Curtis Rhodes

Achievement-driven leader commended throughout career for strategic vision and performance enhancement through strategic operations planning. Adept at formulating data-driven roadmaps to streamline processes, mitigate risks, and lower expenses while adhering to regulatory compliances for a zero-incident culture. Proactively engages with cross-functional teams and other stakeholders, developing the association through effective communication skills – building trust through consistent, timely, and successful results delivery.

A quality-oriented critical thinker and strategic decision-maker, empowers the team to achieve common goals, short and long-term plans.

Sanitation Department Manager - Martin Bakery - Valdosta, Georgia

(2023-01)

• Created a culture of high expectations by offering the utmost level of cleaning and sanitation. Create a team of professionalism and have employees to lead by example.
• Respected for successfully leading technical teams to resolve complex problems of cleaning and sanitizing in fast-moving environments and embracing continuous improvement in maintenance skills for disassemble of equipment for delivering long-term positive outcomes.
• Drove positive employee relations to provide an optimal work environment for all staff members.
• Enforced adherence to all safety compliances and PPE for cleaning chemicals, cleaning equipment besides ensuring conformance to quality control policies, SOPs., and chemical usage.
• Fostered clear communication lines within the team and other stakeholders to facilitate seamless processes.
• Develop an "agile" mindset in the way of leadership to increase operational efficiency within the organization.
• Develop a self-manage work group with the decision making at the lowest level.

Senior Process Leader - Miller Coors - Albany, GA

(2018-01 - 2020-09)

• Created a culture of high expectations by offering the utmost level of professionalism and leading by example.
• Respected for successfully leading technical teams to resolve complex problems in fast-moving environments and embracing continuous improvement in delivering long-term positive outcomes.
• Drove positive employee relations to provide an optimal work environment for all staff members.
• Enforced adherence to all safety compliances besides ensuring conformance to quality control policies, SOPs.
• Fostered clear communication lines within the team and other stakeholders to facilitate seamless processes.
• Demonstrated an "agile" mindset in the way of leadership to increase operational efficiency within the organization.
• Utilized extensive knowhow of quality, sanitation, micro, analytical, sensory, cleaning, and production guidelines.
• Effectively managed the allotted budget of $2-5 million each year by implementing industry best practices.

Technical Brewer - Miller Coors - Albany, GA

(2016-01 - 2018-12)

• Commended throughout career for divisional direction, strategic management, and performance enhancement.
• Served as a seasoned strategist distinguished for proven judgment in prioritizing duties and minimizing or diffusing stressful situations through effective conflict resolution techniques.
• Supervised the brewing process and resolved issues that arose during brewing to ensure high-quality products.
• Established performance benchmarks in relevant processes to sustain and support continuous improvement.
• Utilized cross-functional coordination skills to drive successful collaborations and enhance brand value – assisted cross-functional task teams with valuable inputs.
• Operated as a liaison to corporate brewing to recommend changes to processes, new equipment and products.
• Reviewed lab data and made adjustments to re-center the process for optimal product development.

Plant Sanitation Manager - Conagra Brands - Peter Pan Plant in Sylvester, GA

(2015-01 - 2016-12)

• Respected as an approachable team manager, leveraging extensive leadership experience and education to transition into a position where enthusiasm to support others can be fully utilized.
• Oversaw the plant's $2 million a year sanitation and pest control programs to ensure operational efficiency.
• Leveraged domain expertise to train a 25-member sanitation team, including union hourly and salaried employees.
• Established a reputation for approaching issues creatively and acting with urgency and professionalism at all times.
• Participated in all plant audits and maintain the sanitation, pest control, and outside contractors for SQF Level 3 certification.
• Served on multi-disciplinary committees as sanitation leader, to ensure sanitary regulation adherence of new equipment and address any sanitation issues within the plant.
• Engaged effectively with multiple stakeholders, winning trust on transparency, fostering confidence at all levels to enhance mutual business focus and achieve shared goals.
• Worked seamlessly with others to complete a task or achieve a common objective and demonstrated the ability to cooperate in interpersonal and team relationships to maintain mutual trust, honesty, and respect for others.

Process Quality Lab Unit Manager - MillerCoors - Albany, GA

(2002-01 - 2013-12)

• Responsible for all aspects of quality in the processing of beer from raw materials to the finish product in a can, bottle, or keg.
• Monitors the quality program for energy drinks and flavored malt beverages.
• Manages the plant micro program to insure greater than 95% compliance to the micro program.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for operational departments in coordinating and/or implementing action plans to bring the non-compliance area back into compliance.
• Works closely with the corporate research group in implementing trials and new products into the brewery.
• Render dispositions for product not meeting the established quality parameters.
• Manage a cross-functional unit composed of chemists, microbiologists, food technologists, and biologists.
• Oversees the analytical analysis, micro analysis, and sensory program provided by the lab personnel for the brewing process.
• Serves on cross functional task teams within the brewery such as the Chemical Review Board, 5-why and formal failure task teams, and brewery process improvement teams.
• Facilitated the training of the operators and lab personnel on the operation of in-line instrumentation. A system which adjusts the aging beer to finish beer specs by monitoring the minute by minute analysis of the finish beer as it fills a tank. This greatly reduces the reprocessing of a finish beer tank.
• Cross trained in all functional areas of quality including these processes: brewing, packaging, and distribution.
• Served as the Packaging Quality Manager for a six month period. Obtained some developmental training in brewing on the yeast propagator, brewing operator's roles and team leaders.
• Served as one of two SQF Practitioners in establishing SQF level III program and certification for the Albany Brewery.

Quality Services Engineer - Grade 7, 8, and 9 - MillerCoors - Albany, GA

(1988-01 - 2002-12)

Lab Supervisor - Firestone Tire Rubber Company - Albany, GA

(1980-01 - 1986-12)

Bachelor of Science - Analytical Chemistry - Georgia Southwestern College (1980-01)

Associate of Arts - Pre-Pharmacy Studies - Albany Junior College (1978-01)