Michael Pierce
Montgomery ,Texas
Summary
Seasoned Executive in operations with significant experience in leading operational strategies, managing cross-functional teams and driving process improvements. Possess strong leadership skills, strategic planning abilities and sound decision-making capabilities. Demonstrated success in enhancing productivity, reducing costs and improving business processes in previous roles. Eager to apply these strengths to build on past successes and make a meaningful impact in next position.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive VP of Operations - Contract
Dominion Food Group
College Station, Texas
08.2024 - Current
- Coordinated work across departments to keep teams on track with company goals.
- Set clear goals for area managers and implemented systems for measuring results in support of optimal decision making.
- Transformed departmental operations through aggressive process overhaul and attention to quality.
- Road-mapped plans to outline benefits and address potential constraints prior to resource commitment.
- Maintained business operations by communicating with coworkers and managers.
- Created business process flows to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Used strong issue resolution and communication skills to cultivate and strengthen lasting client relationships.
- Established key performance indicators that tracked progress against organizational objectives.
- Reduced costs and optimized revenue by executing contract bidding and procurement processes.
- Leveraged analytical, design, and implementation skills to offer leadership and support to all operations areas.
- Recruited top talent into key positions within the organization's operations division.
- Developed and implemented operational strategies to increase efficiency and productivity.
Chief Operating Officer
Honeyville, Inc
Ogden, UT
02.2024 - 10.2024
- Oversee five facilities, ensuring optimal operations and timely deliveries across CA, UT, and AZ.
- Boosted distribution efficiency by 15% through refined logistics strategies and protocols. Implemented advanced logistics solutions, enhancing productivity and reducing downtime.
- Reduced overhead costs by 20% via strategic initiatives to optimize facility operations. Directed multi-site logistics, streamlining processes and improving supply chain efficiency.
- Implemented advanced logistics solutions, boosting operational productivity and reducing downtime significantly.
- Acted as a primary liaison between the company and external stakeholders.
- Created annual budgets and monitored expenses against budget goals.
- Led strategic planning and execution to enhance profitability and company growth.
- Identified new business opportunities through market research analysis.
- Coordinated major project initiatives from planning through to execution, ensuring timely completion.
Chief Operating Officer
Thomas Foods International
Swedesboro, NJ
02.2021 - 02.2024
- Led cultural transformation, enhancing teamwork and collaboration, and restructuring for efficiency.
- Implemented cost-saving strategies, reducing shipment costs, and achieving notable savings.
- Managed a team of directors and VPs, overseeing 700 associates, and ensuring operational excellence.
- Achieved $500,000 weekly production profitability within 90 days, demonstrating rapid impact.
- Expanded oversight to include FSQA, safety, security, environmental, and transportation operations.
- Led strategic initiatives to expand market reach, resulting in a 25% growth in new business within the first year.
- Fostered cross-functional team collaboration, enhancing project completion rates by 30%, and improving employee satisfaction. Implemented rigorous quality control processes, reducing product defects by 10%, and elevating customer satisfaction scores.
- Developed and executed a long-term strategic plan, driving a 30% increase in market share over two years.
- Analyzed market trends to forecast demand, optimizing production schedules, and increasing on-time delivery rates by 18%.
- Streamlined cross-departmental communication, reducing project turnaround time by 20%, and fostering a unified company culture.
Sr. Plant Operations Director
Daily's Premium Meats
Salt Lake City, UT
01.2019 - 01.2021
- Recruited to resolve low yield, low profitability, poor performance, and reputational issues with local government
- Challenged with securing wastewater permits and overcoming yield and overtime issues
- Collaborated with vendors to achieve absolute throughput and identified a value stream mapping of every process, recognizing an opportunity for a 32% increase
- Achieved 99.95% fill rate with almost no weekend overtime, despite eliminating 72 positions; increased cooked yield by 2.5% and doubled pounds per labor hour
- The facility is now #1 on yield and EBITDA
- Increased total yield by 11.5% with new machinery for the raw food service area
- Oversee five facilities, ensuring optimal operations and timely deliveries across CA, UT, and AZ
- Boosted distribution efficiency by 15% through refined logistics strategies and protocols
- Implemented advanced logistics solutions, enhancing productivity and reducing downtime
- Reduced overhead costs by 20% via strategic initiatives to optimize facility operations
- Directed multi-site logistics, streamlining processes and improving supply chain efficiency
- Implemented advanced logistics solutions, boosting operational productivity and reducing downtime significantly
- Led cultural transformation, enhancing teamwork and collaboration, restructuring for efficiency
- Implemented cost-saving strategies, reducing shipment costs and achieving notable savings
- Managed team of directors and VP, overseeing 700 associates, ensuring operational excellence
- Achieved $500,000 weekly production profitability within 90 days, demonstrating rapid impact
- Expanded oversight to include FSQA, Safety, Security, Environmental, and transportation operations
- Led strategic initiatives to expand market reach, resulting in a 25% growth in new business within the first year
- Fostered cross-functional team collaboration, enhancing project completion rates by 30% and improving employee satisfaction
- Implemented rigorous quality control processes, reducing product defects by 10% and elevating customer satisfaction scores
- Developed and executed a long-term strategic plan, driving a 30% increase in market share over two years
- Analyzed market trends to forecast demand, optimizing production schedules and increasing on-time delivery rates by 18%
- Streamlined cross-departmental communication, reducing project turnaround time by 20% and fostering a unified company culture
