Michelle Bennett
Hampshire,IL
Summary
I am an experienced and results-driven Accounts Receivable Manager with a proven track record of leading global teams and implementing process improvements across billing, invoicing, cash application, credit risk, and collections. Adept at managing complex financial operations, overseeing system upgrades (Oracle R12), and driving efficiency through policy implementation. Seeking to leverage strong leadership, critical thinking, and financial expertise to contribute to a dynamic team and drive business growth through effective management of accounts receivable and global credit operations.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
AR Manager - Contract
Data Clean
07.2025 - 08.2025
- Process Improvement using new ERP System
- Focus on collections
- Determined uncollectable 90+ days
- Resolved discrepancies in billing
- Promera, formerly Data Clean, delivers technical solutions for digital and controlled environments, including data centers cleanrooms.
Accounts Receivable Manager
Diversify + LLC
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Leadership, Critical thinking & Problem solving
- Process Improvement for collections & cash application
- Manage team of 5, 2 cash applications and 3 collectors
- Collections management
- Billing & Invoicing issues
- Weekly AR Meetings with each location team to review past dues.
- Collection Metrics Dashboard
- Diversify plans to lead the evolution of the commercial flooring and interior services industry. They are disrupting the historically fragmented industry by unifying the preeminent experts, services, and resources in a way that has never been done before.
Global Credit Manager
Ideal Clamp Products Inc. Ideal Tridon
Smyrna, TN
01.2015 - 01.2023
- Leadership, Critical Thinking & Problem solving
- Process Improvement for collections, deductions, & cash application
- Reporting, Cash-flow Forecasting, Global Working Capital, Credit Limit Analysis
- Collections management – 90% & more in the current bucket, Globally
- Billing & Invoicing issues
- Monthly GL entries to balance AR & Cash, as well as Bad Debt Accrual & Write offs
- .00058 Bad Debt write off in 2023, 0 Bad Debt write off in 2022, .0003 Bad Debt write off 2021
- Credit Decisions & investigation to determine credit worthiness of new & existing customer set up through credit reports, references & financial statement analysis
- 5000 active customers globally, large presence with global manufacturing, automotive, industrial automation, after market & OEM based
- Negotiate payment plans with customers in financial distress
- Weekly Aging sent to sales for assistance & discussion, also one on ones with Sales
- Monthly meeting with all shareholders in this company to discuss, resolve, and create proactive improvements
- Weekly status meetings with the Controller & CFO to provide updates on collections & deduction management
- Monthly working capital global statistics reports, through pivot tables, and graphs
- Ideal Clamp Products, Inc. is a leading global engineering solutions designer and manufacturer of stainless steel and specialty clamps for auto, heavy duty, industrial, plumbing, marine and specialty hose clamps used in a broad range of fastening and sealing applications.
Consultant – Contract Collections Management
Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.
Itasca, IL
01.2015 - 01.2015
- Leadership & Critical thinking development
- Process Improvement
- Reporting
- Collections management – Focus on Reducing AR Bad Debt Reserves
- Billing & Invoicing
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Gallagher Bassett is the largest property/casualty third-party administrator.
Consultant - Contract
Underwriters Laboratories
Northbrook, IL
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Project Management – Global Change initiative Purchase Order Required Policy, Communicate & Implement Globally
- Rewrite Global Credit & Collection Policies – Implement Globally
- Collection of 2013 & 2014 acquisition invoices
- Global Director of Credit, Collections, Billing, & Cash App/Policy and Procedure Development – Contract
- Participated in systems upgrade to Oracle r12.
- Billing, Invoicing, Cash Application, Credit, & Collections
- Led global team of 6 direct reports and over 30+ indirect reports located in Asia, Europe, US, Mexico, Canada.
- Create efficiencies through policy implementation and perform customer reviews financial vetting.
- Oversaw financial statement analysis & reporting, AR reconciliation, project management, cash application, credit risk, collections.
- Write all policy and procedure documents used globally regarding cash application, billing, bankruptcy, credit risk, collections, purchase order requirements, bad debt W/O.
- Support acquisition integration into global credit department.
- Resolve billing issues, cash application errors, purchase order requirements, collections of 2013 invoices.
