About Nicole J. Smith
Nicole is a results-oriented leader with an entrepreneurial attitude and a proven ability to deliver mission-critical results. As a successful COO at an international packaging and manufacturing company, Nicole has a demonstrated history of developing innovative and creative solutions on a global scale. She is skilled in Operations and Production Management, Quality Management, Team Building, Strategic Sourcing, and Project Management and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
In her 30 years in business, Nicole has overseen the startup and operations of over 20 facilities and projects, working closely with Fortune 500 clients. She has overseen the development of new technologies and continues to lead the advancement and improvement of these products and their implementation around the globe.
Nicole is a charter member of her local chapter of an African American leadership organization where she has been a member the Executive Board since the chapter's installment in 2010; serving as Director of Programming, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Financial Secretary. She serves on the Budget Committee, Financial Audit Team, Programming, Membership, Bylaws Committees, and more.
Nicole is a member of the Board of Trustees for Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a member of the Executive Board for the U.S. Minority Contractors Association's Michigan chapter. She has been a member of Tabernacle Community Church since 2002 where she is a member of the Finance Team and leads the Counting Team.
Experience
- 30 plus years implementing change and managing operations in Fortune 500 manufacturing, packaging and distribution operations
- Simultaneous oversight of 7 production/service operations across the country. Handling all functions related to production systems, budgeting, pricing, staffing and customer relationships
- Responsible for both domestic and international operations for a packaging and manufacturing company including leading the startup of an international business venture in a new industry
- Development and launch of 4 new product lines including engineering, patents, production and cost analysis
- System improvements and cost savings strategies totaling millions
Results / Lean Six Sigma Projects
- Reduced costs in a single operation by 41.6% in 1 year and improved delivery times by 61%, resulting in tripling volumes/revenues within 3 years
- Reduced downtime at a customer's facility by 99.75%, reduced labor by 20%, and absorbed a 35% volume increase. Delivered over $1MM in cost savings to the customer
- Reduced staffing at a manufacturing operation 23% in 2 years, reduced M&R costs by 30%, improved results 63.8%, and delivered 33% cost savings to customer within 3 years
- Successfully started up 23 new production facilities in a variety of cities and launched dozens of varied projects within budget and delivering on production requirements
- Oversaw the completion of 3 state-of-the-art cold storage production facilities and started operations within a 2-month time frame to meet customer deadlines