Executive Resume
Christopher E. Kondracki
281 Golden Woods Court Great Falls, VA 22066
Home (703) 865-6866 Cell (703) 943-6875
Email: Skype:
Leadership Profile
Senior Executive Leadership, Business Process Improvement, Strategic Planning,
Change Management, P&L Leadership, Team Building/Motivation, Training/Development
An accomplished operations executive with expertise in directing manufacturing operations, developing facilities and managing processes. Excellent at building and motivating teams, groups, and divisions. Outstanding ability to apply advanced financial metrics to profitably manage operating, manufacturing, and production functions. In-depth experience includes innovative, visionary leadership, excellent insight into key industry opportunities and challenges, and superior negotiating skills.
Professional Experience
Specialized Patent Services
Arlington, Virginia
CEO/President
1988 to 2011
Provided leadership for entire operation from the ground floor, including strategic planning, staffing, development, and profitability. Provided legal services support for major national and international intellectual property law firms and corporate legal clientele. Conducted technical research and other industry appropriate paralegal support services serving patent, trademark, and copyright practitioners, CEOs, research and development staff, and engineers. Recruited, developed, and managed employees, subcontractors, and vendors.
Financial Achievements
· Grew revenues from zero to $1.6 million, as illustrated below:
Christopher E. Kondracki Page 2
· Secured bank financing of $200,000 for the company’s first acquisition and self-financed the second, third, and fourth acquisitions.
· Maintained 21 to 25 percent profitability margin over company’s 23-year history.
· Achieved an outstanding 99.5 percent collection rate through the implementation of systematic processes and procedures.
· Sold the business to an international corporation for $1.2 million plus additional earn out and employment compensation.
Business Achievements
· Boosted sales of major product from 500 units to 2,500 units by defining strong marketing objectives and sales programs.
· Sustained a 75 percent client retention rate, which allowed for fewer advertising and marketing expenses; ran the business for 12 years without paid advertising expenses due to superior client retention and client referrals.
· Designed and implemented a multi-faceted marketing and branding strategy to address the changing dynamic marketplace.
· Designed and implemented a robust benefits package with an original 401K plan to assist with employee retention; slashed annual turnover from 100 percent to 30 percent.
· Initiated a formal employee training strategy to increase gross margin by 20 percent.
· Established and developed mentoring program which reduced training times for new staff.
· Reduced FTE (full-time employee expenses) by increasing base line employment requirements.
Technology Achievements
· One of the first companies in the industry to purchase a large database of electronic data that provided competitive first mover advantage and contributed to growth.
· Led the change from paper to electronic delivery of product in the year 2000 and was one of the first to do so in industry.
· Designed and implemented a simple-to-use Web-based ordering system for clients in 2000.
· Implemented change management procedures to overcome internal and external resistance toward computerization and automation of services and products.
Education
· MBA, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA—2000.
· BA, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, Economics and American Studies—1988.
Community Organizations/Activities
· Charter Board Member and President—National Intellectual Property Researchers Association, Arlington, VA.
· Member, International Patent Information Users Group (PIUG).
· Member and Treasurer, Board of Directors, Northern Virginia Patent Lawyers Club.
· Member, Board of Directors, SOC Enterprises (Non-Profit), Arlington, VA.
· Treasurer, Board of Directors, Bayberry Bluffs Homeowners Association, Duck, NC.
Key Accomplishment Summary
Christopher E. Kondracki
Drove Company Growth through Acquisition
Situation:
The company was stagnating in a very mature industry where growth was quickly threatened. After some research, discovered one business in the same industry that was in transition and was a potential candidate for takeover. Because of the similarities, the new business could be integrated without much difficulty and its client list could expand the business and foster growth. The partner owners of the potential acquisition could not agree on how to divide their interests, so the minority owner decided to open a new business and took many of the clients. While this was a negative factor, it also brought the price of the acquisition down.
Action Plan:
· Examined the biggest stumbling blocks first (client defection, remaining client retention, and employee retention) and addressed each one head on before the negotiation process began.
· Kept the deal simple by immediately addressing all the majority partner’s concerns, primarily employee retention and salary.
· Conducted a meeting with the company’s employees and made a commitment to retain them all at the same salary and benefits plus added paid healthcare and additional holiday leave, ensuring employee buy-in and high morale.
