MATT STRATE, CPA

636-439-8485 (cell)

Chesterfield, MO 63005 mattstrate1@gmail.com

CFO / SVP / VP FINANCE

Controls / Treasury / Bank, Vendor & Board Relations / M&A / Integrations / Operations / HR / IT Cash Management / Cost Control / Legal / Revenue, Profit & Performance Improvement
Experience in building the infrastructures and raising the capital to support growth and change. Successful in providing the financial, operational and administrative leadership to ensure peak organizational performance. A financial executive with extensive operations management experience, my strengths include Turning around underperforming businesses, departments and personnel Finding and seizing opportunities to cut costs while boosting customer satisfaction and quality Developing and executing strategies to meet rapidly changing market, legal and competitive needs Leading new construction, upgrade (facilities, IT) and renovation projects to successful conclusion

BS in Business, major in Accounting plus AA in Computer Science both from Southeast Missouri State University. Certified Public Accountant - State of Missouri. Complete average of 40 hours of CPE per year for CPA license. A Certified Information Systems Auditor current license pending completion of CPE. Selected Accomplishments Boosted profitability. Preferred Family Healthcares (PFH) bottom line was only 1% of revenue. Re-wrote policies and procedures. Purchased new software applications. Established controls to contain costs and improve productivity. Drove bottom line to 8%. Grew equity from $5.5M to $19.5M million, as revenue grew from $23 to $42M. Orchestrated mergers, acquisitions and integrations. Worked with the CEO to identify potential mergers and acquisitions and new fields of growth. Led integrations including extensive work on the cultural differences between organizations. Unified SOPs and created a synergistic staff with high morale. Grew cash reserves. Joined PFH when there were no cash reserves and $1.5M had been drawn from the Line of Credit. Analyzed sources and uses of cash. Accelerated collections and delayed the payment of invoices until due dates. Regained a positive position in six months and built up reserves to $5M. Overcame crisis. In 2007, PFH was in default on its bank debt covenants, jeopardizing its continued existence. Met with bankers and renegotiated the covenants to eliminate the default position. Secured a six month extension of terms enabling PFH to make changes and achieve compliance. Slashed interest expense. PFH was financing its facilities through conventional bank loans. Found and seized an opportunity to refinance debt through tax-exempt bonds. Negotiated a tax-exempt bond deal to refinance facilities at an interest rate that was 65% of the conventional loan rate. Saved $175K annually in interest expense. Transformed IT failure into a triumph. Took over a failed project to install a new legacy software system. Decided to develop the system in house. Led the full life cycle of the implementation project. The system is being rolled out and has been judged by auditors, IT consultants as the best system in the industry. PFH plans to market it. Upgraded facilities. PFHs facilities were not at an acceptable level for an industry leader. Developed both short and long range plans for facilities upgrades. Created a strategy to obtain financing. Orchestrated the investment of $30M in new construction or remodeling. PFH is now considered to have the best facilities in the State. Started a new business. Delmar needed to control skyrocketing health care costs to maintain profitability. Part of the team that established a self-insured captive insurance company in the Cayman Islands. Eliminated the costs of outside insurance company's overhead and profits. Saved hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Employment History CFO Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. 2007 to present. Manage Operations, HR, Accounting, IT, Billing and 3rd Party Insurance. Lead a team of 100 professional and support personnel in this $42M behavioral health care organization. Guided company growth from $23M to $42M since 2007. Controller Delmar Gardens Management Services - 2000 to 2007. Responsible for month end closing procedures, P&L management and budget analysis. Also responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and captive insurance company based in the Cayman Islands. Delmar is a $225M health care provider. Partner Lang, Strate & Associates - 1991 to 2000. Developed and supported a multi-industry clientele (manufacturing, construction, retail, financial institutions and more). Earlier, employed in auditing and financial management positions with May Department Stores and Ernst & Young.