Meet Our Leaders

DAVE BITTNER

Director of Finance

What is your background and career path at Heidelberg?
I started with Heidelberg in the accounting department in the Cincinnati office in June of 1996. Prior to joining the company, I worked in public accounting for five years. In 2001 I was promoted to controller. After 18 years in the Cincinnati office, in 2014, I relocated to the Dayton office. In 2017, I was promoted to the newly created position of Director of Finance, which is my current title.

What are your job responsibilities and priorities?
I oversee the awesome teams in the accounting, corporate AP and  corporate AR departments. The focus with the accounting department is accurate and timely preparation/analysis of individual monthly and year-end financial statements for the ten distribution divisions of Heidelberg and Ohio Valley Wine, as well as for Lions Edge Printing and the corporate branches of the company. The department also handles all internal, audit, tax and government financial compliance, as well as any specific executive reporting requests. The corporate AP and AR managers report to me and we work to continually develop and improve the cash payment and collection departments of the company.

Any recent accomplishments or notable projects from you/your team?
The accounting team just completed the required annual independent audit for 2019. This is the earliest completion date we have ever achieved, even with the issues caused by the current working environment! Corporate AP and AR have been working on integrating the company’s check request and supplier bill-back components into the current OnBase system to standardize those components and eliminate the current manual processes.

Who do you interact with on a regular basis – suppliers, retailers, management, HDC “wheel” teams?
My primary interaction is with the members on my teams, the administrative managers and the Company CFO. I work with all the HDC “wheel” teams, due to the impact all departments have on the financial analysis of the company. That work leads to interaction with management.  Outside of the company, my primary interaction is with suppliers, government agencies, financial institutions and our independent auditors.

How has the business and/or company changed since you joined Heidelberg?
Since I began with Heidelberg, we have added three additional divisions and quadrupled sales. When I started, the accounting department had one computer that we all shared! With this growth, we have transitioned from the mentality of independent separately functioning divisions to a true corporate company with all divisions working as one team with a unified vision building from each other’s successes.

How do you like to spend time when you’re away from work (family/hobbies)?
I enjoy time with my family and dogs, bike riding, landscaping and home construction projects.