SCOTT SONDERGAARD

PURCHASING MANAGER/ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER

ssondergaard@chicagoscenic.com

Scott Sondergaard, an ISM Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), and APICS Certified Production Inventory Manager (CPIM), joined Chicago Scenic in 2000 after spending nearly 20 years in the graphics and signage industry. His last position in the signage industry was with ClearChannel’s outdoor/transit division .

After signing on with Chicago Scenic, Sondergaard organized and established new systems in order to facilitate his primary responsibilities - sourcing and ordering materials to meet Chicago Scenic’s constantly evolving project schedules.

“When the shop floor is busy, the last thing anyone wants to do is wait for materials to come in. Things can get backed up pretty quickly,” Sondergaard says. In order to avoid that situation, he constantly manages current suppliers and identifies new ones who are willing to meet tight deadlines and CSSI’s specific product or material requirements. He also conducts ongoing price negotiations, a challenge he says, due to the company’s often critical delivery requirements.

Ideally, whenever someone purchases something at Chicago Scenic, it will go through Purchasing to ensure that we obtain the best price possible, Sondergaard says. Considering the huge variety of custom projects that move through the shop floor on an annual basis, Sondergaard orders everything from plywood to metals, plastics to electrical, as well as manages the company’s service and maintenance contracts.

Sondergaard also works frequently with project managers and department heads to assist in pricing for the many bid proposals that Chicago Scenic responds to each month.