MARK BEGRIN
Bluff City,TN
Summary
Dynamic finance executive with a proven track record at Hard Rock International, driving revenue growth and operational enhancements. Expert in budget development and strategic planning, I successfully led initiatives that exceeded EBITDA targets by $6M. Renowned for team leadership and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to optimize financial performance and customer service.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
CFO, VP OF FINANCE
Hard Rock International
Bristol, VA
04.2022 - Current
- Serve as #2 to property President, oversee all financial & property operations, combining general financial management with a strong emphasis on operational enhancements, gaming & non-gaming revenue, and internal controls specific to all facets of the gaming environment.
- Financial Planning and Analysis: Developing and implementing financial models, annual budgets, and forecasts, and analyzing performance against targets.
- Accounting Operations: Directing all accounting functions, including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and general ledgers, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
- Financial Reporting: Overseeing the timely and accurate preparation of financial statements and reports for internal leadership and external stakeholders.
- Cash Flow and Treasury Management: Managing the organization's cash flow, liquidity, investments, and capital allocation to ensure financial stability and support growth.
- Risk Management: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating financial risks (e.g., credit, interest) and ensuring adherence risk assessment, monitoring, and mitigation activities.
- Strategic Planning: Providing financial insights and recommendations to the executive team for business decisions, operational efficiency, and potential investments or acquisitions.
- Noted Accomplishments: Opened property for both temporary and permanent facility while creating and implementing financial controls, accounting guidelines and building a strong team.
- Spearheaded growth from inception in hotel operations and lead the creation of sales and banquet business.
- Successfully lead Guest Satisfaction initiatives resulting in number one property 12 months in row.
CFO, VP OF FINANCE
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
Toledo, OH
01.2017 - 03.2022
- Direct all facets of finance, working in close collaboration with each department, executive, and property manager to optimize financial performance, forecasting, labor, and other key operational objectives.
- Prepare executive teams for operational reviews and annual budget processes, including presentations to Penn National Gaming Corporate leadership.
- Leverage strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills to foster and maintain partnerships with executives and direct reports, serving as Subject Matter Expert (SME) to enhance interdepartmental understanding of property finances.
- Serve on Board of Directors for Toledo Chamber of Commerce as well as Finance Committee.
- Continuously identify opportunities for operational enhancements, leading to improved employee engagement, customer service, leadership with direct reports, and profitability.
- Noted Accomplishments: Engaged in comprehensive analysis of existing accounting practices, identifying issues, and developing improvements for multiple accounting practices, resulting in financial pick up of $275K to EBITDA within first two months of tenure.
- Slashed labor expenses launching a combined IT leadership and staffing strategy with sister property.
- Successfully lead multiple financial improvement initiatives, resulting in exceeding budgeted EBITDA by $6M with improved EBITDA margins of 121bps vs. plan and 125bps vs. PY.
- Achieved highest-ever departmental scores for property, significantly improving engagement within finance department.
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF FINANCE; INTERM VP OF FINANCE
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
Toledo, OH
02.2016 - 12.2016
- Job performance excellence resulted in being promoted to Interim VP of Finance concurrently with Controller duties and eventual promotion to Director of Finance across two properties, overseeing cage and count operations, analysis and planning, GL accounting, disbursements, IT, purchasing, and warehouse operations.
- Aided operators in management of labor designing and implementing statistical FTE modeling utilizing volume projections to optimize scheduling and produce significant cost savings.
- Spearheaded consolidation of financial operations across two properties, creating new internal controls and employing best practices from each property to increase efficiency, leverage purchasing power, streamline processes, optimize cost savings, and drive revenue generation for both.
- Developed annual forecasts and operating and capital budgets, leading presentations for corporate leaders to clarify historical data and forecast versus actual performances. Also met with GM and senior management weekly to discuss variances and strategize on improvements as required.
- Delivered meaningful enhancements to operations and communications between casino, finance, human resources, marketing, and non-gaming departments exposing teams to financial reports, key metrics, and a global understanding of property and departmental financials, facilitating cross-functional teams to identify areas of potential savings.
- Noted Accomplishment: Achieved numerous wins during tenure, including successfully operating within set budget, exceeding revenue generation targets in a declining market while also improving EBITDA Margin, enhancing employee engagement, and achieving high customer service scores.
CONTROLLER
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
Toledo, OH
12.2012 - 02.2016
- Directed all accounts payable, general ledger, revenue audit, payroll, receiving, warehouse and accounting operations.
- Cultivated a workplace focused on positive motivation and team success, mentoring finance and accounting personnel across all levels, also serving as strategic partner to operators, refining communications and educating best practices.
- Developed internal property forecasts for top line revenues, including EBITDA and operating income expenses.
- Generated annual budgets for property operations and labor requirements, creating detailed models to simplify budget process. Success resulted in modeling being adopted by a sister property.
- Actively drove compliance with internal and external regulatory guidelines.
- Reviewed balance sheet reconciliations to advance compliance with GAAP and internal policies, preparing and presenting departmental P&L data reports to relevant stakeholders.
- Noted Accomplishment: Optimized cash bank deposits, developing a cash management process coordinating armored car pick-ups with established drop schedule.
REGIONAL FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
Tunica, MI
10.2009 - 12.2012
- Directed all daily financial functions across three properties, managing each financial department and ensuring the accurate and complete execution of all accounts receivable, collections, counts, fixed asset, general ledger, inventory control, month-end close, payroll, statement review, and vital record activities for Tunica region.
- Improved budget compliance meeting with department heads to analyze financial statements, generating monthly recurring journals and intercompany billings to improve fiscal transparency.
- Enhanced future strategy and business planning working in close collaboration with personnel from planning and analysis developing weekly and monthly forecasts and annual budgets.
- Continuously drove process improvements in and outside of direct purview, supporting Lean projects, analyzing existing processes to identify gaps, creating targeted improvements, and manage implementation to increase efficiency and productivity.
- Noted Accomplishment: Created and regularly assessed efficacy of accounting department policies, resulting in zero internal audit L3, repeat issues or SOX violations.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Skills
- Operations oversight
- Team leadership
- Cost reduction
- Process improvement
- Revenue growth
- Operational enhancements
- Budget development
- Analysis and planning
- Compliance management
- Customer service improvement
- Strategic planning
- Margin enhancement
- Forecasting
Timeline
CFO, VP OF FINANCE
Hard Rock International
04.2022 - Current
CFO, VP OF FINANCE
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
01.2017 - 03.2022
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF FINANCE; INTERM VP OF FINANCE
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
02.2016 - 12.2016
CONTROLLER
PENN NATIONAL GAMING: HOLLYWOOD CASINO
12.2012 - 02.2016
REGIONAL FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
10.2009 - 12.2012
Master of Business Administration -
University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Phoenix