Kelly Blake Email & Phone Number

Providing strategic leadership for the operational aspects of the church, k-8 grade school and child care center

Responsible for restructuring the organization along logical functional lines, clearly articulating roles and responsibilities, developing a financial and strategic plan, setting targets and objectives and launching next generation services.As COO I managed the heads of the Sales & Marketing, Client Success, Operations and Finance & HR departments of the company. My objective was to position the company for significant growth and profitability by organizing for success, recruiting and developing talent, developing and implementing more robust processes and systems, driving the addition and retention of clients, developing recurring revenue, introducing more disciplined financial and KPI measures and raising capital.

Responsible for the strategic development, growth, and positioning of an organization that provides:Governance, Strategic Planning, Operational Management, Human Resource Development, Discipleship Culture Development, Alternative Revenue and Funding and Technology Solutions for Christian Schools, Ministries and non-profit organizations.

Responsible for the strategic development, growth and profitability of a Management Consulting and Real Estate organization with clients in both Arizona and Alberta Canada.The company manages rental properties and makes strategic acquisitions for remodeling and resale of residential properties. My role included all financial modelling, acquisition, negotiation and disposition of real estste.

Responsible for strategic leadership, management, planning, reporting, growth, culture development and financial performance of the society, business unit and foundation. Direct management of a five person senior leadership team - Dean of Education, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Development Officer and Dean of Discipleship.Increased enrolment from 383 to 722 students from 2005 to 2014.Created and implemented a new governance and management model.Led the formation and implementation of a business unit and foundation that enabled the generation of more than $3M per annum in non-tuition alternative revenue.Led capital campaigns raising in excess of $9 million in donations.Built the school’s first Development department.Managed a project to build a 28,000 square foot multi-purpose $9.2 million facility.Managed the successful financial turnaround of the society from a state of technical insolvency to cash flow positive of $200,000 per annum.Led the development and implementation of a discipleship culture transformation process.Led the Board and management team in a vision and mission discovery process.

Responsible for growth, profitability, strategic planning and direction, executive management, and director/shareholder relations for all operational entities. Five direct reports including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President of Operations, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Executive Vice President of Human Resources.Demonstrated leadership and business acumen to grow and develop Vantis’ business operations and create significant value for a profitable $50 million merger of the company with TravelClick of Chicago. Within 2 years of the merger with TravelClick the combined entity was sold for $283M to a private equity firm. The Private Equity firm sold TravelClick to technology giant Amadeus for $1.52B completing the roll-up.Implemented strategies which led to year-over-year EBITDA growth of over 100%.Led and managed the acquisition and integration process for a $10 million purchase of Lexington Services Corporation in Dallas, TX.Led strategic planning and corporate development with senior executive team and Board of Directors.Led a $12 million Management Buyout of VIP International Corp. with Trimin Capital a private equity firm with offices in Toronto and Vancouver.Worked with investment bankers to create presentation and Road Show to facilitate the Vantis sale.Steered the Vantis sales effort including due diligence and legal processes.Provided organizational leadership and change management expertise to facilitate smooth integration of Vantis into TravelCLICK.

Responsible for the management of day-to-day hotel and car rental central reservation office of 150 employee business with offices in Canada and the USA.Along with the president led strategic and growth management plans for the introduction of internet travel distribution and global airline distribution system strategy. Provided management and oversight to HR, IT, operations, marketing and sales. Led the development of operational plans and budgets to ensure viability of operational decisions. Negotiated contracts with Sabre, Galileo, Avis, Microsoft, Expedia and Travelocity to achieve 100% growth in reservation volume. Guided IT team to automate and implement effective business solutions and reduce duplication of effort.Realigned resources to meet changing customer needs and corporate objectives.Identified talent and high potential; mentored senior leaders to achieve corporate objectives.

Responsible for the marketing and promotion of car rental reservation, lease financing and fleet insurance services to clientele throughout North America.Grew the business to the largest car rental reservation service in the USA.Developed the first risk retention insurance program for car rental fleet vehicles.Developed the first fleet leasing finance program for independent car rental companies.Participated in the management of an IPO and NASDAQ listing of the company in 1987.Raised significant seed capital through private placements and other financing for the leasing program.Performed broker presentations on Wall Street and performed presentations at annual general shareholder meetings.

Brentford, Middlesex, Gb

Responsible for merchandising, performing product presentations at the retail and whoelsale levels, product promotion, brand management, price management and placement and distribution of household international brands.Managed Aqua Fresh toothpaste, Kling Free fabric softener, Calgon bath products, Sucrets, Nice and Hold cold remedies among many other international consumer brands.Consistently surpassed sales quotas and objectives.Was named the #2 Brand Manager in the Southwest territory.

Bachelor Of Business Administration - Bba, Marketing

Associate Of Science, Core Requirements