Karen Vanderlaan

As a multifaceted operations professional with over 5 years of experience purchasing, 5 years of managing a shop environment, and over 10 years of inventory control. Currently seeking a challenging position within an organization that suits my skill set.  A team player that is enthusiastic and hard-working with extensive experience in warehouse, construction, distribution, and retail settings.

Parkland Inc.

              Inventory Analyst                                                                                                         May 2021-March 2023

Responsible for the analysis of commercial fuel inventory transactions. Daily support to team members with balancing issues and branch communication. At month end, involved in the reconciliation of volumes throughout the Prairies and Pacific regions.

• Reorganized the shared folders to align with regional responsibility.
• Created training materials for branches to help with team member transitions between locations.

Frank Flaman Sales

Parts & Service Manager       October 2019-March 2021

Main responsibilities included keeping in contact with internal and external customers for service appointments, managing trailer and fitness service technicians, sourcing and quoting parts, vendor communication, warranty claims, shipping and receiving goods, and inventory control. 

• Created bin location system and revamped SKU codes and descriptions.

A-Line Distributors 

Purchasing Assistant       Oct 2018-Oct 2019             

Procuring inventory, materials, supplies, tools, and other tangible items as required.  Purchase order preparation and follow-ups, reviewing and maintaining inventory at acceptable levels, and vendor communications on purchase order and warranty issues.

• Created order frequency standardization for vendors. Decreased open purchase orders by 33%
• Increased inventory turns by .27 in three months, with an inventory dollar value of 2,675,000

Medicentres 

Procurement Coordinator & Physician Scheduler                 July-Oct 2018

Coordinated the onboarding of new clinics, acquisitions, and renovations to Medicentres.  Scheduled physicians to ensure coverage for all clinics, noting physician matters, recruitment needs, and potential hires. On call evenings and weekends for scheduling emergencies.

• Created a forecast of clinic closures, to standardize clinic closures; 40% reduction in scheduling issues.

Thermo King Western 

Sales & Service Coordinator       Dec 2017-July 2018

Communicated with customers on a daily basis about service requests, updated fleet maintenance records, job status, repair quotes, work order creation and processing.  Coordinated technicians on the road and in the shop for service and repairs.  Backup to Parts Manager for parts collection, part look-up, and purchasing.  Processed warranty registrations and claims. 

• Processed warranty claims for the service department with a 97% corporate approval rate.

Alliance Door Products          Nov 2013-Nov 2017

Purchaser & Production Scheduler    

Management of inventory control, cycle counts, bin location, sku review, and sku creation.  Responsible for stock purchase order creation and reviewing special order purchase orders.  Participated in RFQ projects. Scheduling door shop production work for 6 employees and 3 production lines.  Led toolbox meetings on a weekly basis.  Trained to cover off shipping & receiving. Responsible for checking the bill of materials for shop related orders for consistency and accuracy.

• Reduced inventory from $1,000,000 to $700,000 within a year.  A reduction of 30%.
• Lead of bi-annual inventory counts.  Lowest variance in 5 years at .021%
• Created production order tracking sheet. Increased weekly production rate by 12.1%.

Inside Sales Representative  

Multi-tasked between customer phone calls, faxes, and emails.  Processed orders on company specific software. Quoted out small to large projects for customers. Covered off administrative duties like invoicing, filing, bank deposits, and freight tracking.  Trained new employees. Participated in special projects including creation of price books and SOP for multiple roles in the organization. 

• Created SOP’s for the sales desk. Reduced mistakes through order checking by 25%.

Supply Management Training Diploma (with distinction)  University of Alberta  2019

Management Studies Diploma  MacEwan University 2003