Welcome to Van Dyke Zinnias @ the Lake Cottages!  In 1996,

our family opened our first web store where we remained for

13 years:  www.redbudfarms.com . The Farm Store was our first

flower & seed shop! 

 

The years have passed quickly!   Today we are moving our web

store to this location as it will be easier to maintain and which

will provide a richer experience for our visitors and customers!  

An expanded version of the site is being constructed here at

www.vandykezinnias.com and will roll out during 2010. 

You can find our seeds at this link, too: 

 

http://www.lobatek.com/flowerpower/vandykezinniasquickorderform.html


Please be patient while we work!  You may download a catalog

or place an order during this gardening season!  Our prices

haven't changed in 13 years.  The quality is still second to none. 

And the people you've come to know over the years are still as

friendly and knowledgeable as ever. 

Thanks for visiting today! 

-Sharon Baller
President, Van Dyke Zinnias

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SHARON R. BALLER
SBaller@LobaTek.com
www.lobatek.com
www.redbudfarms.com

 Summary of Qualifications
 -- Exceptional technical and functional experience in MIS Accounting, Budgeting, HR & program management, SRC Business Objects Planning and Centerview Corda financial dashboards with data from Microsoft Great Plains accounting systems (7.5 years)
-- Finance and MS Great Plains Dynamics CRM & Accounting system, analysis, upgrades, data migrations, reporting
-- FRx Report development
-- Developed CD/web-based applications to train small firms operating in complex, government regulatory environments
-- Language skills:  French (5 years), German (2 years), Spanish (1 year)
-- College-level instructor, Computer Information Systems, ten years experience


Technical Tools Summary


Centerview 3.1 Corda 7.0
Great Plains v.10*
FRx vs. 6.7
MS Office Suite
MS PowerPoint
MS Outlook
MS Project
MS Excel
Business Objects SRC
Web Development
XML
Sharepoint Server


 *Microsoft Dynamics GP - Great Plains- and Business Intelligence-specific Projects
 For New Horizons Tours & Travel, Jackson, MI, 06/2009 to present (W-2 through Select Resources):
-- Working with New Horizons Tour & Travel, I was tasked with leading the training effort for the deployment of Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains v.10.0, FRx 6.7, and CRM Great Plains from the Jackson, MI location. We used SharePoint server as the project’s collaboration tool for document archival, schedule keeping, error and bug fix issues and updates, and team training and discussion. 

For ReCellular Incorporated, 10/2008 to 2/2009 (Corp-Corp):  
·          Set up user requirements for an executive business intelligence dashboard using Great Plains 9.0, SQL 2000 data warehouse, and Centerview Corda for actual dashboard prototype build.  Conducted the analysis of key top management users’ key performance indicators (KPIs) to include in the prototype dashboard.  Designed a system’s approach for rollout of the enterprise-wide dashboards.   Using FRx 6.7, worked with the CFO and Controller to build 2009 financial statements by Business Unit and Product Line.  Utilized Sharepoint Server to log and store all doc sets for the project. 

