# Travis Nickels

Travis Nickels is a remote worker on Himalayas, Global Sourcing Director at West Bend Company, based in United States.

Source: https://himalayas.app/@travisnickels

```text
Supply chain and sourcing leader with 20+ years in manufacturing, driving supplier strategy, cost savings, and continuity across global operations.
```

| Detail | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Availability | Looking for a job |
| Location | United States |
| Authorized to work in | United States |
| Salary expectations | 160k-225k USD |
| Job categories | Procurement Manager, Sourcing Director |
| Skills | Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Category Management, Supplier Development, Supplier Performance Management, Contract Negotiation, Cost Reduction, Should Cost Models, Spend Analysis, Supply Continuity, Inventory Management |
| LinkedIn | https://https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis--nickels/ |

## What I'm looking for

```text
Seeking remote Director or senior leadership roles in procurement, strategic sourcing, and supply chain. Open to senior manager or category leadership roles with broad, multi-site responsibility. I bring 20+ years of manufacturing experience improving supplier performance, cost, and supply continuity.
```

## About

```text
At WEST BEND COMPANY, I led a 14-person organization across sourcing, purchasing, logistics, warehouse operations, inventory management, and supplier quality. I reduced raw-material inventory by 40% while maintaining service levels.

I negotiated supplier agreements and tariff-sharing strategies that generated $400K+ in annual savings. I also led outsourced-manufacturing sourcing and a supplier transition for a ceramic-coated stainless-steel cookware line, delivering the launch on time and under budget.

At SPX FLOW, I developed category, supplier, market, and continuity strategies for a $90M portfolio supporting 14 manufacturing facilities. I delivered $2M+ in annual casting savings and generated $800K+ in annual savings through additional sources and alternate foundry-material sourcing.

Across procurement and supply chain roles, I managed portfolios of up to $175M in annual direct spend and contributed to $16M+ in documented career savings. I hold an MBA and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and I’m an inventor on three U.S. patents.
```

## Experience

### Global Sourcing Director

West Bend Company. Jun 2023 - Jun 2026

```text
Led a 14-person organization spanning sourcing, purchasing, logistics, warehouse operations, inventory management, and supplier quality for a manufacturer with approximately $50M in annual spend. Reduced raw-material inventory by 40% and negotiated supplier agreements generating $400K+ in annual savings.
```

Skills: Strategic-Sourcing, Supplier-Negotiation, Inventory-Management, Logistics, Cost-Reduction, Supplier-Development, Cross-functional-Leadership

### Global Category Sourcing Manager

SPX Flow. May 2021 - Jun 2023

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Developed category, supplier, market, and continuity strategies for a $90M portfolio supporting 14 manufacturing facilities. Delivered $2M+ in annual casting savings and $800K+ in annual savings through additional sourcing.
```

Skills: Category-Management, Supplier-Development, Cost-Reduction, Negotiation, Should-Cost-Models, Global-Sourcing

### Global Commodity Manager

Rexnord Corporation. Aug 2019 - May 2021

```text
Led category strategy, supplier relationships, contracts, market analysis, and continuity for $70M in direct materials across 20+ global manufacturing facilities. Negotiated a $9M sole-source European stainless-steel mill agreement and implemented five supplier consignment agreements.
```

Skills: Commodity-Management, Supplier-Negotiation, Contract-Management, Inventory-Reduction, Cost-Savings

### Supply Chain Manager

[Briggs & Stratton Corporation](https://himalayas.app/companies/briggsandstratton). Jul 2018 - Aug 2019

```text
Managed $150M+ in metal component and raw material spend, including $50M in annual die-cast aluminum. Directed supplier performance, contracts, and supply continuity for North American manufacturing.
```

Skills: Supply-Chain-Management, Supplier-Performance, Contract-Negotiation, Inventory-Strategy, Cost-Reduction

### Commodity Manager

[Briggs & Stratton Corporation](https://himalayas.app/companies/briggsandstratton). Mar 2012 - Jun 2018

```text
Managed portfolios up to $175M in annual direct spend across metals, castings, stampings, electrical and fuel systems, and other components. Delivered $11M+ in cumulative first-year savings through 130+ initiatives.
```

Skills: Commodity-Management, Strategic-Sourcing, Supplier-Development, Negotiation, Cost-Reduction

### NPD Purchasing Manager

[Briggs & Stratton Corporation](https://himalayas.app/companies/briggsandstratton). May 2008 - Feb 2012

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Procurement lead for new engine programs, including supplier selection, early involvement, cost modeling, negotiations, and product launch execution. Sourced 110+ new components and managed $10M+ in tooling and development purchases.
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Skills: New-Product-Development, Supplier-Selection, Cost-Modeling, Negotiation, Project-Management

## Education

### Keller Graduate School of Management

MBA, Business Administration

Activities and societies: Obtained while working at Briggs and Stratton

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Earned an MBA at Keller Graduate School of Management.
```

### Marquette University

Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Activities and societies: Triangle Fraternity (Risk Manager) Interfraternity Council (President, VP Programming) Part-Time Job

```text
Earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University.
```

## Tech stack

- Microsoft Excel
- SAP

To contact Travis, message them from this profile with a Himalayas employer account: [Hire on Himalayas](https://himalayas.app/hire).

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