- Music
- Camping
- Fundraising Events
- Tech enthusiast, passionate about exploring the latest advancements and innovations
- Fishing and Boating
- Motorcycling
Charles Zardus
Oswego,New York
Summary
Dynamic leader with a proven track record at Wabtec Locomotive Services, enhancing operational workflows and spearheading strategic partnerships for growth. Expert in negotiation and operational leadership, I excel in project management and fostering strong customer relationships. Achieved significant process improvements, demonstrating exceptional problem-solving abilities and multitasking skills.
Strong leader and problem-solver dedicated to streamlining operations to decrease costs and promote organizational efficiency. Uses independent decision-making skills and sound judgment to positively impact company success.
Overview
46
46
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Manager
Wabtec Locomotive Services
Erie, PA
09.2014 - 06.2022
- Improved operational workflows by identifying areas of inefficiency and implementing appropriate solutions.
- Increased overall team productivity by fostering a positive work environment and providing effective leadership.
- Communicated with customers and vendors positively with particular attention to problem resolution.
- Negotiated contracts with suppliers and vendors, securing favorable terms for the company while maintaining strong relationships.
- Oversaw financial operations, maintaining accurate records and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
- Successfully managed organizational change initiatives, minimizing disruptions to daily operations while achieving desired outcomes.
- Assisted with hiring process and training of new employees.
- Drafted reports and documents to improve correspondence management, schedule coordination and recordkeeping.
- Created, managed, and executed business plan and communicated company vision and objectives to motivate teams.
- Streamlined business processes by implementing new project management tools and techniques.
- Coordinated team schedules to keep shifts properly staffed during busy periods.
- Developed strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, leading to significant growth opportunities for the company.
- Managed cross-functional teams, ensuring timely completion of projects within budget constraints.
- Implemented cost-cutting measures, resulting in substantial savings for the organization without compromising on quality or performance.
- Mentored junior staff members, helping them grow professionally and contribute more effectively to the team''s goals.
Maintenance Manager
Kappa Graphics
Pittston, PA
03.2008 - 09.2014
- Supervised employee performance, preventive maintenance, and safety.
- Optimized spare parts inventory management by identifying critical items and setting appropriate stock levels based on usage patterns.
- Improved equipment reliability by implementing a preventive maintenance program and managing repair schedules.
- Collaborated with other department managers to coordinate maintenance activities around production schedules, minimizing operational interruptions.
- Increased overall equipment efficiency by conducting thorough assessments of machinery conditions and implementing necessary improvements.
- Led the successful completion of major facility upgrades projects while adhering to budget constraints and timelines.
- Scheduled regular inspections of equipment and facilities to manage wear and tear.
- Reduced downtime by efficiently overseeing the maintenance team and prioritizing tasks according to urgency.
- Trained maintenance technicians to apply proper techniques and best practices and comply with safety protocols.
- Conducted root cause analysis of recurring issues, devising long-term solutions that minimized future disruptions.
- Monitored priorities and liaised between maintenance team and management, delegating tasks to complete on time.
- Delegated tasks to carefully selected employees in alignment with resource management goals.
- Created and implemented maintenance program to optimize operational efficiency and reduce downtime.
- Planned scheduled maintenance outages as part of preventive maintenance program.
- Managed a team of technicians, providing guidance and support for skill development and performance improvement.
- Documented inventory of spare parts to enable tracking history and maintain accurate records.
- Collaborated with other departments to verify completion of maintenance tasks.
- Established and documented protocols for preventive maintenance procedures, decreasing equipment issues, and reducing downtime.
- Created and submitted detailed reports to highlight maintenance activities and equipment performance.
- Promoted a culture of continuous improvement within the maintenance team by encouraging open communication, problem-solving initiatives, and employee engagement activities.
- Mentored new hires in company procedures, safety protocols, and technical skills necessary for their roles as maintenance professionals.
- Ensured compliance with all applicable regulations through diligent record-keeping, reporting practices, and regular audits.
