Christopher Reece Email & Phone Number

Houston, Texas Area Or St. Louis, Missouri Area

Houston, TX

• Promoted to relocate to the greater Houston Texas area to successfully lead retail operations at the Kemah Boardwalk. Achieved a 25% increase in retail sales for the amusement property while managing operations for 11.
• Lead an average of 60-70 staff members, 10 supervisors, and 2 assistant mangers while monitoring performance to ensure optimal service delivery.
• Oversaw retail warehouse and receiving department, consisting of 1 manager and 5 staff members.
• Secured 3-4% inventory improvement while increasing sales from $2M to $2.5M, optimizing staff productivity.
• Sustained guest-first standards across all departments to ensure optimal guest satisfaction.
• Interfaced with leadership team by contributing to daily meetings with boardwalk management team, including amusements, marina, box office, sales, hotel, restaurants, grounds, and maintenance to share best practices.

Greater Denver Area

• Responsibilities included overseeing team of customer service members and park operation leads in multiple high-volume departments including the retail store, exhibit box office and general amusement attractions and.
• Managed employee lifecycle; Hire and organize training for new employees; Update and maintain employee personnel files; Make decisions regarding performance plans, annual reviews, salary increases, disciplinary action.
• Prepared and presented daily and weekly sales and labor reports to General Manager and corporate leaders.
• Analyzed sales trends within each department and maintain labor costs within one-half percent and one percent (0.5-1%) of prior year by adjusting daily schedules and operations cross-training.
• Executed and improved programs that enhance guest experience, drive business, and reinforce brand awareness. Programs include: membership, value ticket, mermaid shows, tree climb, train ride, 4D theater, and concession
• Participated in and supported marketing events held on- and offsite

Denver, CO

• Hired as Retail Lead for grand opening team in 2001 and rehired in 2003 as Operations Manager. Responsible for retail and arena (arcade) team of 25-40 employees and restaurant team of 75+ employees for 300-seat, casual.
• Oversaw daily facility operations including: guest services, staffing, restaurant flow and organization, cleanliness, food preparation, and restaurant opening and closing.
• Ensured service met or exceeded guests’ expectations and was in-line with company standards.
• Executed successful events by coordinating appropriate staffing, ensuring effective setup plans, establishing a relationship with the client’s point-of-contact, preparing client billing, and exceeding guest expectations.
• Attended weekly retail, arena, and bar conference calls with corporate leaders and other facilities to discuss department inventories, sales, goals, marketing promotions, and company standards; Communicated meeting.
• Consistently earned exceptional quarterly departmental scores on the retail store (96%+) in the arena (89%-95%).

Denver, CO

• Led operations for an Asian-inspired restaurant that generated over $2M in annual sales with a capacity for over 150 patrons
• Supervised and trained a large staff team while overseeing daily duties including cost control, purchasing and guest services
• Also oversaw guest services, staffing, workflow development, sanitization, food preparation and opening/closing processes
• Managed bar inventory, designed new drinks and crafted promotions to bring in new patrons; coached and trained staff regarding proper drink techniques and recipes to control costs and maintained positive relations with.
• Worked in collaboration with the Kitchen Manager and staff deliver high-caliber meal offerings; determined food prep guidelines for all meal periods and took inventory counts at the end of each
• Handled weekly ordering, and cost control to include bar products and paper goods; partnered with sister restaurant to facilitate product sharing thus minimizing overstock levels and unnecessary expenditures

Denver, CO

• Played an active role as a member of Denver Hard Rock’s opening management team after serving as the Operations Manager at Atlanta Hard Rock; managing personnel, revenue generation and customer service efforts
• Directed daily facility operations including guest services, staffing, inventory, cleanliness, food prep, and shift opening/closing; increased sales numbers through careful merchandising of inventory and the.
• Accounted for P&L with regards to sales, labor and all related costs; included management of retail, bar and restaurant department costs/variances using a budget-declining tool and action plans developed with the.
• Organized and originated trend-based action plans that increased revenue and fostered a sense of collaboration via the development of staff recognition endeavors
• Conducted financial procedures for shift closing including petty cash counts, safe reserve checks, bank deposit preparation and reconciliation of all point-of-sale systems
• Introduced and promoted a weekly live music series and various other outdoor events; fielded talent requests, determined staffing levels, assessed product availability and implemented crowd control efforts