Complex Manager
West Liberty Foods
Tremonton, UT
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Recruited to replace long-term legacy Complex manager
- Challenged with low Agri Stat rankings and helped lead operations from ranking #20 to ranking in the top #5 for total plant cost and profitability for 2.5M pounds in weekly fully cooked product
- Oversaw raw fabrication and slicing facility of 10 slice lines
- Managed supply chain, logistics, and distribution, achieving process improvements by working with vendors, engineers, and throughputs to streamline the facility
- Multi-site responsibility
- Named Utah Manufacturer of the Year 2-years in a row for community involvement and maintaining above average safety ratings; trained county EMS as HAZMAT subject matter expert (SME)
- Improved pounds produced from 1.7M to 2.4M weekly
Founder/Partner
Shenandoah/Stonewall Organics
Harrisonburg, VA
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Developed and pressed to maximize yields and throughput and increase revenue
- Led cross-functional teams to secure wastewater permits, optimize processes, and increase yield by 32%
- Implemented value stream mapping, identifying opportunities that elevated cooked yield by 2.5% and doubled pounds-per-labor hour
- Achieved a 99.95% fill rate, minimized overtime, and enhanced facility performance, making it #1 in yield and EBITDA
- Developed and implemented machinery improvements, increasing total yield by 11.5% and maximizing throughput in raw foodservice
- Worked with vendors to enhance throughput, achieving significant operational efficiencies and resolving key performance issues
- Increased community engagement as board member of Box Elder Chamber of Commerce and Governors Rural Business Improvement Council
- Led cross-functional teams to optimize plant operations, reducing costs by 15% and enhancing product quality, boosting overall profitability
- Directed multi-site logistics and supply chain management, achieving a 30% increase in production efficiency and ensuring timely distribution
- Fostered partnerships with vendors and engineers, streamlining processes and improving throughput, resulting in a 20% increase in weekly production
- Implemented strategic initiatives that elevated the plant's ranking from #20 to top #5 in total cost and profitability, driving significant operational success
- Developed and executed process improvements in raw fabrication and slicing facilities, leading to a 41% increase in weekly production from 1.7M to 2.4M pounds
- Helped design end-to-end operational process by winning buy-in to increase production time for $120M in annual production without additional cost
- Introduced new processing model with farmer ownership of chicken and feeds to achieve larger returns
- A Start Up executive with equity
- Developed the layout and design of both grower, feed mill, hatchery, and production facility
- Crafted all HACCP plans, HR policies, GAP programs for organic and ABF programs
Plant Operations Manager
Pilgrims
Mayfield, KY
01.2009 - 01.2013
- Directed plant operations for second-largest poultry producer in the country
- Recruited as roaming plant manager and yield and plant specialist
- Brought in to transform underperforming plants as change manager
- Led organization #11 (Greenbook) to #2, with touchpoints across maintenance, wastewater, refrigeration, budget, and production (1st processing, 2nd processing, marination, and debone) for 2.4M weekly kill
Further Processing Manager
Mountaire Farms
Lumber Bridge, NC
01.2003 - 01.2009
- Managed portion control, DSI, IQF, pack-out, MSC and marination for 2 production shifts
- Advised leadership and led new operation and physical design project
- Helped R&D develop marination recipes and injection rates
- Analyzed production reports to improve workflow and pre-production processes.
- Improved overall business process management by executing, measuring and monitoring new systems.
- Maintained regular performance appraisals for subordinates through verbal, written and on-going review programs.
- Compiled, modeled, and reported on data to support efficiency targets.
- Assisted in the development of reports to track progress against established goals.
- Analyzed and implemented process improvement initiatives to maximize efficiency.
Plant Operations Manager
Choctaw Maid Farms
Forest, MS
07.1996 - 09.2003
- Organized team meetings to discuss operational issues or changes in procedure.
- Mitigated business risks by working closely with staff members and assessing performance.
- Prepared monthly reports on operational performance indicators.
- Ensured compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations regarding plant operations.
- Monitored progress by establishing plans, budgets and measuring results.
- Managed budgeting and forecasting activities related to plant operations.
- Planned, directed and coordinated operations for production, machinery and processing within company policies and procedures.
- Promoted high-quality daily production by enforcing product standards and monitoring level of quality.
- Reviewed financial statements and sales or activity reports to measure productivity or goal achievement.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration And Management
Concordia University
Irvine, CA10-2015
Skills
- Corporate social responsibility
- Corporate governance
- Talent acquisition
- Human resource management
- Global operations
- Information technology
- Sustainability initiatives
- Facilities management
- Cross-functional teamwork
- Public relations management
- Merger and acquisition integration
- Operational excellence
Affiliations
- Won Utah Manufactures Associations Utah Manufacture of the year. Two years in a row.
- Nominated to the Who's Who of manufacturing executives top 500.
- Utah Governor's Round Table of Rural Business Development - 2019
Timeline
Executive VP of Operations - Contract
Dominion Food Group
08.2024 - Current
Chief Operating Officer
Honeyville, Inc
02.2024 - 10.2024
Chief Operating Officer
Thomas Foods International
02.2021 - 02.2024
Sr. Plant Operations Director
Daily's Premium Meats
01.2019 - 01.2021
Complex Manager
West Liberty Foods
01.2016 - 01.2019
Founder/Partner
Shenandoah/Stonewall Organics
01.2013 - 01.2016
Plant Operations Manager
Pilgrims
01.2009 - 01.2013
Further Processing Manager
Mountaire Farms
01.2003 - 01.2009
Plant Operations Manager
Choctaw Maid Farms
07.1996 - 09.2003
Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration And Management
Concordia University
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