning strategy to provide cost and feature benefits at each price point. This included
the industry’s first PC based servo robot controller, which provided CNC servo features at a 25% savings,
compared to standard PLC’s.
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Organized Sales, Engineering and Marketing departments to eliminate duplicate and unnecessary activities,
reducing cost by $1million.
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Through a market down turn in 1996 maintain sales level and increase market share in the critical “small traverse”
segment. This was accomplished through improved sales tools, and customer service as well as expansion into
foreign markets.
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Achieved an estimated labor reduction of 20%, through parallel activities and testable subassemblies.
Vice President Engineering & Marketing
1993 to 1995
Responsible for Marketing and Engineering as well as QA & Testing, Service Parts.
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Restarted and refocused R&D on marketing driven, as opposed to sales driven, product development programs.
This resulted in introducing nine (9) new or redesigned products in less than two (2) years with sales exceeding $8
million
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Eliminated late orders, cut order processing time in half and improved quality and cost.
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Planned and implemented the most successful NPE show in the history of the company, which resulted in 2000
leads and over $10 million in sales.
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Initiated a new image advertising program which won several readership awards and helped turn around the
company image.
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Reorganized marketing group into product management teams, including application engineer’s support for pricing,
order processing, and sales support. This allowed these teams to focus on customer projects and eliminate errors
which caused late deliveries, and quality issues.
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Planned and presented the product strategies, technical capabilities, and incremental valuation as part of the
management team’s effort to recapitalize the business. Generated interested in several candidates culminating of
the sale of the company to the Harbour Group.
GSX (SEMICONDUCTOR SYSTEMS DIVISION), Freemont, CA
($15M manufacturer and marketer of capital equipment, semiconductor industry.)
Vice President of Engineering
1988 to 1990
Managed a 50 person-engineering group, which included manufacturing engineering, field/sales support, and R&D with
an annual budget of $4,000,000.
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Redefined and initialized a stalled development program for a new revolutionary product and went from an alpha
site prototype to a manufactured system in 7 months.
Took the existing product line from a performance level and reliability that was un-shippable to the best in the
industry in less than 1 year.
In a joint program with SEMATECH, a government supported consortium, proposed and participated in an
advanced development program.
Proposed, wrote the business disclosure and negotiated the sale of 2 ancillary product lines.
GSX (BIF DIVISION), West Warwick, Rhode Island
($23M manufacturer of equipment and instrumentation systems for the water treatment industry.)
Vice President Engineering
1985-1988
Managed engineering, quality assurance, and Customer Service groups. Additionally, given responsibility for product
marketing, as well as temporary roles managing P&L and the sales department.
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Initiated and led cost reduction programs which resulted in savings of over $350,000 per year.
Developed three (3) major product lines in three (3) years and cut product development time in half.
Instrumental in revitalizing company by improving quality and production effectiveness, realigning staff, and
creating a marketing function and introducing new improved products. Net Result: Company reversed a 24% tax
loss to profitability in two (2) years.
Established a product marketing organization, which included responsibility for pricing, margin targets, generating
competitive information, and promotion.
BAILEY CONTROLS CO., Wickliffe, Ohio
($200M manufacturer of instruments and instrumentation systems for the fluid process industry and electric utilities)
Manager – Mechanical Engineering
Supervisor – Measurement Engineering
Group Leader – Sensors
Senior Engineer
Engineer
Associate Engineer
Progress positions in new product development engineering.
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Launched and directed an extensive new product development program and moved it into production within
projected time frame. Net Result: Product grew to $12,000,000 annual sales.
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Managed a $500,000 new product development program, which was coordinated between the U.S. operations and a
Japanese joint venture.
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Provided liaison between Engineering and Marketing on major programs.
Education, Training & Certifications
M.B.A. (Executive), BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY, Berea, Ohio
B.S. - Physics (Cum Laude, MSU honors college) MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, East Lansing, Michigan
Certified Food Service Professional – North American Food Equipment Manufacturers Assoc.
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5 patents in sensor design and flow measurement, one patent pending.
Publications on instrumentation technology and commercial refrigeration equipment.
Affiliations
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President of North Lake Home Owners Association
Served on Church Council at Our Saviors Lutheran Church
Volunteer - K9’s for Warriors
Key Accomplishments
A Worldwide Approach To Global Product Deployment (Infographic)
Key Accomplishments
Driving Growth In A Declining Market
Situation:
After an initial turnaround in profitability, the business faced several dilemmas:1) low customer confidence; 2) a
stagnant product offering; 3) much larger competitors; 4) sparse resources; and 4) a limited technical talent pool. The
situation was further complicated because, not only was the competition formidable, but the customers represented
some of the biggest companies in the world and they were aggressively pushing to commoditize products to force price
competitiveness. A dynamic growth and customer loyalty strategy was urgently needed, with an innovative approach to
sustain the turnaround long-term.