· Arranged funding through a bank loan and one individual silent investor.
· Negotiated a simple deal directly with the controlling partner to buy the business at a distressed rate; kept lawyers out of the deal until the end, saving a lot of time and expense.
· Designed a new retirement plan for the majority owner, which allowed the owner to phase out slowly (within one year).
· Personally traveled to visit major clients across the country, assuring them that the majority partner was staying on and business would continue unhampered.
· Engineered a different process model to expand/improve services in both scale and scope; added new services for technical research and consulting.
Results:
Closed the deal from start to finish in only 65 days, driving clients from 25 to 500, with no interruption to services and no deviation from industry deadlines. Employees remained loyal to the company and the clients. Client relationships were solidified by the personal visits (face-to-face visits were highly unusual in the industry) and more than 80 percent of the acquired clients continued to do business with the company.
Key Accomplishment Summary
Christopher E. Kondracki
Rebranded to Foster Growth and Boost Sales
Situation:
A B2B professional service business had no budget for advertising and, while the company name was well known in the industry due to its longevity, the brand was weak. The company had a history of good client retention (15 percent attrition) and only a small number of new clients were added annually. All advertising was done by word of mouth and referrals. Due to the number of client calls asking sales staff if particular products or services were offered, it became evident that sales in those areas were being lost because customers were not aware of them.
Action Plan:
· Hired a prominent marketing firm to design new logos and corporate branding and devise new marketing and advertising plans.
· Created a multi-tier advertising campaign that included print ads, direct mail, a calling campaign, and a new Web presence.
· Hired an outside call center vendor for the direct call campaign, implementing a newly-created call center guide.
· Directed the print ad campaign to the only two industry publications in existence.
· Worked with an outside website designer to build a site from the ground up, incorporating new graphics and branding. Included an online ordering and delivery system for clients.
· Designed and created a direct mail campaign using a focused mailing list of 20,000 contacts secured from the U.S. patent office roster of practicing agents and attorneys. The mailers familiarized clients with the new company brand and directed them to the convenient new website with its enhanced ordering features.
Results:
Updated a stale, outdated brand that had existed for more than 30 years. Instead of clients inquiring about services, clients began to more fully appreciate the breadth of services offered and began to order directly through the online system. This was the first of many brand awareness and advertising campaigns that are now the standard for the company. This initial campaign grew sales by 15 percent. The industry was such that client retention is high with almost all being repeat customers. Once a client was introduced to the services, it was highly likely they would return again and again.
Key Accomplishment Summary
Christopher E. Kondracki
Boosted Revenues 20 Percent with Industry Paradigm Change
Situation:
One of the two large legal information suppliers in the industry had to compete against a field of “mom and pop” businesses with low overhead and resultant low prices. It was a time of transition for customers who were used to receiving information and technical reports in a hard paper format. These paper formats took from several days to weeks to get customers the information required. It was desirable to find a way to send the information more quickly.
Action Plan:
· Hired a software engineer; personally oversaw the design and implementation of a system that would allow clients to access documents through a website. The system was designed within three months.
· Purchased large database of technical information from the U.S. patent office to expand and improve the research offerings.
· Moved the company to a larger site to accommodate the new system infrastructure. Negotiated a new lease and purchased furnishings and equipment.
· Implemented change management procedures to overcome internal resistance toward computerization and automation of services and products. The paradigm shift had made employees nervous about the stability of their jobs, feeling that the system would become so effective that it would replace them. Addressed employee concerns openly in staff meetings to assure employees that their jobs would not be eliminated but merely changing for the better.
· Many of the older clients were also resistant; some had been doing business with the company for upwards of 20 years. They were used to how they ordered and liked the existing services. However, once the system proved effective and turnaround times decrease substantially, many of these long-time customers began to the new system.
· Initiated a training program to educate staff on how to use the system and how to assist clients with online technical support on the use of the system.
Results:
Directed one of the first paradigm shifts in the industry; from paper to electronic product delivery, and was one of the first companies in the industry to actually purchase data files. Customers had previously ordered by phone and had to wait for documents to be delivered by courier service; the new system resulted in instantaneous delivery of documents. Cut turnaround times from several days to one day. The clients loved the new enhanced services and word of mouth spread quickly through the industry. Revenues grew 20 percent the first year the system was implemented, and new clients continued to be added daily for the next two years.