The Commitment to Education Continues to Dominate in 2017 (as it has for the past few years)!

As a life-long adult learner, I’m pleased to continue active involvement in providing a variety of educational programs directed to professional adults. These endeavors include faculty positions in both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts courses in Leadership and Organizational Studies and a Master of Arts in Social Justice. In addition, I continue to facilitate on-line domestic and international certificate programs in finance and business-related topics for several business associations.

I have been a faculty member of St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA, for many decades, involved in facilitating adult, working professionals in various BA and MA- related business and leadership courses. I guide students as they complete their "final projects" (theses) in their BA or MA Leadership programs. I facilitate a course, "Leading in a Diverse World," a BA requirement in the Leadership Department of St. Mary's School of Education. This program assists learners in developing a framework to appreciate the impact of culture on leadership behavior and processes. In addition it can enhance behavioral and cognitive skills that can be applied in diverse cultural contexts, both domestically and internationally. I also teach "Organizational Theory and Change," a program that examines the major schools of thought regarding organizational theory. Within that framework, students explore how major changes in the external and organizational context enable leaders to shape organizational designs, structures, and processes in ways likely to benefit the individuals served by the organization, the individuals within the organization, and the larger society.

In my sixth year, I'm pleased to continue instructing for ICTF (International Credit and Trade Finance), a global finance association providing on-line courses in international credit management. These unique offerings, provided through Arizona State University, enable professionals from all over the world to asynchronously watch videos of subject matter experts as they present Ppts., written material, while having the opportunity to share experiences on-line.  Certificates of completion are awarded after the eight week sessions of either "Essentials" or "Advanced" international credit. Both courses carry the ICTF and Arizona State U/Thunderbird School of International Management designations.  Thunderbird School of International Management is a program that is highly rated, as noted below

• No. 1 business school in the "International" MBA program specialty - by U.S. News & World Report. 
• No. 1 in International Business - by the Financial Times.
• No. 1 for "Internationalism of Alumni" - by The Economist.          

Here is the link to ICTF
http://www.ictfworld.org/ (go to the "Education and Training" link in the site to read about the on line programs).

I am in my tenth year of instructing for the Credit Managers Association of Northern CA. In 2007, this association asked me to help develop and teach Business Credit Principles and Financial Statement Analysis. These on-line courses offered by CMA are part of the track to the CBA designation (Credit Business Associate) offered by NACM (National Association of Credit Management). Through 2015, over 400 participants from 18 states and Canada have completed the CMA courses and earned their designation. CMA is the only credit association affiliate in the US that offers a “live” instructor for the weekly, on line programs. I was honored  to be awarded the 2013 "Instructor of the Year" by CMA.

For more information regarding courses offered by CMA, click on

http://creditmanagementassociation.org/services/education/

2010 and 2009 - What Kind Of Years?

During the past two years, building on educational efforts, I continued to instruct and facilitate business-related, on-line, face-to-face and hybrid degree and certification programs.

The successful on-line international program sponsored by the FCIB Association (Finance, Credit & International Business) continues to attract global learners from around the world. As co-developer and lead instructor of the course, I have been pleased to see that through the close of 2010, over 1,300 people from 35+ countries have received their certifications.

The CA credit association, CMA, and I found enduring interest from business professionals desiring on-line programs in Financial Statement Analysis and Business Credit Principles part of the "track" to the CBA (Credit Business Associate) designation. Learners from 14 states and Canada have successfully completed these programs since inception. In addition, a private, "in-house" version of these business courses was offered to a major publishing firm located on the east coast.

With St. Mary's College of CA, I continued my adjunct faculty position dedicated to those public and private sector learners seeking the degree of Masters of Arts in Leadership.

Presentations on topics from mitigating export risk to cultural issues in the global business environment were made to business and trade groups in San Diego, CA, Portland, Oregon, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, FL.

I was pleased to develop and facilitate programs in international business at an executive program at Dartmouth College, Hanover, Mass.

My second year with the Advisory Committee for the Export-Import Bank of the US as one of two representatives for U.S. small businesses was concluded. The experience was enlightening and provided additional insights into the issues that the U.S. needs to address in order to be more competitive in world markets.

Q Finance, a new publication published by Bloomsbury, UK, asked me to write an article, "Essentials for Export Success." Described as a resource for finance professionals, the 2,000 + page QFinance publication provides problem-solving tools with topics covered that include global strategy and performance measures, macroeconomics, mergers and acquisitions, business ethics and export risk mitigation techniques.

Quote to Cash Process Consulting

Q2C is a company I co-founded with some partners in 2002. We help companies improve working capital management by focusing on all activities within the quote to cash cycle. This encompasses policies and procedures, processes, organizational structure, systems and automation opportunities.

We analyze the current status, recommend improvements and provide implementation oversight.

We deliver improvement in cash flow, accounts receivable management and provide alternatives to secure or finance sales.

If you are experiencing...

• Slow A/R turns and eroding profitability;
• High level of customer deductions; or
• Lack of cross-functional approaches to issues related to credit, billing, customer service, cash management, collection, cash application and dispute management

...we can help! Please contact us or visit the Q2C website for further information.

