Michael Pico Email & Phone Number

Cleveland, Ohio, Us

Company: An Industry-leading property management, multi-family development, housing capital, commercial, and hospitality (hotel and restaurant) company with over 2,000 employees in 29 states and operates more than 270 apartment communities with 33,000 units.LAY OF THE LAND: In 2023, I was recruited to return to oversee the operational functions and activities across The Millennia Companies and to launch a hospitality (hotel) management company. I have enhanced the housing management company's procedures and efficiency while directly supporting operations and field leadership. I am focused on improving processes to achieve organizational goals collectively. I oversee Property Operations, Human Resources, Learning and Development, Marketing and Communications, Information Technology, Safety and Security, and Internal Audit.IMPACT:► Lead a multifunctional team of operation leaders, department heads (HR, IT, Security), and other professionals (internal audit, marketing/communications, HR), delivering outstanding property management services and results. ► Established a successful hospitality management company (Savour Hospitality) for the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower.► Created organizational efficiencies and savings by outsourcing FMLA and Leave Administration. I drove compliance and updated human resources policies, COVID procedures, the property operations manual, and the employee handbook.► Formed the internal audit function focusing on organizational credit card, travel, and entertainment expenses. Created and updated policies, processes, and controls for property petty cash and cash advances. Controlled costs by managing the payroll and time allocations across the organization.► Weekly property portfolio analyses/reviews, identifying growth opportunities, cost-saving initiatives, and areas for performance improvement (occupancy, collections, AR, staffing, and procurement).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Us

Company: AION Management is one of the fastest growing property management companies in the Mid-Atlantic, with over 500 employees in 7 states managing more than 60 properties with 20,000 apartment homes extending from Northern New Jersey to Southern Virginia and as far west as Indianapolis.LAY OF THE LAND: Selected to lead a newly created organizational role responsible for building and developing culture company-wide and the strategic direction and leadership of all aspects of Human Resources.IMPACT:► Collaborated with executive leadership to align People and Culture strategies with corporate goals and objectives.► Oversaw the whole employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and offboarding.► Overhauled performance management practices and forms. Simplified and incorporated competency-based and metrics-focused practices that ensure accountability for performance.► Developed and maintained strong relationships with employees, fostering an open-door policy and employee feedback hotline to address concerns and enhance communication.► Hosted company-wide focus groups to review employee survey results and solicit real-time feedback.

Cleveland, Ohio, Us

Company: Industry-leading property management, multi-family development, housing capital, commercial, and hospitality company with over 1,500 employees in 29 states and operating >270 apartment communities with 32,000 units.LAY OF THE LAND: In 2021, I was recruited to create and steer all divisions' Human Resources and people strategy, programs, and administration. Manage talent acquisition, learning and talent development, employee relations, performance management, payroll, compensation, and benefits. Maintain direct oversight of the Information Technology and the newly formed Internal Audit functions.IMPACT:► Sharpened Millennia's competitive advantage and employer brand by adopting a holistic Talent Management philosophy in attracting and selecting top talent. This has resulted in increased online and social media recruiting presence, showing a significant increase in positive employee review ratings. ► Formed the organizational Learning and Talent Development function with a comprehensive role-specific curriculum and career development platform by launching the MillenniaYou LMS, Leadership Development, Field Training, DE&I, and relevant e-learning programs.► Chosen to manage a newly formed internal audit function focusing on the organizational credit card, travel, and entertainment expenses. Controlling costs through managing the payroll and time allocations across the organization.

Egg Harbor Township, Nj, Us

Company: North American lifestyle retailer with 10,000+ employees throughout the U.S. and Canada, operating two unique brands (Spencer's with 600+ stores and Spirit Halloween with 1,300+ locations) and a robust online business. LAY OF THE LAND: In 2020, I was brought in to build the company’s first-ever, end-to-end integrated talent management function responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of Talent Acquisition, Learning & Talent Development, and Succession Planning.IMPACT:► Chosen to lead the organizational Great Places to Work initiative, managing the employee survey platform and pursuing global recognition with certification and Best Workplaces lists. ► Built a robust Learning & Talent Development platform to ramp talent quickly and strengthen the company’s high-potential, management, and leadership benches.► Vetted and implemented a fully integrated LMS with online content. ► Agilely responded to COVID-19 pandemic disruption by shifting key talent development initiatives, internship programs, and other leadership initiatives to a virtual delivery model.

