Robert M.

Experience

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  Smith's (Kroger); City of Green River, WY; TG mine, Mini Mart, Pizza Hut

  Jun 1989 - Mar 1993

  Bagger, Laborer, Cook, Cashier

  The early days

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  Intel, Jacobs Engineering, ECI Engineering, & Nat'l Co-op Refining Association

  Jan 1993 - Jan 2005

  Refinery & semiconductor plant designer

  Built a reputation for clean, cost-effective designs in the semiconductor and then oil & gas industries: • Global Engineering Firms - Delivered cutting-edge semiconductor fab designs • Local Refineries/Gas Plants- Optimized designs to convert engineer diagrams into real-world builds• Major Infrastructure - Led design of Dallas Area Rapid Transit's LNG fueling system (still operating today) Why This Mattered:This wasn't just engineering - it was translating technical excellence into operational reality. My work: ✓ Powered silicon wafer production during the tech boom ✓ Kept refineries running safely and profitably ✓ Put cleaner buses on Dallas roads The Pivot:After mastering this field, I pursued my MBA not because I couldn't design, but because I wanted to solve bigger business challenges. The same systems thinking that worked in process design proved equally valuable in corporate strategy. Show less

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  Kirby Vacuum and ABC Nissan

  Jan 1993 - Jan 1994

  Early Sales Education: Kirby Vacuums & ABC Nissan (Pre-Engineering Foundation | Age 18-19)

  My unconventional business education began selling two of America's hardest-to-move products: The Kirby Graduate Program• Mastered door-to-door sales of $1,500 vacuums (equivalent to $3,000 today) • Learned to demonstrate extreme value for premium products • Developed resilience through constant rejection ABC Nissan Finishing School• Executed the Van Tuyl "CONTROL" sales process on used car lots • Discovered how to align products with buyer psychology • Gained street-level understanding of perceived vs. actual value Why This Matters Now:These gritty first jobs taught me more about real business than any classroom could: ✓ How to frame value propositions that overcome price objections ✓ The difference between selling features and solving problems ✓ That all business ultimately comes down to human decisions These skills proved equally valuable selling engineering services, strategic projects, and later, convincing executives to abandon bad ideas. Show less

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  Indiana Small Business Development Center / Purdue Research Park

  Mar 2006 - May 2007

  Business Advisor (concurrent with full-time MBA program)

  Put my emerging operations and strategy education to immediate real-world application, helping entrepreneurs transform ideas into viable businesses. This became the proving ground for my "good business run wisely" philosophy. Key Contributions:▸ Rescued multiple startups from failure through hands-on operational interventions ▸ Developed complete business frameworks - from pricing models to investor pitches ▸ Bridged the academic/practical divide by applying MBA concepts to real challenges Sample Engagements:• Guided a biotech startup from prototype to $2M Series A funding • Restructured a manufacturer's pricing model, restoring profitability • Transformed a struggling logistics operation, saving 12 jobs Lasting Impact:This experience cemented my belief that sound fundamentals—not gimmicks or growth-at-all-costs—make businesses thrive. The lessons learned here still inform my approach today. Show less

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  Refrigeration division of major US industrial conglomerate

  May 2007 - Jan 2008

  Corporate Truth Teller (Internal Consultant)

  Handpicked by the division president - one of the rare literate executives - to diagnose operational and strategic issues in a $500M refrigeration business. Delivered uncomfortable truths that still hold up years later: Key Realizations:• "Mass specialization" marketing strategies were mathematically incompatible with our manufacturing capabilities and cost structure • Global procurement "savings" were illusions when accounting for dead inventory storage costs • Department-level optimization was focused on siloed excellence but creating collective failure Legacy:The division was eventually sold to a turnaround firm - a quiet validation of the structural issues identified years earlier. This experience became my masterclass in the difference between theoretical and operational strategy. Note:I remain grateful to the original president for the extraordinary learning opportunity Show less

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  Alternative energy subsidiary of multinational cement company

  Jan 2008 - Oct 2009

  Strategy Manager

  Hired to do real strategic work—only to arrive and find my sponsor gone, replaced by a ladder-climbing absentee "leader" who confused PowerPoints with progress. Delivered actual value despite the vacuum: What I Actually Did:- Became the de facto brain for pricing strategy, vertical integration gambles, and M&As- Forced cost discipline on teams that confused spreadsheets with strategy - Shot down ego-driven capex projects masquerading as "growth initiatives" - Mapped new market entries that weren’t just corporate tourism The Catch:My "manager" (remote, disinterested) treated strategy as a buzzword for his next promotion. I treated it as what keeps companies alive. We were not the same. Show less

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  Major legal publishing & public records company

  Oct 2009 - Apr 2017

  Strategic Pricing Architect

  Hired to extinguish fires when the company’s pricing strategy was literally burning down (their analogy, not mine). Transformed chaotic legacy systems into scalable, data-driven frameworks while surviving eight bosses and the offshoring purge. Key Battles Won:- Rescued 40,000 products from pricing anarchy—built a new structure so robust it became the company’s #1 operational improvement - Killed "guesswork pricing"—replaced childish "what’s it worth to you?" surveys with "value-in-use modeling" and discrete-choice analytics (finally quantifying what products were actually worth) - Buried "anecdote-driven decisions"--forced the org to use real sales data instead of tribal folklore and oversimplified averages Why I Left:- Mission accomplished (kids grown, systems fixed) - Became the last domestic holdout before my role was Manila-bound - Eighth reorg. Eighth boss. Clock struck midnight. Show less

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  EagleRider

  Mar 2018 - Nov 2018

  Regional Manager

  Opened a corporate rental location to replace a franchise and transformed it into the company’s top performer—despite their systemic incompetence. The Problem:- Corporate overbooked bikes by 150%, leaving European travelers stranded - No concern for customer experience, only profit extraction - Daily crisis management required due to their greed What I Fixed:- 3X revenue vs. old location (even with restricted inventory) - Highest per-bike earnings in the company - Perfect customer satisfaction (5.0 Google, 100% NPS) - Zero employee turnover—even at below-market pay (loyalty > wages) By summer’s end, I was managing 7 stores across 4 states—proving what happens when someone actually cares. Why I Left: Watched one too many bucket-list dreams get ruined by corporate malfeasance. So I walked away to build an honest rental business—one that wouldn’t betray travelers who saved for years to ride Route 66. Show less

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  Bob's Bikes

  Nov 2018 - Mar 2020

  Founder

  Built a motorcycle rental business catering to international travelers exploring Route 66 and Northern New Mexico’s high desert. Hand-selected vintage and modern bikes, crafted self-guided tour routes, and delivered an authentic Southwest experience—until the state decided otherwise. Why it ended: - New Mexico’s COVID lockdowns (some of the most severe in the U.S.) - International travel bans (our core customer base vanished overnight) Lesson learned: In America, you don’t truly own a business—you’re just renting it from the government. Show less

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  Department of the Interior/RRM-CLM

  Feb 2021 - Oct 2021

  Campground host
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  I am mine

  Jan 2022 - Sept 2024

  Independent Builder & Tradesman

  Carpentry. Painting. Roofing. Electrical (solar included). Plumbing. HVAC. Earthwork. Every skill in my hands, every nail driven with purpose—not for a paycheck, but for something real. Rebuilt two homes—one for me, one for my daughters—because THIS is what men do. No permits pulled by someone else. No contractors hired to hide incompetence. Just the work, done right. Finished Fall 2024. No debt. No corporate sponsors. Just shelter, security, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing I can fix what breaks. P.S. To the "professionals" who’ve never swung a hammer: my daughters’ roof doesn’t leak. Does yours? Show less

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  A Life Worth Living (Consulting: By Exception)

  Feb 2022 - now

  Minimalist / Unintentional Landlord (Retired from the Circus)

  I live cheap, think deep, and haven't made a PowerPoint in years. A 10-hour/week gig covers the basics—food, utilities, taxes—while an accidental rental property (built for my daughters) quietly funds my IRA. The rest is mine. My daily labor: - Cooking real food (from scratch, like God intended) - Maintaining two homes and one good dog - Reading, thinking, and ignoring the 21st century - Wrenching on motorcycles (the last noble trade) No alarms, no surprises—just quiet, sweat, and John Prine wisdom: "Turn off your TV / Throw away your paper / Move into the country / And build you a home..."P.S. Hustle culture is a prison. The door’s open. Show less