Ashley Collins

About Ashley Collins

I am an experienced business professional specializing in customer service, category management, strategic sourcing, and contract negotiations. I have spent over 18 years in the utility market and purchased everything from electric house meters, fleet vehicles, to multimillion dollar power transformers. I am a results-driven Supply Chain Category Manager, with experience in strategic sourcing, vendor management, and contract negotiations. I have proven ability to lead high value procurement initiatives and deliver multimillion-dollar cost savings.Some of my current role responsibilities and achievements- Managing multiple contracts totaling over $400M and serve asSME for transmission equipment procurement- Developed and implemented the largest FirstEnergy strategicsourcing plan to procure power transformers through 2030costing over $500M, resulting in guaranteed production slotswith our most trusted manufacturers and ensured FirstEnergyhas the necessary equipment to support the transmissionprograms in the years to come, driving shareholder value- Was able to achieve nearly $77M in savings through negotiateddiscounted payment terms, volume-based discount packages,and project cancellation avoided costs- Developed and negotiated multiple contracts favorable for thecompany totaling over $30M+ each- Designed and implemented a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)module, training team members on its use- Mentored numerous interns and new hires in their careerdevelopment resulting in successful adaptation to companyprocesses- Developed and implemented cost improvement strategies andwas the most successful on my team with the highest amount ofcost savings achieved- Actively engaged in negotiations with 50+ suppliers to securecompetitive pricing, favorable terms and conditions, deliveryschedules- Proactively sought out my own professional development bytouring multiple manufacturing factories and immersed myselfinto the category of utility purchasing- Developed and managed supplier (PIP) PerformanceImprovement Plans.I have proven results and received consistently high individual performance reviews. In my off time I enjoy meeting new people and expanding my personal network. Volunteering is very important to me, I spend a lot of time with local organizations, such as Love Our Community and Lake Twp FISH.For more information, please contact me directly on LinkedIn or at a••••••••@att.net

Experience

1. Outside Sales Representative

   Robert S. Howley Company

   Jul 2025 — Present

Education

• The University of Akron

  Bachelor's degree, Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts: Business and Organizational Communication, Consumer Marketing

  2007

• The University of Akron

  Bachelor's degree, Business and Organizational Communication

Skills

• Budgets
• Program Management
• Strategic Sourcing
• Operations Management
• Microsoft Project
• Contract Management
• Analysis
• Power Plants
• Power Generation
• Leadership
• Project Management
• Procurement
• Root Cause Analysis
• Energy
• Process Improvement
• Engineering
• Contract Negotiation
• Project Planning