DAVID H. BEHNEN, JR.

St. Louis, Missouri 63132 davebehnen@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/DaveBehnen

3145407037 Cell

3144323278 Home
OBJECTIVE

To lead the operations of an organization by solving complex problems, creating and executing strategic
plans, building rapport with customers and employees and forming collaborative relationships at all
levels of the business.
QUALIFICATIONS

BUSINESS:
Critical Problem Solving
Change Management
P&L and Budgets
Start Ups/Turnarounds / Restructuring
Strategic Planning & Project Management
Cost Accounting & Benefit Analysis
Motivational Team Leadership/Development

OPERATIONS:
Process Improvement/Management
QA/QC
Cost Reduction/Expense Control
Strategic Sourcing/Vendor Relations
Inventory Management
Workforce Planning/Recruiting/Hiring
Critical Problem Solving

SALES & MARKETING:

Business Development
Client Relations / Customer Service
Sales Cycle Management
Contract Creation / Negotiation
Needs Assessment / Solutions

LEGAL:
Contract Formulation/Negotiation/Compliance
Benefits/Compensation/Policy Development
Risk Management/Safety Compliance
Employee/Labor Relations
Recruiting/Hiring Policy Development
ACHIEVEMENTS

Created, directed and facilitated the sale of a company. Led the start-up of a plastic card printing and
personalization company. Developed product line, cultivated new corporate customers, designed production
facility, established quality and delivery matrices and, ultimately, was the lead for the company during due
diligence phase of sale to private equity group. During due diligence phase, I portrayed the companys internal
and external marketplace positioning with the buyers attorneys, accountants, market investigators and
primary/mezzanine lenders. Also reported to and negotiated with the sellers creditors and lending institution.
Directed a strategic product change. During the initial years of the company, the primary product was phone
cards. As the phone card industry transitioned to a less profitable paper product, I moved our production
capabilities to the growing gift card market. I researched the market and identified the main customer targets. I
also identified and purchased the necessary additional equipment for entry into the new market. Over the next
four years, annual sales rose by 100%.
Reorganized production processes. The original process was to print each order on press requiring prepress to produce plates and for operations to set up each job on the press. I identified that 80% of the orders
were standard artwork with the addition of a company name and location information. I oversaw a plan to preprint a 30-day supply of each of the standard cards. The individual company information was then added using
existing personalization equipment rather than using the press. The new process saved over $30 per order for
100+ orders a day which was a 50% decrease in overall cost.
Developed a six sigma program. Worked with our largest customer in order to aid them in addressing
product issues within its customer base. I developed CTQs, determined testing procedures and protocols,
analyzed the testing results, determined the reporting requirements, and monitored the progress of the
program. As a result, we were awarded the Best in Quality award by our customer four separate times.

DAVID H. BEHNEN, JR.

davebehnen@gmail.com

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Managed workflow reorganization. Facilitated the creation of a program that took locations of text from a
PDF and translated them to x-y coordinates for direct use on personalization equipment. Coordinated and
collaborated with inside and outside IT parties as well as the personalization equipment manufacturer. The
result was to lower process time by 75% in the prepress area.
Collaborated with customer to develop product line. One of the largest transaction processors was looking
to develop a short run gift card program for small retailers. I leveraged my product knowledge and our
companys positioning in the short run market in collaborating with our customer to develop the program. This
program created 3,000+ orders per month with yearly sales of $2.2 million and an EBITDA margin of 31%, three
times the industry EBITDA margins.
Earned employee trust and convinced them to stay at company. In 2008, the owner of the company cut all
compensation by 25%. Further, there were no raises during the duration of his ownership. I convinced the
employees that the company valued them immensely by creating an open environment of communication. In
that time span, only one employee voluntarily left the company after obtaining a degree that was completely
outside any need of the company.
EXPERIENCE
GREETABL, St. Louis, Missouri; May 2015 September 2015
Interim Chief Operations Officer and In-House Legal Counsel
Assisted in the pivot and relaunch of a St. Louis-based start-up. Defined substrate, printing method and
turnaround times, for the production of a new, personalized gift box product. Employed those metrics to qualify
an outside manufacturer and fulfillment provider. Developed planning schedule for rollout of future product
adds. Supported the creation of a new website by developing the FAQ, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy sections.
Negotiated and drafted licensing agreements with illustrators and collaborators.
AMERICAN CARD SERVICES (ACS)
Formerly DATA MANUFACTURING, INC (DMI), Chesterfield, Missouri; 1994-2014
President, Chief Operations Officer and In-House Legal Counsel for leading company in the short run
prepaid/financial plastic card industry with annual sales of $6.5 million.
Directed operations of a short-run, extremely fast paced plastic card division with eight departments including
Sales and Marketing, PrePress and Printing; Personalization; PostPress Processing and Shipping; QA/QC; IT;
HR; and Accounting. Create business plans and marketing strategies, manufacturing and production planning, and
implement new product launches. Provide legal counsel for entire company. Staff comprised of two departmental
level managers and 30+ (20 fulltime, 10-15 seasonal) plant employees.
EDUCATION
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW - Juris Doctorate
Admitted to State Bar of Missouri
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES BSc. Mechanical Engineering w/ Petroleum Engineering Minor
BOEING INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Saint Louis University
Executive Masters of International Business Program
Coursework Completed / Thesis Not Completed
PATENTS
Inventor of record for one patent