EDWARD J.

DARNELL
ejdarnell@hotmail.com (209) 656-1394 Turlock, CA 95382

SENIOR OPERATIONS PROFESSIONAL

PLANT MANAGEMENT, PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING
EXECUTIVE QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE
Highly accomplished senior level management professional with a strong history of safety, training, and production leadership in union and non-union plant environments. Expertise in attaining HACCP, Food Safety, and Quality compliance. Dedication to quality and cost controls as well as operational process improvement. Motivational leader committed to enforcing individual accountability in order to meet and exceed business and client expectations. Experienced in batch processing of blends requiring the mixing of liquids and powders and the packaging of products in bottles and bag-in-box.

KEY COMPETENCIES
Change Management Coaching Inventory Management Procurement/Purchasing Budgeting Food Safety and Quality Training Safety Management Lean Manufacturing Policy Development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
FOSTERS WINE ESTATES AMERICA (CURRENTLY TREASURY WINE ESTATES), Paso Robles, CA
2008 to 2010 American wine segment of Australian brewer: Fosters. Produces Beringer and Chateau St. Jean with annual production of 15M cases ranking #5 in the U.S. Non-union environment. Operations Manager Oversaw six direct reports with 40-60 hourly employees producing 10.9M gallons of wine in stainless steel tanks and oak barrels with a $4M budget. Directed all production spanning crushing, fermenting, filtration, and shipping and receiving. Supervised sanitation and safety with strong focus on HACCP, Food Safety, Quality compliance, and Safety Training of all production personnel. Managed quarterly bottling including materials ordering and labor schedules. Researched and implemented new technologies including replacement of oak barrels with stainless steel tanks (28K barrels transitioned over two-year period). Established skills training program to layout and evaluate employees knowledge and proficiency. Increased emphasis on individual accountability by enforcing disciplinary action previously ignored. Assisted in achieving one of states first certifications by California Sustainable Wine Alliance for Meridian Vineyards.

BRONCO WINE COMPANY, Ceres, CA

2006 to 2008 Fourth largest wine company in the U.S. selling popular brand Two Buck Chuck with annual production of 20M cases. Union environment. Production Manager Directed ten reports and 90-175 hourly employees shipping 1M+ gallons weekly and processing up to 60M gallons of wine during harvest. Managed all processes spanning training, plant safety, sanitation, chemical and material inventory, filtration monitoring, and labor management. Updated standard operating procedures. Cross-functional collaboration on staffing needs including transition from agency-referrals to direct hires with pre-required skills evaluated through a written test. Investigated process improvement technologies. Collaborated with Compliance Department on Track and Trace to identify processing chemicals per bottle of wine. Established Training Supervisor role ensuring proper education of new hires and retraining of veterans, resulting in a 10% decrease in processes errors. Launched line management system similar to Map Quest to assist in labeling pathways when pumping wine from one location to another, resulting in a 10% savings in labor expenses.

EDWARD J. DARNELL ejdarnell@hotmail.com (209) 656-1394

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DIAGEO CHATEAU AND ESTATE WINES, Paicines, CA

2003 to 2006 Wine section of Diageo, worlds largest alcoholic beverage company carrying brands including: Beaulieu Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, and #1 European export Blossom Hill. Annual production averaging 8M cases per year ranking #8 in the U.S. Union environment Production Manager Directed two direct reports and 35-90 hourly employees charged with processing up to 3.7M gallons of wine in peak season and shipping more than 1M gallons monthly, while managing a $2.5M budget. Oversaw processing, training, safety, and sanitation efforts, as well as direct staff scheduling, operational updates, and maintenance of chemical and material levels. Sourced new technology for process improvements, and assumed role as HACCP Coordinator. Increased efficiencies while maintaining labor expenses by adding an additional shift without adding headcount. Led various projects including the installation and start-up of a filling station for containers for export to England and Italy, as well as installation and start-up of nitrogen generator that exceeded expected ROI.

E&J GALLO WINERY, Modesto, CA

1974 to 2003 Nations largest wine company producing 60M cases annually of drinks including: Gallo Sonoma, Turning Leaf, Boones Farms and Rancho Zabaco wines; Andre champagne; and Bartles & Jaymes wine cooler. Union environment Cellar Superintendent 1997 to 2003 Managed four supervisors and 50 hourly employees regarding scheduling, training, and efficiency for union environment processing up to 30M gallons of wine and 400K gallons of champagne per week with a labor budget of $1.6M. Performed processes including wine clarification, filtration, and blending, as well as champagne processing. Directed team to redesign faulty heel filter and eliminate necessary re-filtering of contaminated wine, saving $50K-$70K annual in labor, materials, and downgraded product. Managed capex project to alter flat-bottom tank from flat floor requiring manual cleaning (that was labor intensive), to a sloped floor that fully eliminated remaining liquid on tank floor and saved more than initial investment. Member of team to acquire ISO9001 certification. Planned the production and bottling of over 7 million gallons annually of champagne. Lead Supervisor, 1990 to 1997 Process Scheduling Analyst, 1988 to 1990 Cellar Supervisor, 1984 to 1988 Senior Technician, Micro Quality Assurance, 1975 to 1984 Line Technician, Quality Assurance, September 1974 to 1975

EDUCATION & TRAINING

M.B.A. Operations Management, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA B.A. Cellular and Molecular Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA QAC Certificate to Administer SO2 gas to wine barrels, State of California Certified to Handle Hazardous Materials Certified in Hazardous Waste Management Food Safety Management