Our Clients

Our clients include:

• Agilent Technologies
  
• Dole Foods
• Dreyer's Ice Cream
• Dun & Bradstreet
• Euler Hermes Credit Insurance
• Hewlett-Packard
• Hitachi Data Systems
• Honeywell, Inc.
• Mail Box Etc.
• McGraw Hill Publishing
• Medallion Carpets
• Safeway Stores
• Sanrio
• San Francisco Airport Commission
  
• Sun Micro
• Weyerhaeuser
  

Publications

"Essentials for Exporter Success," published in QFinance by Bloomsbury Press, UK, 2009, describes how taking intelligent global risks coupled with developing relationships leads to rewards.

"The Evolving Role of Credit Risk Management," Risk Management Magazine April 2005 by William Atkinson. Managing accounts receivable is becoming an issue of increasing importance not just to companies’ financial personnel but to risk management as well. With comments by Paul Beretz

"The International Obstacle Course" By William Atkinson. Clearing the hurdles of credit and collections overseas requires training, excellent teamwork, and frequently a third-party's helping hand. With comment by Paul Beretz.

"Cohorts in Learning" By Jane R. Schultz. Paul Beretz comments on the FCIB partnership with Michigan State University to create an unusual online course about global credit management.

"International Skills: Don't Leave Home Without Them. An interview with Paul Beretz" by Sherry Schlossnagle. (Reprinted from the September 2000 issue of Business Credit magazine with permission of NACM.).

"Stop, Look and Listen! : Expert Advice on Doing Business in the Pac Rim" by Paul Beretz (Reprinted with permission from IOMA's Report on Managing International Credit and Collections, September 2000 issue.)

Country Profile: "Singapore: Singapura - the 'Lion' City" by Paul Beretz (Reprinted with permission from IOMA's Report on Managing International Credit and Collections, July 2000 issue.)

Country Profile: "Handling Credit and Collection Issues When Exporting to South Korea" By Paul Beretz (Reprinted with permission from IOMA's Report on Managing International Credit and Collections, February 2000 issue.)

"How to Prepare for a Systems Application Installation or Upgrade" By Paul Beretz (Reprinted with permission of Business Credit magazine, a publication of NACM. The original article appears in the January 2000 issue.)

What We Do

Want to improve profitability? Pacific Business Solutions evaluates and creates opportunities that will improve cash flow for global manufacturing, distribution, and service companies, both high and low tech.
In addition, Paul provides training, both on-line and in-house for clients in financial statement analysis, business credit, negotiating, international country risk management.

Paul Beretz, Managing Director of Pacific Business Solutions, has successfully capitalized on more than thirty years of business experience providing the following results:

1. Start-up to middle market sized companies:

• Initiated tactical and strategic processes for automotive service/wholesale-oriented, twenty-five year old company; guided the new president and three key operations managers to evaluate the needs of the market place and competition, establish personnel performance measures and utilize budgeting and forecasting tools.
• Established accounts receivable goals and process improvements for a thirty-year old floor covering distributor; evaluated capabilities of finance and operations organization; instigated an "order to collect" task force that improved customer satisfaction and accounts receivable quality and collections by twenty percent.
• Drove and mediated a successful buy-out between two partners of an established, fifty-year old company specializing in fluid handling and sale of processing equipment (a buy-out that had been stalled for two years due to the inability of the partners to agree on the terms).
• Formulated an approach and identified issues for a start-up subsidiary of a Fortune 50 company that wanted to establish an on-line auction of accounts receivable.
• Created and led management team-building process for a franchise of a national company serving the postal and communication sector; facilitated and established action plans including understanding the business culture, customer feedback and recognizing growing pains that are consistent with an expanding operation.
• Edited and enhanced web site content of a fast-growing organization that assists exporters in expediting documentary payments.

2. Middle market + companies:

• Formulated a "best practice" strategy to identify and improve processes negatively impacting the accounts receivable for a $1B software provider - the result? Reduced DSO (days sales outstanding) by ten days in one quarter; reorganized the department and re-defined and created new departmental job descriptions; authored a "desk procedure" for world-wide operations which provided - for the first time - a consistency in understanding and maximizing the credit and collection process.
• Provided expertise to resolving accounts receivable issues resulting from the merger of two multi-$ B, global manufacturers; assisted the Integration Team to develop world-wide action plans impacting personnel, facility locations and the accounts receivable process.

3. International:

• Provided guidance and recommendations to several multi-$B companies in the recognition of economic, country, and cultural issues fundamental to selling products and services in Pacific Rim countries.
• Retained by an international trade association to give seminar on "Expect the Unexpected - Selling Overseas."
• Presented several company in-house and on-line training program covering international credit risk management.
  

4. Systems/Enterprise Resource Planning:

• Founded and act as facilitator for an organization for companies in northern California who desire to enhance their understanding and application of the Oracle Order Entry and Accounts Receivable module (the group, Bay Area Oracle Receivable User Group, is recognized as a "SIG" (Special Interest Group) by the Oracle Corp.
• Retained to present a program to a global organization entitled "How to Prepare for an ERP installation or Upgrade" (My article on the subject was published in Business Credit magazine, the January 2000 issue).