Tanya Burns

Operations professional with 20+ years of experience improving performance across manufacturing, agriculture, and business ownership. Known for strengthening operations through process improvement, employee development, customer-focused leadership, and practical business systems. Recognized for learning complex operations quickly, building trust across teams, and delivering measurable improvements in quality, efficiency, and customer experience.

Coater Operator - 3M

(2023-11 - 2026-07)

• Mastered one of the facility's most technically complex manufacturing processes across 50+ product families.
• Developed a combined automated/manual roll-cleaning method following web breaks that contributed to an estimated 10% increase in yield.
• Trained and onboarded 10 employees by teaching both the process and the reasoning behind quality and safety expectations.
• Collaborated with a 4–5-person production team to consistently meet production goals while maintaining a zero-recordable safety record.
• Partnered with engineering and quality teams to improve product consistency and resolve production issues.

Owner & Business Operations Manager - Absolute Kennels LLC

(2023-01)

• Founded and grew a customer-focused boarding and training business from startup to 120 active clients, serving more than 750 dogs.
• Achieved a 95% repeat-client rate through proactive communication, transparency, and exceptional customer care.
• Implemented Doggie Dashboard software and standardized workflows for scheduling, invoicing, customer communication, and record management.
• Designed, built, and maintain the company website while managing the Google Business Profile to strengthen online visibility, customer engagement, and business growth.
• Developed SOPs for onboarding, sanitation, and daily operations while managing marketing, scheduling, financial tracking, and continuous process improvement.

Operations Manager - Murphy Family Ventures

(2004-06 - 2023-11)

• Managed a 4,000-sow production operation with a $1.5M annual operating budget and led a team of up to 11 employees.
• Promoted within one year after leading the turnaround of an underperforming operation by improving collaboration, increasing pigs born alive, and reducing mortality.
• Built a culture of accountability through coaching, mentoring, and employee development.
• Improved operational efficiency by prioritizing repairs, organizing workspaces, removing unused equipment, and recommending automation.
• Strengthened cross-functional collaboration by helping departments understand how their work impacted the next team.

Bachelor of Science - Animal Science (Pre-Veterinary) - University of Missouri–Columbia