Stephen Bishop, CPA, CGMA

Experience

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  Icerman, Johnson & Hoffman (now Deloitte)

  Jan 1981 - Jan 1984

  Staff Accountant

  This was my first introduction to the world of public accounting, where I provided clients with audit, tax and business consulting. As a result of a later merger with Deloitte, I joined the network of other distinguished Deloitte Alumni.

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  Hester Industries, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ConAgra Foods

  Jan 1984 - Jan 2001

  CFO/VP of Finance & Policy

  Managed Finance and Information Systems Department and directed 16 staff from 1988 to 2000. Following acquisition by ConAgra Foods in December 1997, my position expanded to include assisting with and ensuring that all financial projections made during the negotiations for the sale were met or exceeded.Following sudden departure of Corporate President in 2000, took over as Division Manager with oversight of all aspects of the business, including finance, accounting and technology operations; production and distribution, and 700 staff. During my tenure, I performed an integral role in planning, implementing and/or leading multiple business strategies, some of which included* Contributing to corporate-wide projects that accelerated profit gains by nearly 300% * Reallocating $100M in expenses* Improving cash management processes that impacted the majority of sales and totally eradicated bad debt* Designing Hester's first-ever corporate risk-management, insurance and 401K plan* Requisitioning $15-20M production equipment procurement to replace aging equipment* Computerizing financial record keeping and reporting* Converting IT infrastructure from mainframe to client-server technology* Negotiating acquisition terms with ConAgra Foods and sealing transaction for premium over estimated value* Participating in team-driven reorganization of core business functions and delivering $15M+ cost-savings with no loss in production Show less

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  Freelance Consulting

  Jan 2001 - now

  Business & Finance Consultant

  * Provided comprehensive business and financial consulting to help launch a medical practice and guide it from concept to a $1.2M enterprise with two physicians, one physician's assistant and more than 1000 patients.* Played pivotal role in helping a local physician salvage and rebuild a practice following a legal dispute compounded by negative cash flow and substantial attorney fees.* Managed complexities of successfully settling a multimillion-dollar estate and resolving multiple tax issues with the IRS.* Helped 20+ retired professionals reduce debt and generate positive monthly cash flow by guiding them in securing reverse mortgages. Show less