Sales, EBITDA and Customer Experience Optimization Leader

Senior Store Sales & Operations Executive / member corporate officer team of 9, collaborated to grow EBITDA by 143% in 4 years. Exponential EBITDA growth coupled with the need to fuel future growth positioned company for an attractive Private Equity sale in May, 2012. This 50-year old retail chain has over 640 retail stores in 49 states and most of Canada.• Improved Sales Conversion 5% by optimizing Conversion Selling Model and Scheduling Processes. Working cross-functionally, developed and implemented a staffing model and scheduling optimization tool to increase Payroll Productivity by 8%. In addition to leveraging the payroll spend in retail stores, this tool was vital in our efforts to position the optimum number of people, in the right place, at the right time to drive top line performance (conversion and ADS). • Improved the Customer Experience through an intensive regimen of store visits by Field Leadership team. Focused on building a “Winning Engaged Culture” and “keeping things simple and measurable” in all retail stores.• Developed and implemented succession planning strategy necessary to quickly fill store leadership needs (with high quality candidates) generated by new store growth and turnover.• Initiated and drove monthly P & L Business Review with Regional Director and District Manager teams to maintain focus on achieving Sales, Gross Margin and EBITDA targets. Educated these leaders on key metrics.• Developed and initiated an Opportunity District and Opportunity Store program designed to rapidly turn around under performance. Proved very effective in maximizing company results.• Led Store Planning & Construction teams in managing and planning of aggressive Capital spend to open, remodel, relocate and renew retail store leases and locations.• Worked extensively with IT leaders to update and optimize outdated and ineffective processes, tools and reporting; (positioned company for exponential growth over a 3-year window and PE sale).

Recruited to provide leadership necessary to hit aggressive growth targets assigned by PE partners; evaluate (boots on the ground) and propose needed changes to optimize People, Process and Product. Identified significant opportunities and initiated change and optimization to: selling model (both quantity and quality), staffing and scheduling efficiency, understanding and focus on profit results, processes, tools and systems to deliver exponential EBITDA growth to a 50-year old, slow growing retail chain.

Recruited by company owner, CEO and Board of Directors to build infrastructure and provide leadership necessary to grow a start-up, mall based retail chain from 2 stores to 150 stores in 4 years. Following our 4 year timeline, our company and high net worth investors would market the organization for an IPO or PE transaction. My extensive background in building high performance teams coupled with my comprehensive, hands-on success in lease negotiation (new locations, relocations and renewals) and strong relationships with landlords, store planning and construction management, created the “dream job” opportunity with Zounds.• Collaborated with CEO and Senior Management team to develop and implement strategic and tactical plans to achieve revenue, new store growth and ROI targets.• Sourced, hired and developed high performance Sales & Operations team of two Regional Sales VP’s, Directors of Real Estate, Construction, Training & Development and Outside Sales.• Implemented state-of-the-art demographic modeling tool (MOSAIC) to identify, secure and open store locations with highest core customer count and greatest ROI potential.• Leveraged landlord relationships and lease negotiation proficiency to lower occupancy cost by 15%.• Reduced new store construction costs by 50% through implementation of value engineering.• We successfully opened 30 corporate stores and delivered a "go forward" franchising model "proof of concept".