University of Missouri-Columbia

Business Consulting, Project Management & Personal Business Consulting

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Communications Management Group

Business Development Specialist (Contractor)

CMG's Specialized Credit and Collection Service as a contractor working remote from my office accompanied by some initial time at the client’s offices.  I work for my customers as an adjunct to their collections staff working to resolve the complicated over due receivables 90-120-180 -+ days.   Initial contract negotiations and contract re-negotiations. 

Services Engagement Description:
	Effectively utilizing a financial consulting approach – Maintain the customer’s integrity and relationship first, billing resolution second and collection third.
	Maintain quality relationships with all-levels in the sales department. Involve regional sales managers when possible and keep them informed of issues at all times.
	Maintain quality relationships in the collections process teaming with the customer and cross-functional internal stakeholder teams including sales, sales operations, revenue accounting, and billing.
	Drive strong collections and exceed quarterly cash, aging and DSO metrics without loosing the customer’s business and without involving attorneys.
	Billing issues resolution – working with the client’s customers to “unravel” complicated and extremely complicated billing problems so that the client’s customer is comfortable in paying the receivables billing due. 
	Debit and contract restructuring – working closely with the client and their customers to understand if restructuring is beneficial to both and then assisting both sides administration staffs, legal groups and officer ownership with decided upon resolution. 
	Investigate prospective customers with sales reps and sales manager, researching credit worthiness and recommending credit lines.
	Analyzes credit data to estimate degree of risk involved in extending credit

Engagement fees and time periods are structured with the fact that each client engagement is unique. The client and I develop a understanding of the objectives clearly in a SOW.

Collection Specialist Asset Issues Resolution (Contractor)

CMG’s Business Consulting and Project Management goal is to free up the Owner’s or Manager’s time so they can focus on her or his “core” revenue generating business.  CMG accomplishes this task by consulting and managing projects from small to large that are on the “peripheral” of the core revenue business.   CMG works by the project or by the hour.

Small, Medium & Enterprise Companies 
•	CMG is your “hired gun”
•	Company earnings are increased by discovering & resolving inefficiencies.
•	Company earnings are increased discovering expedited processes & cost reductions.
•	Company earnings are increased by on schedule & on budget projects.

Everything is a project to be managed:
•	Business Startup planning, structure decision & implementation.
•	Financial Statement efficiency reviews & recommendations.
•	ROI Improvement in marketing, leads, sales, operations & administration.
•	Business Planning, Business Valuation & Business Loan Presentations.
•	Pricing for Services & Products evaluated, researched, established & implemented. 
•	Specialized Receivables Collections for 90 days past plus.
•	Budget Review, organization, planning & execution.
•	Real Estate manage prep for sale, renovations and expansion.
•	Negotiate Lease or Purchase then coordinate & manage the move to new location.
•	Asset Research, vetting, negotiating, purchasing, installing or selling.
•	Multiple Vendor management by milestones & budget.
•	Locate Experts for any task: finding, vetting, pricing, managing.

CMG produces a concise statement of work, a budget, a time line and a resolution road map.  With this road map a sustainable, successful outcome can be monitored, measured and validated through to fruition.

Managing Partner

First Business Flights contracted CMG to establish a Corporate Air Travel Division.  First Business Flights Corporate Air Travel is focused on providing consistent meaningful discounts to corporations worldwide on international air travel fares.  Outstanding fares are always accompanied by exceptional dedicated corporate client services extending from company annual budgeting process to one point of contact from the beginning of each itinerary booked to the traveler returning home. First Business Flights is headquartered at the San Francisco International Airport in the city of Burlingame, CA. 
International Business & First Class
  30% Savings on International Business Class
  One point of contact - Global Air Travel Specialist
  Top Rated Airlines Earning Miles
  Last minute bookings at discount
  Service Level Agreements offered - SLAs

Vice President Corporate Sales (Contractor)

The Strategic Alliance contracted CMG with the responsibility to initiate community bank CXO contacts and build those executive relationships to introduce The Strategic Alliance, Inc.  bank specific financial services and insurance products i.e. BOLI and Section 79.  Mark's researched target totaled 165 community banks in Northern California with assets of $150 million to $350 million. In the process of building the bank CXO relationships Mark built a CRM database of the 165 banks including all background information gained, conversations and presentation notes accompanied by follow up scheduling. 
Responsibilities:
•	Develop the bank specific Executive Compensation Benefits Programs marketing & sales strategy and presentations for BOLI (Bank Owned Life Insurance) and section 79 Alternatives. 
•	Marketed to the CXOs and set appointments for Mike Chamness, President, The Strategic Alliance, Inc. to sell and close the BOLIs, SERPs and Alternatives products.
•	Built a complete CRM database of all 165 banks. 

