Small 2 store contractor supply business aggressively expanding both store footprints, and e-commerce platforms for online orders. Increased physical store and order fulfillment space by +30% to attract more independent contractors and community clientele.- Worked through +30,000 sq.ft expansion while repositioning inventory to better fill contractor orders, and provide greater access to seasonal and other fast moving stock.- Set up order picking processes and behaviors to scale… Show more Small 2 store contractor supply business aggressively expanding both store footprints, and e-commerce platforms for online orders. Increased physical store and order fulfillment space by +30% to attract more independent contractors and community clientele.- Worked through +30,000 sq.ft expansion while repositioning inventory to better fill contractor orders, and provide greater access to seasonal and other fast moving stock.- Set up order picking processes and behaviors to scale for peak season, both in the warehouse and originating order desks. Business is now ready to add online orders with greater accuracy and fulfillment.- Organized new scheduling process for store and order fulfillment teams that aligned both associate needs and those of the business during peak periods.- Continue to work on new POS training and inventory development, as well as enhancing team selling skills. Show less

Worked with the dealer team on a short-term project to ready set a very old, small yet profitable store in time for our own new 60,000 sq.ft. Home Hardware opening nearby in 2023. It was a key part of the dealer’s commitment to keep the original store open.- Doubled the contractor sales team to 4 dedicated professionals, each focused on separate segments from home developers to small contractor entrepreneurs. Set up CRM database to track progress by client.- Successfully drove… Show more Worked with the dealer team on a short-term project to ready set a very old, small yet profitable store in time for our own new 60,000 sq.ft. Home Hardware opening nearby in 2023. It was a key part of the dealer’s commitment to keep the original store open.- Doubled the contractor sales team to 4 dedicated professionals, each focused on separate segments from home developers to small contractor entrepreneurs. Set up CRM database to track progress by client.- Successfully drove both sales and margin through 2022, averaging +8% sales and +11% in overall margin growth over pre-covid 2019. Shifted focus from order-taking to understanding each client and project.- Recruited extra delivery drivers (DZ), Lumber Yard associates and leaders, as a direct result of this growth, while closing off-site lumber yard. Show less

- Oversaw every aspect of the company’s flagship store in Canada, a 3-level location in Downtown Toronto- Implemented new protocols to ensure staff & customer safety, plus guide the team through COVID and 2 lockdowns, including a high volume of curbside and BOPIS fulfillment processes.- Hired approximately 40 new associates seasonally – also led a team of 6 managers and up to 45 associates.- Resolved 2 lowest points in an overall good Engagement Survey by dealing with… Show more - Oversaw every aspect of the company’s flagship store in Canada, a 3-level location in Downtown Toronto- Implemented new protocols to ensure staff & customer safety, plus guide the team through COVID and 2 lockdowns, including a high volume of curbside and BOPIS fulfillment processes.- Hired approximately 40 new associates seasonally – also led a team of 6 managers and up to 45 associates.- Resolved 2 lowest points in an overall good Engagement Survey by dealing with specific safety concerns while continuing to listen and implement safety changes unique to this location.- Drove the store’s comp sales performance from -15% to +12% during the key months we were open.- Maintained net operating profit by focusing the team on omni-channel programs, particularly during each lockdown.- Drove the store to 3rd in the district for “buy online pickup in store” sales volume (BOPIS), without parking!- Launched a new ecommerce ship-from-store program prior to the 2nd lockdown as a new revenue stream.- Drove the customer satisfaction scorecard rating as high as 1st in the district during ‘open’ months, by leveraging greeters to connect customers with associates who share similar hobbies, via walkie.- Reversed a 3-year trend of inventory shrink from 1.84% to just 0.73% (biggest reduction in the district)- District banner recipient for Q4 2020 Profit Excellence while team pivoted from services to E-comm constantly. Achieved year-end bonus for FY 2020 through stronger team engagement and scheduling. Show less

- Joined former mentor/CEO to take over a struggling 25,000 square foot flagship in Vaughan.- Built and led a very talented team that included 2 support managers, 1 supervisor, and up to 30 associates.- Quickly turned the business around, improving comp sales results from -18% trend to +1% the first year.- Increased sales 19% in year 1 followed by 5% in years 2 and 3 – surpassed the sales plan every year by up to 5%- Drove the store from 4th to 1st in the company… Show more - Joined former mentor/CEO to take over a struggling 25,000 square foot flagship in Vaughan.- Built and led a very talented team that included 2 support managers, 1 supervisor, and up to 30 associates.- Quickly turned the business around, improving comp sales results from -18% trend to +1% the first year.- Increased sales 19% in year 1 followed by 5% in years 2 and 3 – surpassed the sales plan every year by up to 5%- Drove the store from 4th to 1st in the company (4 stores) – ranked 1st for sales volume ($6M) and overall KPI’s.- Remodelled and expanded the store in 2017 with enhanced fireplace and patio departments.- Trained the team on the unique aspects of fireplace sales; developed a very successful CRM database.- Oversaw the fulfillment and distribution of all online orders through a centralized warehouse on-site.- Revamped the warehouse and shipping/transfer processes, helping reduce shrink to just 0.8% after 1 year. Show less

