biography

James Hoefflin Executive Consultant

Since lauching nextsevenLLC, Jim has been focused on providing clients with temporary leadership, IT and applications consulting, and mergers & acquisitions support. In these roles, Jim has consistently driven results. Recent engagements include:

• Assuming Chief Marketing Officer responsibilities for a $250M+ international software solution provider. Successfully completed a 200 person immersion training effort across six major product lines, hosted a record 650 attendee User Conference, and chartered the go-forward strategic marketing direction.

• Providing full P&L leadership to a $12M engineering services division of a larger organization. Created direct sales campaigns, partnership programs, new service offerings and business plans resulting in increased revenue and profitability.

• Leading the business due diligence efforts in the acquisition of a $35M revenue international retail systems solution provider on behalf of a strategic buyer.

• Leading business due diligence efforts in the acquisition of a $25M revenue international solution provider on behalf of a larger competitor. After closure, successfully led the integration team in moving the acquired company from a position of break-even to one of targeted profitability in three months, significantly exceeding targeted performance and timelines.

• Creation of business plans and funding strategies for a local group of entrepeneurs.

• Completion of due diligence efforts on an acquisition target for a global solution provider, and in the process, identifying an issue contributing to a significant negative impact on EBITDA and allowing the client to create a more accurate valuation.

• Completion of an in-depth IT Audit for a publicly traded national provider of electronic parts catalogs and related technology / services. Identified a number of critical areas of exposure and strategic initiatives.

• Revamped product and architecture marketing materials for a local software / solution provider creating better articulation of competitive differentiation by broadening the message, assigning value propositions to each aspect, and creating supporting sales materials.

Jim spent the years 1998 to 2005 with McHugh Software / RedPrairie (http://www.redprairie.com) in a variety of roles. The roles included Chief Technology Officer, Senior Vice President of Implementation Services, Warehouse Systems Business Unit President/COO and Senior Vice President of Information Technology. During those years Jim's responsibilities included: architectural direction and ongoing development of four different product lines, spread across three geographic locations; all associated Quality Assurance, Publications, Training and Support Services; Implementation Services and Hardware Services, at an annual $50M run rate and 200 people; a $14M global R&D effort consisting of 100 domestic and 35 offshore resources; an $8M of IT, Office Services and Capital Expenditures. Key accomplishments included:

• Jim was a key executive responsible for the turnaround effort beginning in 2001, a return to profitability in 2002, expansion in 2003 and 2004, and the successful 2005 sale of RedPrairie to Francisco Partners.

• Jim was a key executive during the due diligence and integration efforts for the 2004 acquisition of LIS, a $40M annual revenue supply-chain solutions provider headquartered outside of London.

• He determined corporate offshore development strategy, including a partnership structure used to create a staff of 35 technical resources located in Shanghai, China.

• During his tenure in Implementation Services, Jim drove services margins up 20 points, over $8M annualized EBITDA contribution, by re-organizing the department into competitive “business groups”, eliminating levels of hierarchy and underutilized resources. Instituted new project management techniques, i.e. automated status reports, project control systems focus, project risk assessments, etc.

• He led the organization into a new mid-market segment via a Six Sigma project. The project redefined the service offerings to better map to the requirements of the mid-market. Currently generating over 30% of our RedPrairie's new business and 25% of new license revenue from this market.

• Jim established a customer-centric Account Management function to strengthen long-term customer relationships. Created the strategic charter for the group and recruited the founding members of the organization.

• He created a comprehensive go-to-market and architectural strategy, re-branded acquired technologies, and aligned all four original products lines into a Services Oriented Architecture. Created communications materials and presented the strategy to industry analysts, customers, prospects, and Board of Directors.

• Served as a Board Director for Bleum Software Development, Shanghai, China. As a Director, provides Bleum with operational and financial guidance and critique.

In 1990, Jim co-founded Software Architects, Inc. and was there until the 1998 acquisition by McHugh Software (now RedPrairie). Software Architects focused on creating next generation warehouse management software for high-profile customers such as Compaq Computer Corporation, Delta Faucet, Timex Corporation, Danka Industries, Revman Industries, and Weyerhaeuser. Key accomplishments included:

• Jim, and co-founder Mark Fralick (http://www.getusroi.com), demonstrated entrepreneurial aptitude by starting a successful software company, running the company through seven years of profitability, and ultimately being acquired by a larger competitor.

• Software Architects, Inc. created an advanced component architecture, designed to allow customers to more closely replicate their exact business process flows, while still retaining an unimpeded path for upgrades. This architecture was clearly the predecessor to today's Services Oriented Architectures (SOA), being a decade or more ahead of the general market.

• Software Architects, Inc. used an advanced Value Added Reseller (VAR) business model for distribution of it's software product.

For the seven years prior to Software Architects, Inc. Jim held a variety of product development and technical services roles for DCI Marketing, Computer Consultants to Management, Norman Rockwell Museum, Inc. and Superior Die Set. During these initial in business, Jim gained a tremendous appreciation for the wide variety of technologies and approaches to solving business problems.

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