Tony Lappas, CBA

Experience

• 

  DURON PAINTS AND WALLCOVERINGS, INC

  Jan 1991 - Feb 1993

  Credit Manager

  Managed accounts receivable and extension of credit for commercial accounts, including government agencies, private institutions and independent contractors.

• 

  Choice Hotels International

  Feb 1993 - Feb 2001

  Director Credit, Billing, Collections- Global Commissions July 2002 - March 2008Managed and led the billing, collection, reporting, disbursement and customer service for travel agent commissions, marketing programs, and the Choice Privileges loyalty program worldwide. Coached and developed a team of 11 associates. Oversaw $110M in revenue and 10.5M financial and non-financial transactions in multiple currencies. Analyzed financial statements and approval credit for new marketing partners. Resolved audit issues with accounting, escheatment, bank reconciliations, and foreign exchange issues and ensured Sarbanes-Oxley compliance of accounting systems and procedures. Revised department policies and procedures as part of audit resolution to improve financial controls and reporting and provided training to department staff on all changes.Implemented new procedures to reduce DSO by 25% and bad debt by 33%.Served as the liaison between the marketing department, franchisees, travel agents and the accounting to provide all data collection and financial reporting.Completed evaluation of existing billing and A/R system. Initiated implementation of system upgrade to improve financial reporting, functionality and productivity.; Managed business planning, budgeting and analysis of marketing strategies for the Econo Lodge brand. Coordinated the services of reservations, marketing, purchasing and field support to efficiently deliver quality service to franchised hotels. Evaluated initiatives to determine the best return for system revenue and improvement in consumer ratings for the brand. Implemented an exterior loan program to 270 hotels, tracked the ROI for both the hotel owners and Choice Hotels International.Acted as liaison for Choice Hotels with the Econo Lodge Franchisee Association. Created and presented financial reports and garnered support for programs and initiatives for brand improvement. Show less Managed the credit and collection activities for approximately 4800 accounts generating over $400M in annual franchise revenues. Responsible for review of financial data and credit approval of new franchise applications. Determined need for personal, corporate guarantees or other credit enhancements and worked with attorneys on legal matters. Reduced DSO by nearly 50% and bad debt by 40% while maintaining business relationships with franchisees. Established credit lines for FF&E purchases for new construction and renovation projects via loan/lease programs and bank letters of credit. Show less Managed the credit and collection activities for approximately 4500 accounts generating over $400M in annual franchise revenues. Responsible for review of financial data and credit approval of new franchise applications. Determined need for personal, corporate guarantees or other credit enhancements. Prepared financial reports, budgets and cash forecasts for the Vice President of Finance.Reduced DSO by nearly 50% and bad debt by 40% while maintaining business relationships with franchisees.Worked with in house attorneys and substantially increased collection of bad debt.Established credit lines for FF&E purchases for new construction and renovation projects via loan/lease programs and bank letters of credit. Assisted in development of creative loan program for exterior renovation projects Worked with billing and IT departments to test and implement new billing and A/R system. Show less

  • Director of Brand Management

    Jun 1998 - Feb 2001

  • Director of Credit

    Dec 1997 - Jun 1998

  • Corporate Credit Manager

    Feb 1993 - Dec 1997
• 

  Avendra

  Jun 2001 - Jul 2002

  Credit Manager

  Tested and implemented a new billing and A/R system. Established credit and A/R procedures for a new company which provided contract purchasing services for a partnership of Marriott, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotels, Fairmont Hotels and Club Corp. Hired and trained staff, established goals, metrics and financial reports. Performed credit analysis for approval of credit lines and terms of sale.

• 

  Choice Hotels International

  Jul 2002 - Mar 2008

  Director, Credit, Billing, Collections

  Managed and led the billing, collection, reporting, disbursement and customer service for travel agent commissions, marketing programs, and the Choice Privileges loyalty program worldwide. Coached and developed a team of 11 associates. Oversaw $110M in revenue and 10.5M financial and non-financial transactions in multiple foreign currencies. • Analyzed financial statements and approval credit for new marketing partners. • Resolved audit issues, ensured compliance with GAAP and FASB rules and guidelines, escheatment issues, bank reconciliations, and foreign exchange and ensured Sarbanes-Oxley compliance of accounting systems and procedures. • Revised department policies and procedures as part of audit resolution to improve financial controls and reporting and provided training to department staff on all changes.• Implemented new procedures to reduce DSO by 25% and bad debt by 33%.• Completed evaluation of existing billing and A/R system. Initiated implementation of system upgrade to improve financial reporting, functionality and productivity. Show less

• 

  Dixon, Hughes, Goodman, LLP

  Sept 2008 - Apr 2012

  Senior Credit Manager

  Manage the credit, billing and collection activities for large rapidly growing regional accounting firm. Report directly to the CFO and responsible for system and procedural upgrades to accommodate business growth.Update and establish new credit and billing policies and procedures. Evaluate credit history and financials for new clients. Implementation of new accounting system, and define roles, responsibilities and internal controls. Prepare reports for senior management on days outstanding, cash, loss recovery and AR reserves. Show less

• 

  Washington DC Office of Finance and Treasury

  Jul 2012 - Sept 2014

  Collections Manager - Central Collections Unit

  Develop and implement plan to consolidate collection efforts from multiple departments within the district government. Prepare RFP's for software vendors and outside collection firms. Evaluate A/R software systems, develop policies and procedures, reporting requirements for new department, write job descriptions for staff to be hired. Manage collections processes for various agencies including DMV, United Medical Center, University of the District of Columbia, development loans, and other fees, licenses and permits. Handle legal matters with District"s Office of the Attorney General. Show less

• 

  REW Materials

  Jun 2015 - now

  Credit Manager

  Credit Manager for manufacturer and distributor of wallboard, steel, insulation and other building materials. Credit analysis, security instruments, collections, legal issues, liens.