John Wells
Chief Information Officer @ Empire Auto Parts, LLC | MBA, Technology
- Role
- Chief Information Officer at Empire Auto Parts
- Location
- Charlotte, NC, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About John Wells
j•••@johnwells.info and results-driven CIO with 20+ years of experience leading digital transformation, optimizing IT infrastructures, and driving multimillion-dollar cost savings. Proven track record in aligning technology with business strategy to maximize revenue and operational efficiency. Adept at building and leading high-performing teams to execute large-scale IT initiatives. Recognized thought leader in open-source and enterprise IT solutions.Core Competencies• IT Strategy & Digital Transformation• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)• Software Engineering and Product Development• Cloud & Infrastructure Optimization• Cybersecurity & Compliance• Business Process Automation• DevOps & Agile Methodologies• M&A Systems Integration• Budgeting & Cost Optimization• Team Leadership & Talent Development
Experience
Chief Information Officer
Aug 2022 — Present · Charlotte, NC, US
Empire Auto Parts is a leading distributor of aftermarket collision auto parts. The company operates 9 distribution centers and 54 satellite locations across 20 states, employing nearly people. Empire is private equity-backed by Sentinel Capital Partners. IT Infrastructure Overhaul: Modernized legacy systems, upgrading ERP and IT team capabilities. Scalable Technology Roadmap: Developed a long-term IT strategy to support business expansion and acquisitions. Executive Leadership & Governance: Led quarterly presentations to the private equity board on IT strategy, risk management, and operational impact. Established and chaired a Change Control Board to oversee and streamline software changes, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Agile & Change Management: Implemented Scrum methodologies to enhance team collaboration and accelerate development cycles. Established a Change Control Board, ensuring structured evaluation and prioritization of software and infrastructure changes, improving governance while maintaining agility. Business Intelligence Implementation: Introduced Power BI and led the development of 60+ dashboards for analytics-driven decision-making. Artificial Intelligence: Leveraged generative AI to document and enhance the legacy ERP codebase. IT Service Management: Established robust help desk processes using Jira Service Management, improving support operations. Cloud & ERP Stability: Maintained uptime for the ERP following a comprehensive Azure redesign. Cybersecurity Enhancement: Overhauled security infrastructure, implementing best-in-class security solutions. IT Talent Development: Managed a high-performing remote team, fostering collaboration and productivity across multiple locations. Version Control & Automation: Transitioned internal code from archaic version control to Git. Designed and developed a database schema migration solution, automating schema deployments across infrastructure.
Education
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
MBA, Management of Information Systems (MIS)
Morehead State University
BA, Communications
1995 — 1997
Skills
- Perl
- C
- Tcl
- Html
- Sql
- Linux
- C++
- Databases
- Android
- Sql Server
- Process Improvement
- Javascript
- Ios Development
- Vmware
- C#
- Java
- Ruby
- Unix
- Iphone Development
- Ruby on Rails
- Postgresql
- Mysql
- Pentaho
- Microsoft Sql Server
- Software Development
- Python
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