- Streamlined work order processes for quicker response times, resulting in increased productivity and reduced costs.
- Enhanced safety standards through regular inspections, staff training, and adherence to OSHA guidelines.
- Evaluated and recommended new technologies for potential integration into the facility''s maintenance operations, ensuring continued growth and adaptability in the face of industry advancements.
- Completed partial or full dismantling of equipment to quickly repair or replace defective components and restore functionality.
- Procured pricing information from various vendors to support cost-effective purchasing.
- Prepared and reviewed maintenance contracts with external service providers to offer mutually binding agreements.
- Established team priorities, maintained schedules and monitored performance.
- Trained personnel in equipment maintenance and enforced participation in exercises focused on developing key skills.
- Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
- Evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills.
Maintenance Supervisor
Offset Paperback Manufacturers
Dallas, PA
03.1994 - 03.2014
- Coordinated preventative maintenance schedules, verifying equipment safety and function.
- Streamlined work order processes for increased efficiency in addressing maintenance requests and tracking progress.
- Supervised 17 employees and scheduled shifts.
- Supervised a team of technicians, providing guidance on complex repair tasks and fostering professional development opportunities.
- Managed inventories of spare parts and tools to ensure the availability of necessary resources for timely repairs.
- Increased productivity by reducing downtime, budgeting effectively, allocating tasks, and maintaining high standards of safety and work quality.
- Improved equipment reliability by implementing a preventive maintenance program and scheduling routine inspections.
- Reduced downtime by quickly diagnosing and repairing issues with machinery, electrical systems, and facility infrastructure.
- Established and documented protocols for preventive maintenance procedures, decreasing equipment issues, and reducing downtime.
- Facilitated strong communication between maintenance personnel and other departments to ensure seamless coordination during planned outages or emergency situations.
- Completed partial or full dismantling of equipment to quickly repair or replace defective components and restore functionality.
- Enhanced safety standards through regular staff training sessions, hazard assessments, and ensuring compliance with OSHA regulations.
- Conducted regular performance evaluations of maintenance staff to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities for growth within the organization.
- Mentored junior technicians through hands-on training, fostering a culture of teamwork and knowledge sharing within the maintenance department.
- Coordinated scheduled shutdowns for major equipment overhauls, minimizing disruption to production schedules while maximizing asset longevity.
- Analyzed and identified equipment failure root causes and initiated correction actions.
- Monitored employee work tasks while installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment for projects.
- Prioritized preventative measures such as lubrication programs and vibration analysis that helped extend equipment life cycles and reduce overall costs.
- Promoted continuous improvement by encouraging staff to suggest innovative ideas for process enhancements and cost-saving initiatives.
- Fostered a positive work environment that led to high employee morale and retention rates, while consistently meeting performance expectations.
- Tracked and progressed maintenance requests in CMMS systems to meet schedules.
- Assisted in the planning and execution of facility expansions, ensuring proper installation of new equipment and seamless integration with existing systems.
- Scheduled and oversaw maintenance, repair and installation activities.
- Utilized proper tools and materials to adhere to safety guidelines.
Aircraft Systems Supervisor
U S Government
Indiantown Gap, PA
09.1983 - 06.1994
- Established effective communication channels, fostering open dialogue between departments.
- Managed 6 support shops to perform maintenance on 11 CH-47 helicopters For PAANG.
- Provided operational ready aircraft to support training.
- Reduced downtime for critical systems with proactive maintenance and timely troubleshooting.
- Managed life cycle replacement of major aircraft components
- Led technical upgrade projects for aircraft by working and coordinating with consultants and technicians.
-
Aircraft Technician
US Army
Mainz, West Germany, Ft. Bragg North Carolina
07.1976 - 05.1983
- Inspected all received aircraft parts to verify compliance with Army regulations.
- Inspected airframes to detect wear and other defects.
- Consistently maintained a clean and organized work area, facilitating efficient operations and minimizing workplace hazards.