For Michigan Electric Transmission Company, 05/2006 – 01/2007 (W-2 through MRI Recruiting): 
·          Maintenance of SRC, a Business Objects strategic planning database budgeting tool with an Excel front-end, utilized by METC to guide or manage construction work in progress, operations and maintenance, strategic planning, annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, performance evaluation (budget to actual monthly project costs) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reporting
·          Technical software support of the asset management function, where SRC is used by program managers and administrators to coordinate job costing activities associated with the transmission of electricity throughout Michigan and parts of Canada
·          Support top management with detailed (15+) individual O&M department expense and corporate roll-up reports as part of the monthly closing process, a  cross-check on the reasonableness between Great Plains and SRC  financial data
·          Designed database queries to extract Great Plains cost detail data and Excel pivot tables to summarize the outputs for the Technical Operations Center project staff
For Vanguard (USA), Inc., Whitmore Lake, MI,   05/2000 – 02/2005 - Finance Manager (W-2)
·          Directed a successful Great Plains accounting & MIS systems conversion from DOS-based Great Plains to Great Plains Dynamics e-Commerce, and MaxData Barcode Inventory Control system within the first year of being hired, reducing inventory shrinkage from 12 to 2% variance from the annual physical count.
·          Working with strong support of the Chinese absentee owner, implemented Vanguard’s first sales and expense budgeting process and trained users post implementation.  
·          Restructured the Great Plains chart of accounts to map corporate re-organization into profit centers/divisions and modified FRX reports to produce financial statements reflective of bottom line division performance Utilizing FRx and Crystal reports, created new P&L reports for the three divisions
·          Prepared and reviewed monthly financial statements & spreadsheets, including budget to actuals, using FRx
·          Responsible for cash management & electronic wire transfers to China ($300,000 avg.), a high trust position
·          Integration of accounting data between Chinese mother company and the U.S. branch
·          General ledger account reconciliation and management, month and year end closings
·          Accounting, multi-state payroll processing, HR, MIS, and administrative & staff management
Software tools:  MS Great Plains Dynamics 7.5, Crystal Reports, Excel, Power Point, Max Data Barcode System for inventory control, FRx financial statement formatting
 Corp-Corp and 1099 Professional Experience
 LobaTek Inc. - Big Ideas for Small Business, Stockbridge, MI, 01/96 – Present 
·          Special projects in accounting, income tax (individual or corporate), financial/technical contract and program management, grant writing, government regulatory compliance risk assessment and reporting, technical writing, web tech support for small businesses since 1996.  Clients included Fasco Motors, Flagstar Bank, Equine Dentistry, Autism Society of Michigan, Excaliber Personnel, Lansing Community College, GO BREW, Redbud Farms, Brian Connally & Partners Advertising Agency, Kendall Microtech, Inc., Recellular, Inc.   
W-2 EMPLOYMENT  


Vanguard USA, Inc., Whitmore Lake, MI    05/2000 – 02/2005 (See above detailed description of tasks)
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), Dearborn, MI    08/94 – 12/96, Program Manager
·          Program Management ($20,000,000) for federal & state government sponsors. 
·          Large scale technical information systems & workforce training projects.
·          Completed all task deliverables on schedule and under budget by a quarter million dollars.
·          Delivered a "How to" book - "100 Insights on Virtual Team Management" - for the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
·          Knowledge of virtual team & relationship management, organizational change and communications strategies.
·          Created a training document for 26 government regulatory and contract compliance administrators.
Software tools:   MS Project, MS FrontPage, MS Office, Visio, MS Publisher, MS PowerPoint

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) Ann Arbor, MI, 07/93 – 08/94, Assistant to the President                     
·          Provided executive-level computer and technical support and one-on-one training.
·          Served as chief architect of the technical workforce training project CoNDUIT. 
·          Extensive experience in government regulatory contract compliance and dual-use technology or technology transfer
·          Worked on business development targeting workforce training grants offered by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other departments of the federal government.
·          Built a virtual enterprise of 26 organizations/subcontractors to bid a $20,000,000 Request for Proposal out of DARPA. 
·          The team won the proposal bid; however, the prime contractor had to be a manufacturing entity so moved to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to manage the overall program and project details of contract performance. 
Software tools:  ORACLE 7, SQL-Calc, proprietary Resource Planning System
Education Summary
 West Virginia University                                                        Morgantown, WV 
·          M.S. Human Resources Development – Psychology for the Workplace
·          (27 hours completed of a 36 hour program) GPA 4.0.
West Liberty State College                                     West Liberty, WV
·          B.S. Business Administration Accounting/Computer Information Systems. GPA 3.9.
West Virginia Northern Community College                          Wheeling, WV
·          A.S. Accounting, Accounting/Computer Information Systems. GPA 3.9.
===================================================
Teaching/Training Experience
 Washtenaw Community College                                            Ann Arbor, MI                                                       08/87- 08/95

·          Adjunct Instructor CIS  - Software tools:   Microsoft Office, DBASE