- Led a mid-tier store in Scarborough, with 2 assistant managers, 3 supervisors, and 30-40 associates.- Developed service areas of the store, Copy Centre and Tech Services into higher contributors to the business, thus providing unique solutions to further increase sales and customer experience.- Improved from 6th to a consistent spot in the top 3 in the district (12 stores) on the overall performance scorecard- Drove sales to $8M with increases of approximately 10% in… Show more - Led a mid-tier store in Scarborough, with 2 assistant managers, 3 supervisors, and 30-40 associates.- Developed service areas of the store, Copy Centre and Tech Services into higher contributors to the business, thus providing unique solutions to further increase sales and customer experience.- Improved from 6th to a consistent spot in the top 3 in the district (12 stores) on the overall performance scorecard- Drove sales to $8M with increases of approximately 10% in 2014 (105% of plan) and 20% in 2015 (117% of plan)- Built relationships with local schools & businesses for the copy centre – increased copy & print sales more than 25%- Raised the store’s profit results vs. budget from 106% in 2013 to 111% in 2014 and 117% in 2015- Selected as one of only 3 stores (out of 300 across Canada) for a full mid-year renovation due to exceptional growth- Drove the initial below average employee satisfaction survey score to 88% (company average: 83%) Show less

- Opened a brand new 125,000 square foot store in Oshawa and eventually established it as a training center for newly hired specialists’ roles across Eastern Canada- Interviewed and hired a new store team that included 4 assistant managers, 1 HR manager, 12 department managers, and 100+ associates- Increased sales by 23% – improved from $26M the first year (projection: $24M) to $32M by year 3- Awarded the highest possible bonus for outstanding sales and profit… Show more - Opened a brand new 125,000 square foot store in Oshawa and eventually established it as a training center for newly hired specialists’ roles across Eastern Canada- Interviewed and hired a new store team that included 4 assistant managers, 1 HR manager, 12 department managers, and 100+ associates- Increased sales by 23% – improved from $26M the first year (projection: $24M) to $32M by year 3- Awarded the highest possible bonus for outstanding sales and profit performance in 2010 & 2011.- Reduced inventory shrink to just 0.03% by 2012 – formally recognized by the president for shrink control- Established a very strong culture – ranked in the top 3 in all of North America for employee satisfaction- Consistently scored 97-99% on comprehensive operational audits conducted through the shareholder committee, also a requirement for national training store status. Show less

- Opened a new Downtown Toronto flagship store while also serving as part of the district support team- Built and led a team of 3 managers, 6 supervisors, and up to 125 associates in a 43,000 square foot location- Drove this high-profile new store to $50M in sales, easily surpassing the opening forecast of $38M- Consistently ranked either 1st to 3rd on the Canada-wide overall performance scorecard (out of 90 stores)- Awarded the district “Store of the Year”, and… Show more - Opened a new Downtown Toronto flagship store while also serving as part of the district support team- Built and led a team of 3 managers, 6 supervisors, and up to 125 associates in a 43,000 square foot location- Drove this high-profile new store to $50M in sales, easily surpassing the opening forecast of $38M- Consistently ranked either 1st to 3rd on the Canada-wide overall performance scorecard (out of 90 stores)- Awarded the district “Store of the Year”, and a rarely achieved (annual) “Super Performance Bonus”. - Visited and supported 7 other locations in the district, also leading a key training store in Oakville- Selected as one of 3 Canadian market leaders to meet monthly in Minneapolis as part of an international team to brainstorm new programs, processes, and leadership training. Show less

- Recruited by former VP/mentor at Forzani Group to take over an underperforming GTA North/East district- Replaced 3 store managers in the first 6 months, established higher standards, turned the district around, and gave renewed confidence to continue store expansion.- Improved from 9th to a consistent 2nd or 3rd in the company (9 districts) on the overall scorecard- Created an apparel & footwear plan that grew comp sales 11% – this rolled out to all stores-… Show more - Recruited by former VP/mentor at Forzani Group to take over an underperforming GTA North/East district- Replaced 3 store managers in the first 6 months, established higher standards, turned the district around, and gave renewed confidence to continue store expansion.- Improved from 9th to a consistent 2nd or 3rd in the company (9 districts) on the overall scorecard- Created an apparel & footwear plan that grew comp sales 11% – this rolled out to all stores- Opened 5 new stores, 2 simultaneously, and grew the district from 7 stores to 12- Selected by the VP to help interview/select new district managers – mentored new DMs for several months Show less

- Managed multiple districts before and after the Chapters brand was created in 1995 in a merger between SmithBooks and Coles- Led districts with up to 28 mall-based stores in Toronto, then from Ottawa to Kingston.- Supported the setup and grand opening of several new large-format Chapters stores in Toronto and Ottawa- Selected to stabilize the World’s Biggest Bookstore ($25M) as a special project in 1997 (only long-term union store) - Recognized by the president… Show more - Managed multiple districts before and after the Chapters brand was created in 1995 in a merger between SmithBooks and Coles- Led districts with up to 28 mall-based stores in Toronto, then from Ottawa to Kingston.- Supported the setup and grand opening of several new large-format Chapters stores in Toronto and Ottawa- Selected to stabilize the World’s Biggest Bookstore ($25M) as a special project in 1997 (only long-term union store) - Recognized by the president for successful utilization of WBB as the company’s initial online order centre- Honoured as the “District of the Year” in 2001 in recognition of outstanding performance- Promoted to regional director for the final year before Indigo acquired Chapters and replaced the executive team- Oversaw 56 stores from Toronto to Kingston – led a team of 750 including 3 mall-based DMs and 10 Chapters GMs.- Managed 10 large format Chapters stores through a hostile takeover in 2001, staying focused on our teams. Show less