Jim Emmerson is a dedicated and results-driven “C” level executive with a proven track record of: (i) implementing targeted business strategies to ensure operational and financial cohesion; (ii) fostering growth to meet staffing and technology needs through exceptional resource management, risk management, and human resources and (iii) closely monitoring progress and projections through comprehensive financial metrics and data-driven analysis.
Jim has over 20 years as an accomplished CFO for Huntington Learning Centers, the national leading educational service franchise. Jim also had an additional 20 years of experience in financial and operational executive management for various retail organizations such as Nobody Beats the Wiz, Shoe-Town and Izod.
Jim most recently has been consulting with the CEO of a franchisor acquired by an equity group, helping the transitioning of critical operational and financial infrastructure issues, by identifying weaknesses and laying the foundation for future growth.
While serving as the CFO for Huntington Learning Centers, Jim was a member of the Executive Committee, which created key business strategies. Jim had overall responsibility for the Finance, I.T., Purchasing, Real Estate and Human Resources departments, as well as all banking and legal relationships and risk management. Jim’s financial team oversaw preparation of budgets, cash flow, projections and internal and external financial statements, as well as annual audits. Jim led the upgrading of financial, payroll and human resource systems, as well as enhancing employee benefit plans, while reducing costs. During Jim’s tenure as CFO at Huntington, the company remained profitable every year except 1 (2001).
Jim introduced a strategy to transform the focus from corporate-owned centers growth to franchise growth which provides a 70% gross margin of operating franchises rather than a 10% gross margin as corporate-owned centers. Jim also established a tuition loan program that increased revenue by 15%, program.
As the head of the Information Technology department, Jim was the leader of a digital transformation. Moving the technology from legacy applications which did not interface well to a SaaS type platform which was cloud based.
While serving as CFO for Huntington Learning Centers, Jim was honored with two different CFO of The Year awards. One by NJ Biz and the other by CFO Studio.
While working as financial and operational controllers for various retail organizations, Jim sharpened his skills in financial management as well as inventory control and management, developing and performing retail audit programs and implementing point of sale systems Jim has prided himself in building efficient corporate infrastructures that provided excellent service to the customer while ensuring that budgetary measures were met.
Jim served as a Member of the Board of Trustees, Audit Committee Chairman and Treasurer for the Community Blood Bank, a non-profit organization providing blood products to Bergen County, New Jersey for a period of 6 years.
Jim currently serves as a student mentor for the Pesce Family Mentoring Institute – William Paterson University.
Jim earned both a BA in Accounting and a MBA in Finance from William Paterson University.