- Assisted in troubleshooting complex mechanical issues, providing expert guidance to resolve problems quickly and effectively.
- Reduced aircraft downtime through meticulous scheduling and prioritization of maintenance tasks.
- Operated power tools, gauges and testing equipment to adjust, repair, and replace faulty components in aircrafts.
- Implemented quality control measures to minimize errors during the repair process, enhancing overall reliability of the fleet.
- Efficiently managed multiple projects concurrently, successfully meeting deadlines while maintaining high-quality workmanship standards.
- Collaborated with other departments to develop efficient workflows, resulting in seamless coordination of aircraft maintenance operations.
- Improved aircraft maintenance efficiency by implementing streamlined processes and procedures.
- Maintained detailed records of all maintenance activities, ensuring accurate documentation for future reference and audits.
- Conducted thorough inspections for optimal aircraft safety and compliance with regulatory standards.
- Provided timely communication with pilots and crew regarding required maintenance actions, fostering strong working relationships between departments.
- Obtained fuel and oil samples to check for contamination.
- Optimized inventory management through diligent tracking of tools and materials, minimizing shortages during critical repairs.
- Maintained, repaired and rebuilt aircraft structures and fuel, electrical, and oxygen systems.
- Maintained repair logs to document all corrective and preventive aircraft maintenance.
- Performed vital preventive maintenance tasks to extend the service life of aircraft components and systems.
- Skillfully utilized specialized diagnostic equipment for accurate identification of system malfunctions, leading to quicker resolution of issues.
- Analyzed engineering drawings and schematics to troubleshoot systems and diagnose solutions.
- Used leveling compounds and scotch casts to seal parts, assemblies, and sub-assemblies.
- Collaborated with crew chief to coordinate fitting and alignment of heavy parts.
- Performed aircraft maintenance for scheduled preventive actions and unscheduled requirements.
- Maintained orderly and safe work environment by enforcing tool control and FOD awareness, prevention, and safety at all times.
- Recorded maintenance actions in aircraft logbooks.
- Removed and installed aircraft subsystem assemblies such as engines, rotors, gearboxes, transmissions, and mechanical flight controls.
- Maintained orderly and safe work environment by enforcing tool control and FOD awareness, prevention, and safety.
- Assisted with aircraft and equipment transport and movement.
- Completed preventive and reparative maintenance on aircraft electronics and computer systems.
- Operated support equipment and flight line vehicles.
- Performed aircraft corrosion control procedures.
Education
High School Diploma -
Wilkes Barre Area Vocational Technical School
Plains TownshipBachelor of Arts -
Miller- Motte
Chattanooga, TN11-2027
No Degree -
Miller- Motte
Chattanooga, TN06-2024
Bachelor of Arts -
Kaplan
Online12-2016
Associate of Arts -
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA Wilkes Barre Campus01-1985
High School Diploma -
James M Coughlin HS
Wilkes-Barre, PA06-1976
Skills
- Operational leadership
- Documentation proficiency
- Vendor engagement
- Staffing level maintenance
- Project Management
- Customer Relationship Management
- Effective leader
- Purchasing and planning
- Process Improvement
- Staff hiring
- Employee review
- Scheduling
- Staff Training
- Logistics
- Problem-solving abilities
- Multitasking
- Multitasking Abilities
- Reliability
Interests
Timeline
Business Manager
Wabtec Locomotive Services
09.2014 - 06.2022
Maintenance Manager
Kappa Graphics
03.2008 - 09.2014
Maintenance Supervisor
Offset Paperback Manufacturers
03.1994 - 03.2014
Aircraft Systems Supervisor
U S Government
09.1983 - 06.1994
Aircraft Technician
US Army
07.1976 - 05.1983
High School Diploma -
Wilkes Barre Area Vocational Technical School
Bachelor of Arts -
Miller- Motte
No Degree -
Miller- Motte
Bachelor of Arts -
Kaplan
Associate of Arts -
Pennsylvania State University
High School Diploma -
James M Coughlin HS