Action Plan:
1. Met with a wide range of customers as well as distribution partners, service providers and consulting engineers to
bolster customer service and delivery to devise a cutting edge competitive advantage strategy.
2. Identified strategic “Alliance Partners” among the vendor community that could supplement engineering resources,
lend credibility to the offering, and cross promote products to position the company equal to competitors and reduce
costs through supply programs.
3. Implemented a “Listen, Respond, and Deliver!” employee-focused strategy to eliminate negative experiences and
obtain customer testimonials of performance. The strategy emphasized the importance of meeting customer needs
beyond organizational limits and on essential components of improving time delivery and lead times.
4. Created performance metrics to provide proof of improvement, identify problems and pursue efforts to correct gaps,
sharing this structure with customers on plant visits to bolster credibility regarding corrective measures.
5. Developed a medium and long-term plan for product development to address gaps and shortcomings in the line and
boost competitive advantage. Focused on providing sufficient performance improvements to eliminate disadvantages
and to redesign the product line for dramatic cost reduction (>15%), improving industry leading performance and
enhancing flexibility and manufacturability for customization.
Results:
Consistently achieved on-time delivery of 99+%, and lead-times were cut in half allowing company to respond when
competitors could not meet customer needs. Quality level, as measured by warranty cost, dropped to less than 0.5% of
sales. The focus on customer service and a promotional campaign with alliance partners improved processes and
efficiencies with customers and gave us an advantage during the bid process, even in cases where our prices were higher
than the competition. The company grew at an annual rate of 20% in a stagnant and declining market, from $75 million
to over $200 million in revenue. Ultimately, one competitor went out of business, doubling our market share and
providing us with the resources to engage in the aggressive longer-term product development program that resulted in
an industry benchmark new product line.
Key Accomplishments
Robust Product Innovation Doubles Market Share In Slow Growth Industry
Situation:
An old-line company (125-year history) with a stagnant product line needed to innovate to stay relevant and continue a
growth trend. The industry was slow growth and the customers, using long-term bids, had moved product offerings
toward commoditization. The new product required technology innovations to achieve cost of ownership goals and
needed to be highly configurable to fit the customer’s application. Cost, technology, configurability and ease of
manufacture were essential to the new product line success.
Action Plan:
1. Completed a rigorous Voice of Customer study that included surveys, interviews, and focus groups to assure the
design details met the customer needs and represented an appropriate value for the function provided.
2. Engaged a multi-functional team to develop a platform-based product line which included internal and external
engineering resources, sales, marketing, customer service, operations and sourcing.
3. Invested $11 million in capital equipment and tooling to develop a detailed product line specification with
aggressive performance, cost, and manufacturability targets and new manufacturing lines to optimize the capabilities
and benefits of the product.
4. Recruited pre-launch customers chosen from participating customers with industry-wide recognition to provide
initial feedback and to contribute installed base experience which provided data for design tweaks for a more robust
product line.
5. Executed the product launch through industry events, trade advertising, and sales training and promotion. Focused
on customer visits to give in-depth views of the product and to support improvements in operations and customer
service, and included an aggressive sales incentive that drove introductory sales and phase-out of existing product.
Results:
Increased the market share from 8% to over 20%, and advanced total product line sales from $40 million to over $100
million in a period of 3 years. The product release and introduction occurred only 2 years after the project kick off and
through a phased introduction, previously thought to be impossible. This was the most successful launch in company
history and was a benchmark for the industry as a whole, overcoming a series of difficult introductions and exceeding
customer expectations for readiness, performance and quality. In 18 months, 100 % of customers converted to the new
product and, other than the necessity for in-place replacements, the old product was discontinued.
Key Accomplishments
Building Enterprise Value
Situation
The goal was to grow enterprise value and make it possible for the owner to make a reasonable return on divesting the
company. At the start, the company was losing sales and operating at a loss. Revenue had dropped to less than 40%
of its peak, and losses approached 20% of sales. There were few resources, a disorganized, recently moved factory,
and quality and cost issues that made both customer acquisition and retention impossible.
Actions
Designed an action plan to build on progress, measuring results with simple metrics, and was continuously monitored.
The steps taken were as follows:
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Evaluated personnel to find the most talented people. Ensured they were challenged and supported. Identified the
road blocks and make sure they were removed, and finally fill the holes (with minimal expense).
