A Personal Accomplishment : An interview with their CFO, James Wind
Flow Sciences, a leading provider of containment systems for laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing would like to congratulate CFO, James Wind on his Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification.
After completing my degree in Manufacturing Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, I worked as an engineer for a manufacturing solutions company that was contracted by Ray Ryan to build his first ventilated enclosure. I was extremely hands-on in building that enclosure and became intimately familiar with Ray’s designs. During the subsequent years, I did contract work for Ray while pursuing other positions in the Wilmington, NC area. In 1996, Ray brought me on-board as Flow Sciences Director of Manufacturing. Over the next decade, I held various roles in every aspect of the business before moving into the role of Controller and then CFO.
Ray has always encouraged me to pursue personal certifications. In the last year and a half, I have been dedicated to studying and preparing to take the CMA exam.
Coming into the exam with many years of experience in the business presented a unique challenge. I had to learn to study and answer the questions based on the principles behind the CMA which did not necessarily align with some of our current business processes. Correct answers on a test may not necessarily be the solution in the real-world financial decision of a company. Also, adapting to the format of the test by finding an efficient way to complete both exams within the four hours allotted showed me that careful reading and identifying the relevant content within each question was critical to success in finding the correct answer and answering all the questions.
There were three key take-aways that will definitely impact our further development within the manufacturing industry.
Flow Sciences is continuing to expand our international footprint within the pharmaceutical containment market. The international accounting knowledge from the CMA will be critical in our financial endeavors outside of the US.
In addition, the expansion of our manufacturing capabilities through both equipment purchases and company acquisitions already plays a key role in Flow Sciences success. Making those critical decisions with the additional knowledge from this process will further strengthen our position in the manufacturing side of the business.
We are in a unique position as an elite manufacturer of containment solutions. We create a product with intrinsic value and strive to express that value for the long term. We examine manufacturing world from a viewpoint of a strategic player instead of as a small business which continues to drive our growth and success.