Emory University - Goizueta Business School

University of Missouri-Columbia

Commercial Finance Manager at BlueScope Properties Group

Finance, business development, and strategy leader of 7-person team delivering $30M annual EBIT. 

Develop and implement the financial, growth, and tax strategy.

Lead all financial planning and analysis, financial accounting and reporting, financial modeling, company audits and compliance, cash management, payments and collections, banking relationships, and risk management.

Identify and evaluate markets/sites, lead due diligence and proforma modeling, negotiate purchase and lease agreements, monitor construction, market, and sell completed developments.  

Partner with Butler and Varco Pruden Builders to pursue Build-to-Suit and spec development opportunities.

BlueScope Properties Group

Director Finance & Business Development

BlueScope Properties Group is a premier real estate development business. We develop Class A industrial and logistics properties in markets across the United States and Canada. A full service approach is provided to customers including site selection, land acquisition, facility specifications, permitting, and construction.

Commercial Finance Manager

Led efforts to extend Hallmark's portfolio of brands and businesses into new arenas by surfacing, evaluating, negotiating, and bringing to market opportunities to work with outside companies that possess complimentary assets and capabilities.

Positioned Hallmark as a partner of choice by strategically building an incubation network.

Defined business models, negotiated terms, executed agreements, and managed ongoing relationships.

Accelerated digital learning and adoption across the organization.

Hallmark Cards

Director Corporate Strategy & Business Development

Initiated strategic partnership with competitor, Shutterfly, to sell Hallmark greeting cards on Shutterfly sites and develop co-branded products sold at Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

Executed original license agreement to distribute Hallmark greetings content on Amazon.

Launched CaringBridge CarePosts digital greetings and multiple greeting card lines for Hallmark.com, Hallmark Gold Crown, CVS, and Walgreeens.

Created a line of digital greetings to distribute on Facebook Gifts.

Collaborated with Brit+Co to develop and execute social marketing campaign that made Studio Ink the most followed, most engaging greeting card brand for Millennials.

Led the exploration of exit strategies for the Hallmark Business Connections gift card business, including a competitive analysis of potential partners and evaluation of viable business models.

Developed an automated greetings kiosk with Kiosk Information Systems.

Partnered with The University of Kansas Hospital to sell in corporate holiday cards and employee recognition and patient experience programs.

Coordinated stress awareness event with Aetna at Hallmark Gold Crown.

Facilitated multiple immersion trips to Silicon Valley to explore digital capabilities that address the key needs of business presidents and senior leaders.

Collaborated with Greetings and Hallmark Gold Crown marketing teams to evaluate and accelerate their digital marketing capabilities.

Supported the rapid testing and launch of new products and services at Hallmark Gold Crown.

Completed social media assessment of current and prospective partners to understand existing agreement terms, define needs, and recommend preferred partners. 

Evaluated over 300 acquisition and partnership inquiries.

Director Strategic Alliances

Evaluated partnering, fundraising, and exit opportunities, managed merger and acquisition activities, implemented strategic objectives, prepared and presented board materials.

Generated monthly financial reporting, established headcount and cash forecasts/budgets, developed business plans, created financial models, analyzed pricing strategies.

Established strategic relationships with key carrier and handset manufacturer partners.

Led contract negotiations, supervised corporate, patent, and trademark activities.

Handmark

Vice President Corporate Development

Managed the legal, financial, and operational implementation and integration of the acquisition of mobile publishing platform company, FreeRange Communications, the acquisition of UK mobile gaming company, Astraware, and the acquisition of Swedish software company, Mediabricks.

Negotiated three license agreements with Sprint generating over $80 million in revenue.

Supervised the legal, financial, and operational execution of $5 million Series A financing led by Apax Partners and $5 million Series B financing led by Motorola Ventures.

Senior Corporate Analyst

Implemented GMT Planet workforce management software at over 350 branches resulting in labor cost savings of over $8,000,000.

Ernst & Young

Manager

Implemented GMT CashMaster currency management software at over 2,000 branches and 4,000 ATMs reducing non-earning assets by over $100,000,000.

Senior Consultant

Implemented check processing improvements at commercial banks to minimize float and item processing costs resulting in annual savings of over $3,000,000.

Ben Cohara