Focused internally - Got the factory organized and productive, eliminate the quality issues, and control costs. This
was critically necessary to stop the bleeding of both cash and customers.
Focused externally –Researched to understand and meet the needs of the customers. Dealt with the sins of the past
and opened the way for future improvement. One key aspect of this was engaging suppliers in formal partnerships
that the company could promote. These partnership agreements involved joint marketing and shared technical
roadmaps.
Strategic Direction - Through the process of internal and external focus, found a marketing opportunity. The
customers greatly depended on the scheduling and delivered quality of the product. The product was typically
installed as part of a construction project and a lot more than just the value of the product depended on schedule
attainment. Concentrated on simplifying and shortening the order process and delivery time, while focusing on
accurate and complete delivered product.
Product Development - Revamped the entire product line to give the company technical and marketing advantages.
Using modern design and analysis techniques, the design could be both standard and custom, significantly more
cost effective, and have a lower cost of ownership for the customer.
Promoted not only the product and the company but also the business success and progress to attract suitors as well
as new business.
Results
The customer response was outstanding, as opportunities arose often outside of the bid process. The competitors’
customers found out that the company could deliver when the competitor failed. In fact, often it could deliver to the
date that the competitor couldn’t, even though much the lead-time had already passed. The ultimate result was
achieving the goal of selling the company. Through a series of approaches by potential purchasers who had noticed the
improvement and dynamic growth of the company. Each offer was 2 to 3 times the previous value and ultimately the
company was sold to a strategic buyer.
Executive Insights
Innovative Leadership for Long-Term Competitive Advantage and Growth
Bids and Contracts are Won before the Event
Products can be copied, specification advantages are often temporary. A business that adapts to the changing needs of
the customer will have tremendous competitive advantage. Leverage comes from providing excellent customer service
and being the company that is the easiest with which to do business. Making every stage of the relationship with the
customer seamlessness is essential. While there are some exceptions to this – a competitor may dive in on pricing, a
customer may change sourcing strategies, or a new product may dominate the market – these are usually short-term
aberrations. Teams must be motivated to listen, set management and sales egos aside and to work enthusiastically
together to put the customer at the forefront. Whether negotiating a large multi-year contract, a simpler project bid, or a
reverse auction, the winning organization will be the one that over the long term has maintained stellar customer
relationships.
Focused Sales Incentives
Clarity regarding sales incentives and the establishment of measurable goals for a team will create performance
excellence. While incentives can be controversial, too often concerns that sales representatives will be overcompensated can severely short-circuit the intent of an entire program. Start by determining exactly what is to be
accomplished, measured through the bottom line, and by defining clear parameters for payback. This will avoid conflict
between different constituent groups within a company and rally team members to meet high level goals.
Measuring Marketing Investments
Many business to business companies are reluctant to invest in marketing because they do not perceive the measurable
results of marketing investments. However, as the old adage goes, it is often essential to spend money to make money.
Clearly defining specific marketing inputs with specific measureable goals will bring clarity and focus to a marketing
plan. Social media is an example. Every click on Facebook is channeled into a process through which goals are defined
for enabling service, communicating product value or enhancing brand promotion. Effectiveness of marketing is
quantified and effective creation of content with bold value for the consumer is the result.
Encouraging and Evaluating Innovation
Engineering and product development projects can be difficult to manage, particularly with regard to schedule and cost.
Many companies have implemented “Stage Gate” or similar processes to get a handle on this. These approaches may
work well for evaluating progress and managing risk but they often do not promote innovation. Cleary, it is difficult to
determine the exact pace and point of an innovative idea, but rigorous effort must be made to provide the environment
and climate for innovation. This includes ongoing engagement with customers to obtain feedback regarding their
changing needs and having on staff top-notch tech employees who are encouraged to spend time investigating new
procedures to meet those needs.
Lean Manufacturing
While no longer new, the techniques and principles of Lean Manufacturing have proven to provide a comprehensive
tool box of techniques to build a culture of productivity into an organization. The elimination of waste in all its forms
and full understanding of the value stream leads to not only productivity and reduced cost, but engages employees to
contribute to their personal and the organization’s success. The techniques can be applied well beyond the shop floor to
include customer service, logistics and most administrative functions.
Growth through Acquisition
Acquisitions are a dynamic way for an organization to move beyond traditional markets, add new capabilities and
product lines, address competitive threats, change the cost structure, or adjust to changing conditions in the marketplace.
The key to growth through acquisitions is to have a defined goal and criteria for targets of acquisitions with a rigorous
review that includes not only financial measures but a cultural and channel fit. Negative synergies need to be evaluated
and ultimately a thoughtful and rigorous integration plan will need to be executed.