- Work with global credit department project management team to develop new global structure, establish global collection goals and reporting.
- UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is a safety consulting and certification company. Maintains offices in 46 countries. Established in 1894 and participated in the safety analysis of many of the last century's new technologies, most notably the public adoption of electricity and the drafting of safety standards for electrical devices and components.
Director of Operations – internship
Hiperio Systems, LLC
Carpentersville, IL
01.2012 - 01.2013
- Supported operations project management, business plans, all financial transactions including AR & AP.
- Set up company with IRS, established banking facility and created billing procedure.
- International Information Technology Services and Technology Consulting Company.
Director of Credit
National Material L.P.
Elk Grove Village, IL
01.2011 - 01.2012
- Managed 5 people and reorganized credit department to maximize effectiveness and improve efficiencies.
- Oversaw collections strong DSO 40-44 days, 2500 portfolio active sold to customers, collections.
- Wrote and implemented all new credit corporate wide policies/procedures.
- Created job descriptions for credit, collections, supervisor, cash application roles.
- Achieved Top 20 Customer Reporting / Management Reporting.
- Revamped cash application process and involved in global credit decision-making.
- Assist with collections as escalated.
- Financial statement & credit reports to establish credit worthiness.
- NMLP's record of growth since 1964 has been achieved by leveraging specific niches of expertise to develop new products, services and processing; and through the selective and opportunistic acquisitions of related businesses to meet the needs of customers and markets. $1.8 B in sales.
National Credit Manager
Pregis Corporation
Deerfield, IL
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Managed 8 people and reorganized credit department to maximize effectiveness and improve efficiencies.
- Wrote all job descriptions for credit, collections, deductions, cash application roles.
- Performed Sr. Manager level responsibilities for Pregis Packaging NA, Intellipack & Hexacomb credit. collections, minimizing risk while maximizing sales on a global level.
- Established DSO 36/37 days, 4000 portfolio active sold to customers, collections.
- Implemented all new credit corporate wide policies/procedures, a Top 20 Customer Reporting.
- Participated in SAP Implementation project.
- Restructured entire deduction management process.
- Performed Cash Flow Forecasting and supported SOX Audit.
- Global company focused on providing innovative and reliable protective, flexible and food packaging as well as medical packaging film. $275M sales in 2008.
Senior Manager of Corporate Credit
Unisource Worldwide Inc
Itasca, IL
01.2007 - 01.2008
- Sr. Manager level responsible for 123 Divisions, managed 6 people.
- Reorganized credit risk department to be in line with company vision.
- Wrote job descriptions for Credit Risk Dept. roles.
- Assessed risk, set credit limits to meet sales needs/minimize risk and exposure by evaluating character, capacity, capital collateral and conditions.
- Monitored 66,000 active customers with an average monthly receivable balance of $420M.
- Wrote and implemented all credit risk corporate wide credit policy/procedures.
- Constructed credit application template and implement on-line credit application.
- Revamped entire collections process and supported implementation of DNBi.
- Unisource is the leading independent marketer and distributor of commercial printing and business imaging papers, packaging systems, and facility supplies equipment in North America. Unisource is a privately held company with $5.3B sales in 2007 and 6,500 employees.
National Credit Manager
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Hoffman Estates, IL
01.1997 - 01.2007
- Sr. Manager level responsible for eight U.S. locations, assess risk, set credit limits to meet sales needs/minimize risk and exposure by evaluating character, capacity, capital collateral and conditions.
- Played major role in the reorganization of the corporate credit department - Managed 16.
- Monitored a portfolio of 8000 customers, Average monthly receivable balances of $84M, negotiated terms.
- Collaborated with sales to build and maintain good customer rapport. Implemented corporate wide credit policy/procedures to improve efficiencies.
- Developed credit application template and provided training courses for Sales to allow for better understanding of Credit Function.
- Centralized eight location credit department into one.
- Implemented I many Collection Management system and SAP (8 instances).
- Performed ISO Certification Audits.
