Board of Directors

Ethan Franklin – Managing Partner

Ethan Franklin
Managing Director, Core Practice

EDUCATION

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

Master of Business Administration, 1990

Master of Science in General Engineering, 1990

Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, 1987

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois

Juris Doctor, 1994

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1997-Present   CORE PRACTICE

Previously Blue Pumpkin Software and Coleman Consulting, VP of Consulting Services

Partner

Co-founder of management consulting firm that designs and implements operations and labor strategies for companies requiring rapid and sustainable improvements. Responsible for directing multiple consulting engagements ensuring all clients achieve maximum cost savings while minimizing risks. Work with management, employees and labor unions to drive change throughout organization.  Develop and design work and pay policies.

  • Analyze, identify and implement operational improvements in a diverse array of industries including utilities, manufacturing (pharmaceutical, high tech, food and machining), contact centers, government, mining and distribution facilities, as well as other service organizations.
  • Increased total plant output 13% within 2 months, with no increase in labor or equipment cost, for a machining manufacturer.
  • Over $22 million in annual savings identified for the transmission and distribution organization of a power utility.
  • For a consumer goods manufacturer increased capacity 5% and developed improved maintenance methodology.

Partial List of Management Consulting Experience:

 BMW

Abbott Labs

Bell Canada ExpressVu

BHP Mines

Kraft, Dover

Ameritech (SBC, AT&T)

Keystone Foods

Allied Signal (Honeywell)

Kraft, Littleton

International Coal Group

Pella Windows and Doors

Kraft, Jacksonville

Coors Brewing

Kraft, Garland

Kraft, New Ulm

Smuckers

Telus (Contact Center)

Commonwealth Edison (Exelon)

Toyota            (Contact Center)

WestJet Airlines (Contact Center)

Kraft Foods Canada

Goodman Fielder (Australia)

American Crystal Sugar

Marvin Windows

Bell Canada Customer Service

Academy Sports and Athletic

Sargento Foods

Reliant Energy

SIGECO (Southern Indiana Gas and Electric)

Clorox

Bell Canada Mobility

Lucent Technologies

Oklahoma Gas and Electric

1996 – 1997                 PACIFIC BELL

Capital Programs Manager

Managed overall corporate capital plan, consisting of 23 reporting units, with an annual budget in excess of $1.6 billion.  Led business operating units to explore all possible alternatives while insuring a viable technology platform for the future. Developed unit cost model to enable marketing to target high margin products.

1995 – 1996                 KIRK’S SUEDE LIFE (International Specialty Chemical Manufacturer)

General Manager

Responsible for day-to-day operation of business, including extensive client contact.  Negotiated licensing and purchasing contracts with prospective users.  Aggressively pursued secondary market to increase sales and diversify customer base.

1989 – 1994                 AMERITECH (now SBC)

Rotational Management Development Program

Interoffice Planner – Integrated Implementation Planning

Designed and maintained interoffice telecommunications network for downtown Chicago offices. Monitored existing equipment and made economic recommendations to replace obsolete technology.  Extensive project management.  Led multi-departmental team to meet demands of a deregulated market, reduced service installation intervals by 60%.

Fundamental Planner – Network Architecture Planning

Chaired and led interdepartmental engineering teams to study priority areas.  Insured alignment of corporate technology strategies with marketing initiatives.  Developed economic analyses of technology alternatives.  Headed task force that studied selling, buying or trading geographic markets.

Manager – Pay Phone Channel Management 

Monitored, analyzed and focused regional effort supporting Illinois unit (overall market revenues in excess of $100 million).  Directed new product implementation team (annual market revenue $12 million), responsible for timely customer deployment.

Manager – Maintenance Center

Negotiated service restoration time with customers, from basic residential users to interexchange carriers.  Coordinated work effort between departments to ensure high customer satisfaction while minimizing service interruption.

Special Projects Manager – Network Exchange Planning

Benchmarked cost, customer service and performance parameters to increase efficiency.  Performed extensive economic studies with cost and technology drivers to determine feasibility of introducing new technologies into the telecommunications network.

 

John Frehse – Chief Strategic Officer

John Frehse speaks around the world on a variety of best practices in the labor management field. John’s experience covers a wide array of strategic issues – from analytical resource deployment modeling to implementation planning and execution. Specific tactical problems include scheduling and shift management to increasing employee satisfaction, health, morale and performance. Over John’s career he has implemented solutions with Fortune 500 companies across  a variety of industries. Those projects have generated over 100 million dollars in cost savings. John has done this with diverse workgroups across almost every industry including those that don’t work the traditional 9-5 schedule.

John is a much sough tafter speaker and has authored numerous whitepapers and articles including the 11 Keys to Strategic Scheduling. His strategy papers have twice been awarded the Leading Idea of the Week by Booz Allen. He has given speeches at Reliant Energy Stadium, home of the 2004 Super Bowl as well as in other locations around the world. Previously of Merrill Lynch, he is uniquely versed in the economic modeling of flexible schedules within seasonal environments and how to minimize adverse costs through performace management. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he received a degree in politics with a focus on the political economy.

Representative Experience:

Manufacturing

  • Kraft Foods
  • Dannon
  • BMW
  • Sargento
  • Pella Windows and Doors
  • Nestle
  • GM
  • American Axle

Call Centers

  • General Electric
  • AT&T
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
  • Bell Canada
  • Research In Motion (creator of the Blackberry)

Utilities

  • Commonwealth Edison
  • PECO Energy
  • Reliant Energy
  • Atlanta Gas and Light

Mining

  • INCO
  • Saint Lawrence Cement
  • ICG
  • BHP

Distribution

  • Canadian Tire
  • Academy Sports and Outdoors
  • BILO Supermarkets

Contact John Frehse

John’s office can be reached via phone  at 212-534-0539 or email at jfrehse@corepractice.com.

Mauro Marengo

Mauro Marengo, Executive VP Global Services, InVision Software

Mauro is the Executive Vice President for the Global Services at InVision Software AG. He’s got the responsibility of developing and managing resources and skills and providing consulting services for the implementation of the proprietary Workforce Management solution worldwide. He leads an international team of 80 people, who are operating in most of European Countries and in USA. He’s got a long term consulting experience in telecommunication, retail and consumer packaged goods markets.

Peter Bollenbeck

Peter Bollenbeck, CEO of InVision Software

Peter Bollenbeck (*1973) started his career while still at school as a freelance software developer and consultant for staff scheduling, production control and management information systems. In 1992, he began studying Economic Sciences at the FernUniversitaet Hagen in parallel. In 1991, Peter formed pep/Systeme GbR together with Armand Zohari, a company specializing in the development and marketing of staff scheduling software. In 1993, he became involved in the formation of Dieter Thörmer Datentechnik GmbH. The company’s fields of business included process visualization for bakeries and staff scheduling. In 1995, Peter Bollenbeck, Armand Zohari and Matthias Schroer formed InVision Software.

As CEO of InVision Software, Peter Bollenbeck is responsible for strategy, corporate finance, sales, and professional services.