Steve Arnold

steve[at]morningstaraz.com

Broad and deep background in Operations Management, Business Development and Financial Analysis. Has built several business, some from scratch and some pre-existing.  Adept at improving both revenues and net profits, reducing costs, and training highly-effective work teams in both conventional and multi-cultural contexts. Uses strong interpersonal skills to develop business and social relationships as well as strategic alliances. Key skills include:

Established successful specialty trade business from the ground up. Created business plan and developed fully skilled, reliable, and competent employees. Secured key client accounts and expanded to full commercial and residential market membership, producing 25% net profits in an industry with a 10% net standard.

Managed $2,500,000 annual departmental budget on time and on-budget consistently. Improved delivery personnel retention by 35%. Supervised over 50 employees without injury accidents for 2-year period. Conducted training and supervised crews in Spanish and English simultaneously.

Developed national dealership of over 50 sales and installation partners for an HVAC/Plumbing Manufacturer.  Brought employers products to national industry awareness and increased sales 500% in one year. Achieved a roll-out product partnership with 2 major industry manufacturers.

Implemented cross-cultural training program and supervisors cultural sensitivity training in bilingual environment. Developed training systems for cross-cultural new hires. Delivered 50% labor cost savings to employer over 2-year period.

Morning Star Painting & Development, Inc., General Building Contractor/Commercial Painting Contractor,

Prescott, AZ (2002-2011).

General Manager/Business Development/Sales

Directed all aspects of General Contracting business including marketing, finance, estimating, construction management, cost control, and coordinating subcontractors and employees. Interfaced with lenders, architects, city and county building officials, permitting, and structural engineers.

          Established successful custom building business from the ground up. Obtained financing, and managed financial and business operations. Pioneered techniques reducing construction costs from $225/sq ft to $135/sq ft.

Managed simultaneously all aspects of Specialty Painting Division. Full P & L responsibility. Coordinated activities between all stakeholders in construction process. Analyzed production operations and developed solutions to problems. Trained and supervised crews in English and Spanish.

          Managed the restoration painting and refinishing of a 100-year old public auditorium (Elks Opera House, Prescott, AZ). Executed the creative direction from the architectural design team. Created a lasting and beautiful finished product on time and on budget.

Hines Horticulture, Inc., Chino Valley, AZ (1999-2002)

Distribution Manager

Oversaw $2.5 million annual departmental budget. Managed 25 trucks and 30 drivers plus 25 dock-loading personnel working 24/7 operations in six western states.

          Introduced unprecedented cost-of-distribution analysis by urban market to GM and Sales Mgr to articulate unexpected financial pressure from shipping into unbudgeted distant markets. Lobbied for and achieved 15% budget increase to cover increased cost-of-distribution incurred in serving more distant markets. Contained cost of distribution escalation to 15%, vs. 25% projected.

          Improved interdepartmental communications. Initiated face-to-face meetings and initiated  interdepartmental communications program to improve endemic corporate culture communications dysfunction. Vastly improved interdepartmental mutual respect, team-consciousness, and cooperation.

HVAC Advent International, Inc., Prescott, AZ (1995-1999)

Operations Manager/Director, Marketing and Sales

Developed business for startup manufacturer of high-tech HVAC products. Conducted dealer development and training nationwide at over 50 dealers in the US, Canada, and the Bahamas.

         Designed and conducted trade-show presentations and sales training in Plumbing and HVAC venues.  Taught, trained, coached dealers in presenting novel products to change-resistant, conservative trade professionals and contractors. Developed functional show-quality displays and graphics for sales and marketing presentations, resulting in 200% sales increase in the first year.

         Envisioned and manifested a national top-down marketing campaign for manufacturer of  high-end commercial ventilation systems. Created and developed graphics, copywriting, branding, technical writing, and ad venues to achieve new product roll-out. Increased sales over 500% in one year.

         Created new marketing concept for start-up manufacturer. Wrote ad copy for marketing materials, and executed the technical writing of manufacturers product installation manual. Researched, wrote, and published cross-disciplinary scientific research article in Journal of Healthcare, Safety, Compliance, & Infection Control, August 1998 issue. Produced heightened levels of product awareness in the industry, resulting in invitations to participate in national industry buying club and national industry tradeshow.

         Supported development of InfraRed switching components, manufactured for ADVent International in Tijuana, Mexico.

B.A. Political Science, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

Leadership in Management coursework, Yavapai College (Prescott, AZ)

Arizona Contractor College, certified B-General class (Prescott, AZ)

Graduate School, Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ)

Washington University School of Law (St. Louis, MO)

Whitman College, Science & Arts (Walla Walla, WA)