Executive in the food industry with the capacity to manage all facets of a manufacturing facility. Results oriented, holding a unique combination of operations, engineering, maintenance, supply chain, and plant expansion expertise. A proven track record of building effective operational teams, improving plant capacity and efficiency and bringing value to shareholders, accomplished through leadership, vision, and process management.

Vice President of Operations @ Directly responsible for all plant operations including packaging, warehousing, engineering and maintenance. From April 2014 to Present (1 year 9 months) Director of Operations @ Provide leadership for operations team that operates a 24hr/day 7 days a week operation with 130 employees. Directly responsible for the performance of the manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, purchasing, engineering, maintenance departments, and 2 outside warehouse distribution centers. Managing an annual operating budget of $30 million and a capital budget of $6.7 million. The plant operates 4-tofu processing and packaging lines, 3 soymilk extraction/processing lines, and 2 high-pressure steam boilers. From January 2010 to April 2014 (4 years 4 months) Engineering Manager @ From January 2010 to December 2010 (1 year) Vice President Of Operations @ Provided C-level leadership to this premium chocolate manufacturing company. Accountable for a $5M operations budget and bottom-line directives of a 40,000 sq. ft. plant and retail store operations encompassing strategic planning, daily operations, engineering and maintenance, purchasing, order fulfillment, distribution, logistics, capital equipment purchasing, R&D, customer service and quality assurance. Managed the seasonal staffing levels for peak packaging periods. From November 2006 to February 2009 (2 years 4 months) VP of Operations @ Managed $8.5M budget and all aspects of a 350,000 sq. ft. plant with four manufacturing, five packaging, and two sugar coating lines operating on a 3 shift 24/7 basis. Managed production / capacity planning, master scheduling, process engineering, supply chain, warehousing, logistics, purchasing, distribution, and maintenance. Collaborated with technical services in maintaining plant operations, acquiring new equipment, and spearheading process installations, led 300 plus union and 14 salaried personnel. From November 1999 to January 2006 (6 years 3 months) Operations Manager @ Managed the Engineering - Maintenance\Supply Chain services providing support to the manufacturing department and oversaw teams responsible for the design, installation commissioning and training of all equipment and building modifications. The 24/5 day facility manufactured extruded and traditional cereal products. Led 7 salaried 30 union employees From 1990 to 1999 (9 years) Plant Engineer @ Directly responsible for engineering and maintenance departments. Managed all plant expansion and system upgrades, more specifically: -Engineered a PLC/PC plant wide automation system. -Managed the design and implementation of company operations IT structure which allowed real time management of raw material and finished goods inventories as well as financial product cost analysis. -Identified and initiated continuous improvement programs which enhanced operational efficiency in manufacturing and packaging. -Designed a raw ingredient milling system to reduce ingredient costs and reduce material waste. -Designed and installed various plant and office modifications, including 2 coating installations, 3 automated packaging lines, cooking/shredding line, 100,000 sq. ft. Warehouse/office expansion. These projects totaled over $30M. From February 1990 to June 1996 (6 years 5 months)

Marine Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering @ Georgian College From 1980 to 1984 Gary Less is skilled in: Employee Relations, Strategic Planning, Budgeting, Product Development, Team Building, Engineering Management, Maintenance Management, Supply Chain Management, Direct Sales, Manufacturing Operations, Lean Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Continuous Improvement, Process Improvement, Budgets