For the past six years I have functioned as the financial controller for Jimmy Zufelt Construction, Inc. If you are at all familiar with the residential construction market in Utah County, you are surely familiar with Jimmy Zufelt Construction. Established in 1989, this company has specialized in mid to high level custom homes, semi-custom production homes and one to five story commercial buildings.
The recent sub-prime mortgage lending woes have had the same negative effect on JZC that they have had on every contractor in the country. However, the problems created by that financial snafu were minimal, surmountable and completely overshadowed by other decisions within the company’s ownership despite all of my financial recommendations.
My accounting experience spans a period of thirty years. I sometimes wonder why I ever bothered to pursue a teaching credential, I would have been much happier just going straight to the accounting arena, but that experience taught me patience and endurance, and now I can pass on computer skills and spreadsheet knowledge with ease. I do have manufacturing experience, a paralegal certification in corporate and family law in Utah and a teaching credential in secondary education. I made specific choices early in my career. I like to be challenged and I like a number of different responsibilities.
Early on, I struggled with the age-old task of reconciling what the professor’s taught and what life actually delivers – sometimes the two are miles apart, and the trick is to be smart enough to see where the differences are and how they apply to the problem at hand. One corporate audit into my career and I had an epiphany – why not just do the work like the auditors want to see it? That eliminates all the lookup and arguing and certainly improves the quality of at least the accounting professional’s life. It also became clearly evident to me that GAAP was the best “ruler†an accountant could have, and if your transactions were well within the parameters established by GAAP, there wouldn’t be any question about the validity of your information.
I am often asked why I didn’t pursue a CPA. I did take the exam and passed it, but I chose not to complete the mandatory “sentence†with one of the “Big 4â€. The only difference I can find that it would have made in my career is in compensation, and I’ve done well without it.
I am well organized, I have excellent communication skills, I understand the accounting software arena and I work well with others. I understand the nuances of percentage of completion and work in process and also understand the differences between manufacturing and construction accounting processes and the similarities. I have worked in an IT environment since its inception and have seen the rise and fall of many an accounting software package. I am actually very accomplished with cash flow projections and forecasting, I am able to manage a number of projects, keep them all straight and still go about the daily business of operating a busy accounting office. I have worked in Excel since it was brought out, with a great deal of experience in Lotus 123 prior to that. I use Excel on a daily basis, including links, pivot tables, formulas and the rest of the list of “wonders†that software includes.
My experience has run the gamut. My current environment presents the opportunity to work with bankers, CPA’s, insurance people, payroll companies, real estate moguls, vendors, subcontractors, construction managers and even laborers. The point of this epistle is to allow you a more accurate look at my abilities and skills, with the final outcome being employment in a valid position.
Objective: To share my experience, background and training and make a positive difference in the operation of a business.
Accomplishments:
• Effectively manage an accounting department, including audits.
o Cash Flow Forecasting
o Maintain intercompany accounts, fixed asset schedules, monthly closing journal entries and timely closes including financial statement presentation
o A/R collections, billings, cash flow management, credit analyses and daily entries
o A/P payments, discounts, credit card reconciliation, banking and daily entries
o Job costing including interface with general ledger, budget adherence, scheduling and payment of subcontractors and vendors based on construction draws
o Maintain and manage all general ledger accounts, producing defendable information for tax preparation and auditing
o Able to manage many inter-related companies
o Produce timely and correct financial consolidation statements for all inter-related companies
o Manage completion of construction accounts, revenue recognition and WIP
• Produce correct and timely financial information.
• Modernize IT equipment and software to the advantage of all involved, including implementation.
• Recommend software applicable to the general business needs of the company.
• Interface with HR department with employee manual input and employee benefit management.
• Audit insurance coverage, reducing costs and liability and improving company understanding of liabilities and excesses.
• Accomplished $100K savings in Insurance costs by implementing tighter controls on builders risk start-up and cancellation, subcontractor presentation of insurance certification and tighter controls on employee equipment and vehicle usage.
• Motivate staff in all areas by setting and maintaining goals, teaching important skills with current and upgraded software and encouraging general abilities in all departments.
• Coordinate and implement accounting software conversions.
• Positively represent the company and the owners in meetings with bankers, vendors, subcontractors and government agencies.
• Facilitate foreign banking and money transfer transactions, letters of credit, and other related foreign banking matters.
• Establish and maintain credit lines.
• Review sales documents for accuracy, implementing advanced Excel spreadsheet to facilitate accurate and timely sales information and customer upgrade selection billing, increasing sales by $300K annually in sales not billed properly.
• Interface directly with CPA firm, providing timely financial information for audited/reviewed statements and tax preparation. Eliminated the need for daily input from CPA firm by restructuring workflow and implementing teaching procedure for GAAP processes, securing $150K yearly savings in CPA fees.
• Provide forecasts and budgets, including information from other department heads, and assistance in implementing and enforcing budgets; including capital expenditures, capital leases, lines of credit and other purchasing controls.
• Advanced payroll/labor distribution skills, including direct deposit and employee leasing advantages and savings.
Education: BBA University of Utah/USC Accounting Specialty
BA University of Utah Secondary Education Teaching Credential
Skills:
• Accomplished communication skills and abilities, verbal and written.
• Complex organizational skills.
• More than twenty years of valid accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of GAAP and the ability to apply it to all accounting processes .
• Proven construction accounting understanding, including WIP, revenue recognition and application of construction processes.
• Personnel evaluation and placement, including but not limited to teaching of necessary skills for position accuracy.
• Advanced QuickBooks experience, including POS and Enterprise Solutions software.
• MS Office 2007 including expert experience in Excel, Word and Outlook; moderate experience in Access; and general presentation skills in Power Point.
• Newstar Financial Analysis Software by Constellation, including first time implementation, set-up and conversion.
• Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows VISTA.
• Peachtree, GrowthPower, Timberline Construction Accounting, Platinum SQL, Lawson, Lotus 123, ACCPAC, Quatro Pro.
• HP 3000 Management.
Experience: Controller Jimmy Zufelt Construction, Inc. Sept 2003 to present
Controller Wasatch Engineering Construction, Inc. Dec 2002 to Sept 2003
Controller OPC, Inc. Aug 1999 to Sept 2002
Director of Acctg Volume Services America Mar 1997 to Aug 1999
General Acct Mgr J H Williams July 1995 to Mar 1997
References: Available on request.
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