Donald Berg

Donald Berg is our Fractional CFO and is available part-time to help our clients with Strategic Financial challenges. This is far beyond accounting, bookkeeping, or a controller, instead of a strategic partner with your CEO and Executive Team. Here is his background.

Leadership/Management:
Served as President/COO, VP, CFO, and in various other leadership roles for nonprofits, small to medium-sized businesses, from the start-up to $100MM in annual revenues. Served on and reported to multiple boards of directors. Hired, terminated, trained, built, and led successful teams over 25 years. Knowledge of how all aspects of a business interrelate and how each department affects another.

Strategic Planning:
Led strategic planning for multiple companies. A key difference is that I’ve executed those plans by building teams and holding people accountable. Be both a member and leader of the strategic planning process. Written SWOT, Mission/Vision Statements, 1, 3, 5, 10-year plans. I’ve learned that strategic plans are usually best executed when following a system like EOS. Buy-in on the strategic direction and system for execution from boards/owners/senior management is necessary.

Accounting and Finance:
Built many Pro-forma statements and presented them to banks and investment groups. Ability to teach owners and boards critical aspects of finance. For example, cash flow is different than revenue. Explaining the difference has allowed businesses to become more profitable, properly structure debt, and overall be able to sleep better at night. Experience analyzing and improving profit margins by increasing prices, managing inventory, decreasing expenses, allocating human capital to best effect, and making companies more efficient. Expert in banking relationships; structuring debt, selecting appropriate investments, improving cash flow by increasing inventory turnover and increasing Profit Margins.
Implemented accounting software programs. Expert in financial reporting, such as P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statements. Ability to analyze the numbers and make recommendations on improving the health of companies.
Created scorecards and KPIs to track progress and establish accountability. These KPIs should be only those critical to the business’s success. A usable dashboard for the owner or senior management team is essential to proper fiscal management.

Systems:
Working knowledge of various business-enhancement models, including EOS/Traction, Good to Great model, Pinnacle, Deming Total Quality Management.

International Business/Supply Chain Management:
Well-versed in supply chain management and risk mitigation. Experience within the international business; managed supply chains from the USA to Canada, South America, Europe.

Lobbying/Government incentive programs:
Lobbied at state and federal levels. Worked primarily in economic development, writing legislation, and working with industry-specific lobbyists. Testified before state congressional committees. Extensive experience working with city/state government committees. Understanding financial incentive programs, such as TIFs, PILOTs, tax deferment, and other often-overlooked incentive programs.

HR:
Benefit management expert. Written HR manuals. Worked with health insurance companies to design proper health, vision, dental, workers compensation, and supplemental plans. Experience in 401(k) plans. Written profit sharing and bonus plans.

Insurance:
Managed insurance for companies including auto, general liability, property, business risk, O&E, cyber, inland marine, health, and other insurance plans. Negotiated rates and coverage for all insurance products with various insurance providers.

IT:
Completed several server migrations. History of working with both internal and external IT professionals. Set up numerous IT infrastructures, including offering credit cards, website designs, and web marking efforts. Keen understanding of cyber threats and potential impact on companies.

Raising funds:
Helped raise funds through seed capital, Angel Investments, Series A, B, and C funding, and traditional bank loans/debt financing instruments.

Legal:
Responsible for working with legal issues, such as MOUs, business contracts, and issues related to employee lawsuits.

Real Estate:
Worked for $1billion REIT and largest residential homebuilder in the region. Financed acquisitions of new land and buildings; dispossessed land and properties; includes multifamily, residential, office, retail, and warehousing. Extensive experience working with title companies, banks, insurance companies, HUD, Fannie, Freddie, and private equity.

Non-Profit:
Served on numerous non-profit boards of directors, primarily leading the Finance Committees. Raised funds for these organizations. Helped hire leadership roles. Served as interim president of regional nonprofit in between permanent presidents.

Veteran:
A former captain in the USAF. Budget and Finance Officer. Experience working with government contracts.

Don has two grown children and lives in the Fargo, ND, area.