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Carl Schaefer - Principal

Carl Schaefer is a Principal of M. Arthur Consulting Group, and is the head of Strategic Planning within the Business Management practice area. Mr. Schaefer’s area of expertise includes Strategic and Business Planning, Project and Program Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Performance Measurement, Benchmarking and Organizational Development. He has over 28 years of experience in the Management Consulting, Electric Utility, and Wireless Telecommunication industries. Mr. Schaefer has a BS in Engineering from Chicago Technical College and a MS in Business Administration from Columbia Pacific University.

Mr. Schaefer has been an Independent Management Consultant, and employed by Comcast, Conectiv, Illinois Power, Houston Light & Power, General Public Utilities, and Gilbert Associates. While working with these Companies, he served in various levels of management leadership including Director of Program and Fiscal Management, Manager of Project Management, and Manager of External Operations. These assignments required reporting to his company Board of Directors, Executive Management and Domestic and International Federal Commissions and Agencies. His comprehensive work experiences include:

· Corporate Strategy Development and Deployment
· Business Unit Operational Planning
· Benchmarking Studies, Best Practice Evaluations and Process Improvements
· Assessing Organization Culture and Design
· Management of Jointly Owned Projects
· Management of Multiple Projects
· Litigation Support & Testifying at Public Utility Commission Proceedings
· Project Management of Major Power Plant Construction & Operational Projects, including projects in Japan & Yugoslavia.

His extensive background has allowed Mr. Schaefer to develop and demonstrate exceptional skills in change management, negotiating, adaptability, listening, focusing on customer needs and developing systems and processes. Mr. Schaefer has participated in the Center for Creative Leadership - Management Profile. This study compared sixteen most important skills for success. His skill ratings were 86% greater than the nation wide comparative group.

Examples of Mr. Schaefer’s accomplishments include:

· Accountability for operational and financial performance of a company’s joint ventures with annual operating expenses averaging $50 million. Responsibilities were to assess operational practices to insure all assets were operated and maintained in accordance with governing agreements. As a member of the Jointly Owned Executive Board, he annually approved the Business Unit Plans that included operational and financial goals and future strategies. His direct involvement in the implementation of operational processes resulted in savings exceeding $ 15 million.

· Managed the development of eight “Benchmark Studies” in the Electric Utility and Wireless Communication industries. Assessed operational and financial performance metrics at the Corporate and Business Unit level. Conducted organizational assessments observing company culture relationships and their impacts on work practices and processes. Evaluated the “Best in Class” companies “Best Practices” and implemented cross-functional changes improving business performance.

· Responsible for the execution of thirty-six strategic telecommunications projects designed to improve new product development, business systems and business processes. These projects focused the company on the “customer” and included the replacement or modification to the company’s Credit and Activation System, Inventory System, Commission System, and Customer Relation Systems.

· Managed a Telecommunications Company’s Year 2000 Program designed to ensure all mission critical tasks are year 2000 ready. The program consisted of assessing and remediation by repair, replacing or removing systems or applications; current date and time-warping testing; developing contingency plans for all major business processes, developing a documentation program to support potential litigation, and responding to customer requests for information on readiness.

· Team leader supporting a Utility Company’s legal counsel during contract litigation disputes. Developed damage and settlement strategies, expert witness reports, and assisted in training company witnesses. Provided expert witness testimony to the Public Utility Commission in the states of Maryland, Delaware and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Judgments or settlements resulted in recoveries exceeding $ 57 million.

· Corporate team member given responsibility to provide direction allowing a Utility Company to transition from a regulated to a competitive business environment. Strategies focused on leveraging customer relationships, revising business processes, organizational design, and reducing operating expenses. Strategies included: defining value chains, assessing competitors, evaluating strategic risks and determining acquisition and divestiture options.

Mr. Schaefer is a member of the Project Management Institute and the American Management Association

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