Mark contacted all 165 bank CXOs, vetted the list to 80 qualified for the offering, built the database and set over 30 successful appointments for Mike Chamness. 

The Strategic Alliance provides Banks alternatives for the attraction, retention, and reward of top executives and board members. This direct market was identified as an under-served market.  What sets The Strategic Alliance a part is doing what we do best; consulting that provides knowledgeable, attentive and continuous comprehensive integrated planning and insurance solutions.

Director of Executive Relationships (Contractor)

CMG represented several IT Contractor Placement & Staffing firms.  Placement of Contractors and FTE =- 
Full Time Employees for IT & Software Development staffing firm. Development and tactical implementation of VP and CXO relationship strategies accompanied by project management. 
	Customer retention, budget responsibility and communications and influence with multiple CXOs, VPs, Sr. Directors and Directors 
	Clients included:  Blue Cross/Blue Shield CA, Delta Dental,  Schwab, Cisco Systems, OSISoft, ValueClick, Bank of the West, SoftBrands, IBM, Fair Isaac, Logitech, Qualcomm and WYSE.
	Managed projects thru life cycle of  $150k to $1.5 million, budget development and management, project management and extensive research of the project. 
	Design and implementation of new business sales strategies, budgets and development and utilization of web-based presentations tools demonstrating the CRM package and database.  
	Mentoring of junior level sales staff, teaching strategy and business sales tactics.  
	Customer service, collections, A/P, A/R, HR and budgeting.

IT & Software Contractor Project Enterprise Sales - Contracto

$34 million annual revenue responsibility.
Budget responsibility for all AT&T personnel staffing these Global Accounts, customers account management, project management, data center/networking equipment sales and business analysis of future requirements. 
$21 million in collection of past due receivables, resolution of complicated billing problems and contract adherence and properly refilling of existing contracts. 
Positioned with regular communications, presentations and influence with multiple CEOs, CIOs, Sr. VPs, VPs, and Sr. Directors including budgeting, collections, sales and contract negotiations.
Global client account growth responsibility—management of 17 U.S. domestic technical sales staff and 20 technical sales staff in EMEA, Asia Pacific, Mexico and South America.
Clients included Franklin Templeton, 3Com, Palm, Sanmina-SCI, Symantec, and Language Line.
Contract negotiations, strategic planning & implementation, and billing assurance.  
Mentoring of junior level sales staff, teaching strategy and sales business tactics.

AT&T Globals

Global Account Director

$6 million annual revenue in professional services, voice and data transport, CPE and software.   
The Primary Project Management work was performed for enterprise size and medium size IT departments: call center moves/remodels, data center upgrades/remodels, corp. campus moves/additions, software development, offices and building expansions, to solve contract negotiations issues, solve exhausting continuing billing problems and resolve negative vendor relations.  
$4.5 + million of receivables collected, billing issue resolution and contract adherence assurance resolved annually. Project management and outsourced management of data and telecommunications departments for small, medium and select Fortune 1000 companies utilizing IT contractors per the developed statement of work.  
$2 million annually in multi-location Message and Music on Hold business built to new levels of marketing and remote equipment management with monthly message updates and in-store over head advertising utilizing modem and Internet Protocol equipment access and management. 
$4 million annually - Built an Advertising Agency within the CMG corporation structure using CMG - Communications Management Company as the business corporate image.  CMG Advertising concentrating on high end corporate image design and collateral development for medium to enterprise size corporations.  1 senior level designer, 2 computer designers, 2 salespersons and a controller.

CMG's internal company budget management, financial statement analysis, collections, A/P, A/R, invoicing, management of financial sheet oversight, HR and organization alignment

Entrepreneurial Owner Business Consultant

Aggressive commercial lender locally and to real estate developers nationwide. The bank was a market leader of rates paid to depositors on CDs, savings and checking accounts to grow the bank. Bank's lending limit grew to over $2.5 million. 
	
   Grew bank deposits from $19 million to $165 million in 3 years.
   Earnings consistently out-paced the banking industry at 2% return on assets.
   Total budget responsibility for St. Joseph’s integrations with the holding company. 
   Responsible for 5 bank locations and 100 employees.
   Sales of bank services and loans to commercial and consumer customers.
   Local construction, purchase, swing, real estate, lock-box and other commercial lending accomplished.

1st Bank of Saint Joseph was part of International Bancshares and owned by the Frank Morgan Group of Banks MO/KS with assets totaling in excess of $1 billion.

Mark Degenhardt