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

Company: Premier multifamily development and residential property management company with >$3B of development completed, serving >150 communities. LAY OF THE LAND: In 2016, I was chosen to lead human capital realignment and charged with building an HR strategy that spoke to the modern age, with a focus on creating a high-performance, fully engaged workforce committed to service excellence.IMPACT:► In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, became the first point of contact for all employees; led contract tracing efforts and the “Return to Work” task force; and adjusted all training initiatives to a virtual model. ►Poised Pennrose for projected explosive growth by setting the stage to cultivate a high-performance, fully engaged workforce committed to service excellence.►Succeeded in quickly building a top-notch culture that could attract and retain top talent, winning The Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” award for three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019). ► Deployed the company’s inaugural scorecard and KPI framework to drive accountability, providing the visibility needed to pinpoint issues impacting performance and service levels. ►Laid the groundwork to become a service-excellence culture by launching key learning and employee development initiatives, including establishing the Pennrose Academy, two state-of-the-art regional learning centers, and leading Pennrose to two consecutive wins for the Training Top 125. ► Incorporated a new level of employee-centricity. Re-negotiated health care benefits, and redesigned wellness programs and incentives to benefit employees better and promote wellness – resulting in a >65% usage of wellness programs. ► Upped the game in recruitment and talent management practices, modernizing talent acquisition practices and deploying a high-touch, holistic onboarding program.

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

LAY OF THE LAND: In 2014, I was brought in to serve as a catalyst for change and drive business and culture transformation to prepare the company for anticipated exponential growth better focused on setting a new strategic direction for the Learning & Employee Development function in support of >150 communities and 10,000+ units nationwide. IMPACT:► Challenged the status quo to set the stage for much-needed transformation in service and performance. ► Designed new programs to address longstanding HR, business operations, and efficiency concerns. ► Built a career-focused (vs. “task-focused”) Employee Development program and initiatives to encourage promotion and career development to achieve 85% annual employee retention.

Las Vegas, Nv, Us

Company: The fourth-largest gaming company in the world with annual revenues of >$4.6B and over 65,000 employees worldwide.LAY OF THE LAND: In 2006, I was recruited to Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s Entertainment) to lead the strategic and operational direction for leadership development and learning, supporting 54+ distinct properties, 23 brands (15 domestic and eight international), and ~65,000 employees domestically and internationally. IMPACT: ► Within the first year, transformed a nonperformance-driven training organization into a performance-driven, attaining a 5% increase in employee engagement and 3% increase in service scores year-over-year following the redesign and implementation of a core foundational learning curriculum. ► As a result of this work, I was recognized for my critical contribution to the company’s overall success, receiving three Chairman’s Awards. ► Led the company to 3 consecutive wins and global recognition by Training Top 125, a worldwide industry recognition platform. Captured four wins overall, including one for best practice in program design► Strengthened employment brand and retention within a highly competitive talent market, deepening a culture committed to employee development, delivering a notable decrease in overall and 90-day turnover rates.

New York, Ny, Us

Company: Multinational insurance corporation with over 63,000 employees globally.LAY OF THE LAND: In 2000, I was hired to lead the training strategy and business plan supporting a 1,500+-person Employee Benefits Profit Center. I led all courseware design, program customization, and curriculum development here. IMPACT: ► Delivered verifiable improvement in employee engagement and service delivery across a nationwide service organization by leading the design/implementation of a highly effective curriculum design and customization. ► Achieved exceptional Quality Service Index scores in 2004 by providing monitoring and coaching feedback that reduced average talk times and abandonment rates in high-volume call centers. ► Re-engaged a service culture by designing a multi-tiered customer service training initiative that encouraged employee empowerment and autonomy.

Fort Worth, Texas, Us

Regional Human Resource Training FacilitatorMulti Store Management and Operations

New York, Ny, Us