Fractional COO Leadership for Operations That Need to Scale

Hands-on operations leadership for e-commerce brands, 3PLs, software companies and other owner-run operators. I fix the problems that eat margin, and I've run the operations I advise on.

Operations I've run or worked alongside

Ally Commerce logo
UPS logo
All Points logo
Kennel Connection logo
Saltbox logo

UPS

Industrial engineer in Supply Chain Solutions and Service Parts Logistics.

Saltbox

Co-founder. Built its micro-fulfillment network. $100M valuation.

Ally Commerce

Co-founder. Series B led by the UPS Enterprise Fund.

All Points

President. Doubled a 3PL's revenue in 12 months.

B.S. Industrial Engineering, Georgia Tech

Who I work with

Sound familiar?

Shipping is eating the margin.

Surcharges, DIM re-rates and accessorials keep climbing, and nobody can say which workflow is causing them. Renegotiating the rate card didn't fix it, because the rate card was never the problem.

Fulfillment can't keep up with sales.

Orders are up, but the warehouse runs on manual steps, tribal knowledge and a WMS nobody trusts. Every peak season is a scramble, and the next growth step feels like it will break something.

Leadership is flying blind.

There's no clean view of orders, inventory, labor and cost in one place, so decisions get made late or by gut. The team is busy, but it's hard to tell what's working.

Most growth problems aren't market problems. They're operational ones, and they're fixable.

What I do

Operational Assessment

Find out what's breaking, what's fragile, and what fails first as volume grows. A focused diagnostic across fulfillment, freight, inventory, labor and systems, with a prioritized fix list.

UPS & FedEx Invoice Audit

Recover what you're owed and stop the overcharges at the source. Line-by-line audit, refund filing, and the packaging and address fixes that keep the fees from coming back.

Fulfillment & 3PL Operations

Cut fulfillment cost and scale throughput without breaking the floor. Receiving, picking, packing, labor planning, WMS alignment and the metrics to run it.

Fractional COO

An operator in the executive seat when you need decisions, not decks. Part-time COO or President for turnarounds, scaling and transitions, without the political overhead of a full-time hire.

How I work

Every engagement runs the same way: find what's breaking, design the fix, put it in with the team, then make it stick.

Get started
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1. Assess

I review workflows, systems, data and decisions, and name what fails first as volume grows.

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2. Design

Processes, ownership, metrics and systems that support scale, built around your constraints, not a framework.

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3. Implement & stabilize

I put the changes in with your team, fix what isn't working, and leave a cadence that runs without me.

What this looks like in practice

In April 2024 I took over as President of a 30-year-old Atlanta 3PL with four years of declining revenue, no metrics and no modern systems. Twelve months later:

2x

Annual recurring revenue, within 12 months

+40K sq ft

Overflow space added after the main facility hit capacity

5x

Growth with one long-term client, now over 1 million kits a year

$0

Outside capital raised to do it

Sales rebuilt around a real ideal customer, a rate card that protected margin, receiving and labor tracking fixed, and a leadership presence on the floor every day.

Read the full case study →

Our Team

Paul leads every engagement directly, with Colleen providing CPA-level financial support and senior operators brought in only when the work requires it.
Paul D'Arrigo, fractional COO and founder of D'Arrigo Consulting
Paul D'arrigo

25 years running fulfillment, logistics and complex operations as a COO and President. Hands-on, and focused on execution rather than theory.

Colleen Murphy, CPA
Colleen Murphy

20 years as a CPA. Practical financial oversight, forecasting and margin clarity to support operational decisions.

Here are some frequently asked questions

Straight answers to common questions before we work together.

Do you only work on shipping costs?

No. Carrier costs are often where I start, because the invoice is the fastest way to see how an operation actually runs. The work usually expands into fulfillment, inventory, systems and leadership cadence from there.

Who do you work with?

I work with founders, operators, and leadership teams at growing companies that need stronger systems, clearer execution, and fewer operational fires.

What happens in the free consulting meeting?

We talk through your business, identify the main operational friction points, and outline realistic next steps. No sales pitch.

Do you work hands-on or just advise?

Both. I can advise at a strategic level or work closely with teams to implement and optimize systems.

What if we’re not ready to make changes?

Then this probably isn’t a fit. The work only succeeds if you’re willing to act on what we uncover.

How long does an engagement usually last?

Most engagements run 6–12 weeks, depending on the scope and complexity of the work. Some clients bring me in for a focused diagnostic and roadmap, while others continue longer to support implementation and optimization.

Not sure which side of the line you're on?

Thirty minutes. We talk through your business, find the main operational friction points, and outline realistic next steps. No pitch.

Book a free consulting meeting