- Provided of complete range of best-in-class products, systems and services for drive, control and motion technologies. A global supplier providing a broad range of products in 80 countries. Solutions serve industries like machine tool, automation, packaging, printing and converting, electronic assembly, semiconductor, material handling, plastics, medical, heavy industry, automotive body and assembly, and wood industries. A subsidiary of Bosch Rexroth AG, owned wholly by Robert Bosch AG.
Credit Manager
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Hoffman Estates, IL
01.2001 - 01.2004
- Responsible for one U.S. location to assess risk, set credit limits to meet sales needs/minimize risk and exposure.
- Monitored and managed a portfolio of 1200 customer accounts, collections, average monthly receivable balance of $9M.
- Managed 3 team members.
Credit Supervisor
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Hoffman Estates, IL
01.1999 - 01.2001
- Responsible for customer portfolio of 1000 customers, collections, Average Receivable balance $6.5M.
- Supervised one team member.
Credit Analyst/Sr. Credit Analyst
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Hoffman Estates, IL
01.1997 - 01.1999
- Responsible for customer portfolio of 600 customer, collections, Average receivable balance $4.5M.
Education
BS - Business Administration
National-Louis University
Chicago, ILPh.D. - Organizational Leadership
University of Phoenix
Tempe, AZ12-2026
MBA - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ01.2007
Skills
- SAP 46C, FSCM, Oracle 11i & r12, Infinium, SFD, AS400, ASI, Great Plains, Syspro, I many Collections Management, 9ci Collections Management, Get Paid, D&B eRam & DNBi, CRMZ, Cognos, Quick Books, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, Access, Adobe, PowerPoint, TransUnion, Equifax, Experian
- Team leadership
- Time management
- Decision-making
- Customer service
- Verbal and written communication
- Complex Problem-solving Skills
- Staff training and development
- Staff management
- Task delegation
- Goal setting
- Documentation and reporting
- Relationship building
- Strategic planning
- Operations management
- Project management
- Cross-functional teamwork
- Project planning
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Performance management
- Staff development
- Policy implementation
- Conflict resolution
- Performance evaluations
- Business administration
- Negotiation
- Business development
- Business planning
- Key performance indicators
- Financial management
- Expectation Setting
- Contract management
- Clear Communication
- Employee onboarding
- Coaching and mentoring
- Work prioritization
- Policy and procedure development
- Recruiting and interviewing
- Data analysis
- Risk management
- Change management
- Stakeholder management
- Trend analysis
- Revenue management
- Financial records oversight
- Disciplinary techniques
- Cross-functional team management
- Innovation management
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Computer skills
- Effective communication
- Problem resolution
- Positive attitude
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Attention to detail
- Multitasking
- Problem-solving
- Multitasking Abilities
- Excellent communication
- Organizational skills
- Team development
- Work Planning and Prioritization
- Hiring and training
- Managing operations and efficiency
- Customer relationship management
- Training and development
- Staff training
- Employee coaching and mentoring
- Scheduling and coordinating
- Professional and courteous
- Negotiation and conflict resolution
- MS office
- Good judgment
- Process improvement
- Active listening
- Employee development
- Problem-solving aptitude
Timeline
AR Manager - Contract
Data Clean
07.2025 - 08.2025
Accounts Receivable Manager
Diversify + LLC
01.2023 - 01.2024
Global Credit Manager
Ideal Clamp Products Inc. Ideal Tridon
01.2015 - 01.2023
Consultant – Contract Collections Management
Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.
01.2015 - 01.2015
Consultant - Contract
Underwriters Laboratories
01.2013 - 01.2015
Director of Operations – internship
Hiperio Systems, LLC
01.2012 - 01.2013
Director of Credit
National Material L.P.
01.2011 - 01.2012
National Credit Manager
Pregis Corporation
01.2008 - 01.2011
Senior Manager of Corporate Credit
Unisource Worldwide Inc
01.2007 - 01.2008
Credit Manager
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
01.2001 - 01.2004
Credit Supervisor
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
01.1999 - 01.2001
National Credit Manager
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
01.1997 - 01.2007
Credit Analyst/Sr. Credit Analyst
Bosch Rexroth Corporation
01.1997 - 01.1999
MBA - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
BS - Business Administration
National-Louis University
Ph.D. - Organizational Leadership
University of Phoenix