John J. Harvan

About John J. Harvan

What’s the best way to land key accounts? Be an expert in your field. With over 30 years of experience as a sales manager and technical subject matter expert in the automotive and commercial refinish industry, I know more than a thing or two about automotive coatings and paint process engineering. My strong technical background allows my customers to see me more of a personal consultant than just a salesperson. I’m driven to educate clients on process improvements, environmental compliance, lean manufacturing and value stream. With a proven skillset in aesthetic improvements related to color, color equipment, and overall appearance I can easily guide a company on where they stand relative to their competitors. This powerful technical acumen and sales background is what sets me apart and allows me to grow company profitability. I’m experienced in the entire lifecycle of the refinish industry. Starting out as an instructor and demonstrator gave me strong presentation and people skills that I’ve used throughout my career. I’ve traveled internationally to learn the industry. I excel at taking innovation and delivering it to the market. I’ve managed and trained individuals throughout my career, growing technical and sales departments. And I’ve learned what it takes to land key accounts. My focus is on growth, both green field and organic. Business development is more fulfilling to me than business measurements; this is my focus when training my technical service staff. Developing, training, and motivating with a focus on innovation and growth leads to a stimulating work environment; this type of work environment leads to market share and profitability. What I do best: Account Management Client Relationship Building Budget Management Developing Training Programs Coaching Technical Service Representatives

Experience

1. Strategic Sales Manager, Commercial Vehicles

   AkzoNobel

   Oct 2008 — Present · Troy, MI, US

   Managed, on boarded, and trained technical service employees Established support priorities to distributors and end users; built and implemented value add services Enacted and maintained key account activity; coordinated Mutual Action Plans with sales, distribution, and end users Developed KPIs, collected data, and executed improvement plans Conducted product stewardship, development, commercialization, sustainability, profitability, and liability management

Education

• Montgomery County Vocational Tech

  Automotive Body and Paint

  1977

Skills

• Program Management
• Technical Program Management
• Growing Market Share
• Automotive
• Business Process Improvement
• Liability Management
• Training
• New Business Development
• Process Development
• Process Improvement
• Account Management
• Lean Manufacturing
• Paint Process Engineering
• Project Management
• Negotiation
• Management
• Team Building
• Six Sigma
• Functional & Aesthetic Solutions
• Process Engineering
• Budget Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Paint
• Business Development
• Product Development
• Client Relationships
• Consultation
• Technical Management
• Sales Management
• Manufacturing
• Product Stewardship
• Automotive and Commercial Refinish
• Coatings
• Specialty Chemicals
• Automotive Coatings
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership