IS YOUR MANUFACTURING BUSINESS BEING OVERCHARGED FOR VITAL BUSINESS SERVICES?

Your team has more important things to do than conducting thorough audits of your expenses. Thankfully, that’s what Schooley Mitchell does, all day, every day. We optimize your expenses so you can focus on doing what you do best – manufacturing quality products.

At Schooley Mitchell, we’re entirely independent. Our consultants don’t accept kickbacks or incentives from service providers, and our process is completely risk-free. In fact, we’re so confident in our ability to generate savings for our clients, we’ve based our business model on that very fact. If we can’t deliver on savings, we don’t get paid.

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Savings Delivered

Security Systems Manufacturer

$76,000

Shipping Expenses

Custom Sign Manufacturer

$21,000

Telecom Savings - Plus $7k found later during post-audit

HVAC Systems Manufacturer

40%

Waste Expenses

Hazardous Waste Containment Manufacturer

$120,000

Annual Merchant Service Expenses

A Disciplined, Strategic Approach to

Business Expense Management

Experience Built in Manufacturing and Corporate Finance

My background is in corporate finance, with much of my career spent working in and around manufacturing environments. In those roles, I worked closely with operations, supply chain, and executive leadership to manage costs while keeping production running smoothly and supporting long-term growth.

In manufacturing, cost decisions cannot be made in isolation. Cutting expenses without understanding the impact on operations, vendors, and customers can create bigger problems than it solves. My approach is based on disciplined cost management - identifying unnecessary spending, improving efficiency, and making sure every dollar supports the business.

I have worked in both large and smaller business environments where financial discipline and practical decision-making are critical to maintaining profitability. That experience shapes how I work with clients today, focusing on solutions that make sense operationally, not just financially, and that improve margins without disrupting the business.

My Guiding Principles:

Strategy Over Shortcuts: Cost reduction should strengthen the business, not create new risks. I focus on thoughtful, data-driven decisions rather than quick cuts that can disrupt operations.

Operational Awareness: Every recommendation is evaluated in the context of how the business runs - including production, vendor relationships, and service levels.

Financial Rigor: Opportunities are identified through benchmarking, analysis, and market knowledge, not assumptions.

Partnership, Not Transactions: I work directly with business owners and leadership teams to find practical solutions that support long-term performance.

What Sets Schooley Mitchell Apart

Schooley Mitchell is North America’s largest independent cost-reduction consulting firm, with decades of experience helping organizations uncover unnecessary spending. Our model is entirely risk-free: you only pay if real, measurable savings are achieved.

Proven specialized expertise: For almost 30 years, the firm has focused on areas like telecom, merchant services, shipping, waste, and other operational costs, constantly refining best practices and benchmarking data.

Vendor independence: Consultants do not receive kickbacks, commissions, or incentives from vendors, ensuring recommendations are objective and made in your best interest.

Contingency‑based fees: You only pay when savings are actually found and implemented, aligning Schooley Mitchell’s success with yours.

Professional reputation: The firm has saved clients hundreds of millions of dollars and supports a large network of franchise consultants with training, tools, and ongoing research.

How It Works

Our process is straightforward, transparent, and designed to minimize disruption:

Baseline Review: We gather your current invoices, contracts, and usage data to understand how you’re spending today.

Strategic Analysis: We analyze your expenses using benchmarking, market intelligence, and vendor comparison to identify optimization opportunities.

Client-Driven Decisions: We review the findings with you and decide which opportunities you would like to implement. We support the transition and ongoing monitoring.

Most manufacturers are paying more than they need to for indirect expenses

If you would like to explore potential savings with no risk and no obligation, let’s schedule a brief conversation. We will review where you may be overpaying, explain how the process works, and only move forward if it makes sense for you.

Waste

How predictable is your waste every month?

Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.

Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?

Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.

Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?

A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.

Merchant Services

Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?

A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.

Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?

How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.

Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?

This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.

Telecom

Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?

In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.

Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?

Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.

Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?

Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.

Shipping

Have you considered splitting your shipping business across multiple vendors?

Vendors tend to specialize in certain areas so playing to their unique strengths can reduce your overall costs.

Are you paying for unnecessary delivery guarantees?

Being more flexible on delivery times can significantly reduce your costs.

Do you review your monthly statements to ensure the correct charge codes are used?

Charge codes can be very confusing and require a detailed review to ensure you are being charged correctly.

Compressed Gases

Do you think your compressed gases expenses are written in stone?

Commodity markets can be complex and confusing, making it difficult for business owners and managers to navigate.

Are you certain there are no billing errors in your invoices?

There are opportunities to optimize pricing structures and recover billing errors.

Are you receiving all tax benefits available to you?

Your business might be missing out on significant savings opportunities.

Industry Associations

Active in organizations that support manufacturing, industrial, and small-to-mid-sized businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region

Trade Shows & Industry Events

I regularly attend industry events and trade shows to stay connected to the manufacturing and industrial community

April 8, 2026

November 18-19, 2026

November 2026 (TBD)

Colin Murray

Strategic-Partner
Office: 443-293-0923

Schedule A 30-Minute Introductory Call