Melody Cortez is a certified human resources professional with over 18 years of experience managing all aspects of HR for Rain CII Carbon LLC, a major supplier to the aluminum and TiO2 industries. She has a track record of establishing HR departments, developing strategic plans, handling recruiting, communications, and labor negotiations. Currently she manages HR for Blue Bamboo Music and Center for the Arts, where she established the nonprofit and handles marketing, fundraising, and public relations.

1. Melody J. Cortez, PHR
713-302-3476
melodycortez@live.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Certified Human Resource Professional.Strengths includeestablishing a Human Resources departmentto include strategic organization
development; succession planning; recruiting; integrated employee communications; public relations; payroll; benefits; and labor
negotiations. Business Partner with strong analytic, organizational and interpersonal skills; highly effective problem solver and
administrator focused on achieving organization goals and objectives .
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Blue Bamboo Music, Inc. and Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, Winter Park, Florida 1/2/2015 - present
A full service recording studio,video service,independentjazz record label and performing arts center located in Winter Park, Florida.
Key responsibilities:
 Manage all aspects of Human Resources.
 Manage advertising, marketing, branding, fund raising and public relations.
 Establish relationship with Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.
 Raised over $9,000 through an on-line fund raising campaign.
 Establish non-profit By-Laws and maintain all corporate documents.
 Represent company at public relations events.
Results: Successfully established Blue Bamboo Music and Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts as viable businesses in
central Florida.
Rain CII Carbon LLC, Kingwood, Texas 1996 – 8/1/2014
Rain CII is a major supplier to the world’s aluminum industry;they are alsoa major supplier ofCPC to the world’s TiO2 industry and the only
producer ofcalcinedfluidcoke for baking furnaces,pipeline cathodic protection,andother industrialapplications.
Key responsibilities:
STRATEGIC ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH
 Executed Human Resources department growth plan from three to eight employees; positions added to Human
Resources included Public Relations and Internal Communications Manager, Recruiting Manager, Training
Coordinator, HR Generalist and Payroll Administrator.
 Performed efficient management of all HR functions by expanding new employee on-boarding programs and more
robust public and internal communications platforms.
 Implemented ADP’s HRIS system.
 Led staffing assessment process during the purchase of two manufacturing facilities which doubled the company’s
production capacity and increased the number of employees by approximately 75.
o Reorganized the facilities for efficiency and to eliminate duplicate positions.
o Developed behavior-based interview questionnaires to retain employees with critical skills and cultural fit.
o Promoted employees from within the company to fill key facility positions.
Results: New employees efficiently acclimated to Rain CII’s business model and culture.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
 Managed mergers and acquisitions as related to combining or eliminating positions, interviewing and selecting the best
personnel for the resulting positions, and acclimating employees to the company’s culture.
 Performed due diligence of acquired company’s payroll and benefits programs, resulting in a concise explanation of the
differences to the acquired employees.
Results: Efficient integration of acquired company to Rain CII’s culture and processes.
 Managed down-sizing efforts in operations facilities to eliminate redundant positions resulting in approximately $1M
savings.
 Managed the establishment of an Environmental, Safety and Health division resulting in a decrease of OSHA recordable
incidents from 15 to 1 over seven years.
 Managed other organizational changes, including early retirements, promotions, demotions, layoffs and recalls.
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS
 Drove strong, high-energy, collaborative relationships with employees in multistate operation.
 Led employee engagement consultants and internal staff to develop vibrant programs to embed core values, safety and
efficiency initiatives.
 Developed a three-phase launch of the company’s Mission, cultural Building Blocks and Promise. Program focused on:

2. o New positioning and message architecture.
o Designed templates for internal and external electronic and printed communications.
o Redesigned corporate website and created a new corporate brochure.
o Revised the New Employee onboarding program to become more thorough and efficient.
o Organized and managed company-wide presentations to introduce all employees to the company’s newly
established Mission, cultural Building Blocks and Promise.
o Designed a new intranet to encourage employee interaction and integrate with the company’s employee rewards
program.
Results: Created a strong culture of “One Rain CII” across a diverse employee population at nine locations.
TRAINING & SUCCESSION PLANNING
 Developed and implemented programs focused on expanding production employees’ skills; efforts successfully
enhanced employee knowledge base and improved overall employee morale.
 Developed and administered a skill-based, incentivized training program with 42 modules, study guides and
assessments for 70 unionized operations employees.
o Utilized module design to accommodate readability, education level and learning objectives.
Results: Production employees’ knowledge of plant operations increased 70%.
 Developed succession plans for key leadership positions within the company.
o Created, implemented and administered employee gap-analysis.
o Developed internal and external training programs for employee advancement.
o Assisted in the identification of high potential employees and served as a mentor during their development.
Results: Increased the company’s ability to promote employees within the company.
MENTORING AND COACHING
 Mentored employees as part of succession planning and general employee development.
 Coached managers at all levels regarding personnel performance concerns and relationship conflicts.
Results: Successfully developed relationships with employees at all levels and created a climate of trust such that
employees are comfortable seeking out development, performance and professional relationship advice.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
 Redesigned the performance management system to better align with the company’s culture.
 Converted the performance management system from a manual to an automated process utilizing ADP’s HRIS.
Results: Managers engage employees in frequent performance discussions, allowing for early detection and correction of
performance issues.
PROCEDURE DEVELOPMENT
 Developed written procedures for all Human Resources functions. Examples include processing payrolls, terminations,
resignations and retirements; processing HR and payroll related invoices; enrolling employees in company benefits;
processing benefits related to the death of a retiree or retiree’s spouse; processing promotions; recruiting and new hire
on-boarding process.
 Designed templates for employee communications related to HR and benefits.
 Developed Excel spreadsheets and procedure for annual payroll and benefits budgeting process.
 Developed counseling and discipline process.
Results: Consistent and efficient processing of all payroll and HR functions, including application of the discipline process.
Two EEOC complaints in 18 years, both of which were not pursued by the EEOC.
BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
 Assessed and redesigned the company’s benefits program to control escalating health insurance program costs.
 Administered life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability, Section 125, pension, $20
million 401(k), $3.5 million health/dental/prescription and workers’ compensation programs for 320 active and retired
employees.
 Amended benefit programs to maintain legal status with IRS, ERISA, HIPAA and PPACA.
 Translated and introduced benefits programs to all employee segments; ensured program updates and changes were
communicated accordingly.
Results: New broker selection and plan design changes reduced costs by $1.5 million over five years.
COMPENSATION MANAGEMENT
 Maintained competitive wages to attract and retain personnel.
 Researched and established base salary for all newly created positions.
 Managed the bi-annual compensation and benefits survey.
Results: A system of internally equitable and externally competitive wages contributes to an average turnover rate of 8% or
less.

3. LABOR NEGOTIATIONS
 Supported four United Steelworkers facilities with a contract history of over fifty years.
o Joined the company’s Labor Contract Negotiating Team in 1997.
o Promoted to Lead Negotiator in 2008.
o Developed and proceduralized all labor contract negotiations documentation.
o Successful negotiations with no labor strikes since 1997.
Results: Among the most progressive working conditions of any unionized industrial plants in the U.S.
 Petitioned by the United Steelworkers to represent employees at non-union facilities in Illinois and Louisiana.
 Conducted a union avoidance campaign.
Results: The union withdrew the petition to represent the employees.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Applied Science
Human and Organizational Development
Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana
Associate Degree
Accounting
William Rainey Harper Jr. College, Palatine, Illinois
CERTIFICATION
Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)