Erin McDonald

I stepped into a newly created role focused on strengthening the foundation of our operations. My work spanned fulfillment, inventory, purchasing, and manufacturing support, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decision making. I led projects including a complete overhaul of our shipping charge model, competitive pricing analysis to ensure market alignment, and process improvements in NetSuite to streamline purchasing and inventory management through the Supply & Demand module. With a background that combines operations, e-commerce, and analytics, I was able to bridge the gap between strategy and execution - translating insights into operational action and building scalable processes to support future growth.

I played a key role in using data to improve financial performance, system reliability, and strategic decision-making across the business. My work focused on shipping economics, NetSuite optimization, and reporting automation. I redesigned our shipping structure to stay margin-competitive, secured FedEx terms that offset 60% of a major rate hike, and built recurring reporting to track shipping income variance. On the systems side, I worked closely with our NetSuite administrator identify and resolve performance issues, streamline imports, and create saved searches for reliable data access.

As the Operations Manager at Dakota Timber, I managed the daily operations of a full-scale wood manufacturing plant, driving both efficiency and cost savings. I led a shipping courier transition that cut freight costs by 30% for two major product lines, and reduced order packing time by 50% through custom packaging solutions. By consistently analyzing packaging material costs, I identified savings opportunities and implemented cost-reduction initiatives that strengthened margins while supporting production scalability.

Launched and managed Dakota Timber’s direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel, building a full Shopify site from the ground up. I handled all aspects of the launch, from web design and product photography to pricing, imports, and fulfillment processes. I established standardized packing procedures, ensured accurate shipping cost integration into retail pricing, and supported production planning to keep inventory aligned with demand.