My passion is real estate. I enjoy assisting my clients with their vision and goals for their future home, new construction home or investment properties. I’m here to guide my clients through the process from start to finish and to provide knowledge and expertise every step of the way. Whether you are purchasing your first home, building your dream home or adding properties to your portfolio, allow me to represent your best interests throughout the home buying process. Contact me today so that I may put my passion to work for you!

Relocating to Des Moines, Iowa, I joined Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, part of the Heart of America Group portfolio of restaurants, hotels and real estate. Johnny's is an upscale steakhouse reminiscent of the supper clubs of yesteryear.For nearly 15 years, I have excelled in manager roles with large restaurant organizations, achieving sustained profitability and revenue growth through high-quality service, cost reductions, staff productivity, and client loyalty. Key among my strengths is the management of human resources, including recruitment and hiring, staff training and development, performance evaluation, compensation review and adjustment, bonus structure, scheduling, and discipline/termination.Recognizing that a restaurant’s success is driven by its staff, I have developed very effective training, orientation, and incentive programs that led to high employee retention. My staff uses attentive listening skills, personalized service, accuracy, and prompt responses in building relationships, increasing the customer base, and establishing repeat clientele.

Building on my successes with Chili’s, I was recruited, joined Bahama Breeze and was promoted to General Manager within eight months. Currently, I direct all operations for this high volume Caribbean-themed establishment seating 325 guests. I schedule, train, and supervise four assistant managers, four culinary/service professionals, and 130+ team members, and operate a manager-training restaurant.With both Darden and Chili’s Restaurants, I gained a reputation for strong operational excellence through astute oversight of all business and service areas including top line sales, bottom line results, scheduling, purchasing, F&B, kitchen, and HR. I collaborated with corporate leadership in opening and remodeling restaurants, introducing menus, providing regional training, creating employee manuals, and designing print and online advertising.Highlights include:* Within first year, achieved the Highest-Grossing Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Highest-Grossing All-Time Single Day Sales since restaurant opened in 2003.* Aggressive marketing, community networking, and participation in Taste of South Jersey.* Decreased Workers’ Compensation expenses and directed updating of equipment and overall facilities in turn reducing equipment R&M and increasing guest satisfaction survey scores.* In HR function managed hiring, team morale-building, associate development, evaluations, reprimands, and terminations.* Used TAS (Talent Acquisition System) to review applications, job histories, and test scores and to extend job offers and reject candidates.* Conducted five-hour orientations using PowerPoint, video, manuals, I-9 Express, and WOTC.* As Managing Chef, decreased food waste, reduced staff turnover, lowered Total Quality Health Department Score, increased guest satisfaction food and time standards scores, and scheduled 32 team members.

During my tenure with Chili’s, I was repeatedly selected to take over underperforming restaurants. In each case, I succeeded in turning around operations and cutting costs, improving customer service and satisfaction, boosting sales and revenues, and enhancing human resources efficiency. Immediately after completing the manager training program, I was placed as a Manager in Lincoln, NE, and rapidly advanced to Manager in Omaha, NE, General Manager for Chili’s Brinker International in Omaha, and lastly GM for Bighorn franchises in Scottsbluff, NE, overseeing restaurants in Wyoming and Nebraska.Highlights with Chili’s included:* Supervised up to 220-seat establishment and more than 2,400 guests, weekly.* Lowered food cost, improved sales and ROS, decreased staff turnover, elevated guest satisfaction scores, and achieved Certified Training Restaurant designation.* Developed effective managerial incentives, such as a new bonus structure, assist to rewrite the employee handbook, and developed operating standards at Bighorn LC Franchise.* Handled all aspects of restaurant opening, such as budgeting, vendor negotiations, hiring, training, scheduling, and advertising for print, radio, TV, banner, and the Internet.* Created team consistency, transparency, and accountability and developed a new management staff.

I financed my education working as a Server, Trainer, and Bartender (2000 – 2002), and then returned as Front-of-House Manager where I supervised operations for this Italian restaurant. My contributions included assisting in a menu revolution, helping design and implement a restaurant remodel, and developing a new training program.

After completing an internship with Target, I entered the MOD (Manager On Duty) Program. In my brief time there, I increased customer applications for Red Card and credit cards (elevating district ranking), prepared weekly schedules, and served on the district recruitment team, involving participating in college campus visits.