I have spent 20+ years walking into businesses mid-transition and rebuilding them: a wholesale brand pivoting to direct-to-consumer, a legacy manufacturer losing margin to a struggling plant, a fast-scaling brand hit by tariff shocks. Supply chain and trade compliance are my deepest expertise. The broader skill is diagnosing what is broken across a business and leading it through the change.
Start a conversation See track recordWhen to call me
- Growth has outpaced the systems, team, or process supporting it.
- Tariffs, freight, or sourcing costs are compressing margin faster than the team can react.
- A channel shift, DTC to wholesale or wholesale to omnichannel, is straining fulfillment.
- Organizational complexity has outgrown a founder-led or ad hoc structure.
- There is a COO-level gap during a transition, and full-time isn't the right fit yet.
What I bring
Transformation leadership under pressure
Recruited specifically for major transitions. Brought into Burton as part of a major investment in supply chain and operations when wholesale drove 100% of revenue, then evolved the role as the pivot to ecommerce took hold. Led through operating inefficiencies at Franklin Foods and a tariff shock at DIGGS.
Operational depth when it's needed
Cut freight cost as a share of net sales from 8.4% to 2.9% at Franklin Foods. Built tariff mitigation strategy for the end of de minimis and rising duties, held Importer of Record responsibility, and managed IEEPA duty refund recovery. Owns ocean freight forwarder relationships, final mile parcel rate negotiations, and Asia-based contract manufacturing.
Financial literacy and executive partnership
Fluent up and down a P&L and balance sheet, and in the operational metrics that feed them. Held full P&L responsibility at Burton China. Works directly with CEOs and CFOs on strategy, go-to-market, and commercial growth.
Change management that sticks
Key contributor to the systems and end-to-end supply chain transformation at Burton as it moved from wholesale-only to omnichannel. Consolidated five warehouses into one and rebuilt the order management system at DIGGS.
Commercial and channel growth
Launched a direct import program with a national pet specialty retailer, building the operational infrastructure behind direct-to-retail expansion. Partnered with sales leadership to manage and grow large chain retail at Burton, including DICK'S, REI, and Forzani.
Talent and organizational development
Built and led teams from the ground up and has been sought out as a mentor well beyond direct reports, a repeat pattern across every role.
Core expertise
- Organizational transformation and change management
- Trade compliance and tariff strategy
- Financial literacy and balance sheet fluency
- Talent development and team building
- Commercial and channel growth strategy
- Supply chain and logistics
- Demand planning and inventory management
- Ocean freight and forwarder management
- Asia-based contract manufacturing
Track record
| DIGGS | Chief Operating Officer | 2024 to present |
| Franklin Foods | Vice President, Supply Chain | 2021 to 2023 |
| Burton | VP International Logistics and Fulfillment; Sr. Director of Operations; Managing Director, China | 2006 to 2021 |
How engagements work
Recruited into inflection points at three different companies to lead transformation. Comfortable with lean teams and limited infrastructure, from early-stage scaling to legacy multi-site organizations, and in ambiguous or high-scrutiny situations without a fully built-out org behind me.
Start with a fixed-scope project
A defined scope, a fixed fee, a clear deliverable. For example, a four-week landed cost and tariff exposure review.
Continue if it's a fit
Ongoing fractional support, typically one to three days a week, with ownership of the plan alongside your team.
Tell me about your bottleneck.
A short email with your revenue range, channels, and the challenge in front of you is plenty to start.
israel@bizmay.com LinkedIn