Zackary C. Richards Email & Phone Number

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Lead a team in identifying and delivering process improvements to strengthen regional performance, including revenue, guest satisfaction, and system growth.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Responsible for designing and implementing regional growth and strategic initiatives, managing key projects and programs, facilitating future-state development, and providing strategic analyses.• Led the business case development for the launch of Garner™ Hotels, including sizing the system and revenue opportunity, the initial and ongoing investment needed, and various growth scenarios • Developed new ways of working to reduce the length of typical renovations from 3 to 2 years• Created process and support model for mid-license renovations, affecting 300+ hotels annually at scale• Updated the business cases of IHG's newest brands to revalidate the route to achieve original hotel opening and revenue projections based on COVID-19’s impact on growth and performance• Designed a colleague incentive program to drive incremental groundbreaks between 2022 and 2024

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Designed IHG's cross-functional engagement roadmap with franchisees to facilitate the brand’s initial hotel ground breaks and openings. Developed the on-property service model to activate the brand's culture and deliver a differentiated guest experience through defined behaviors and processes with a limited staffing model.• Led engagement with 6 hotels on accelerated development timelines to facilitate 2020 groundbreakings.• Worked with 18 hotels to review project development, ranging from discussion construction and equipment quotes to build and code requirements.• Tracked hotel progress milestones by merging 3 data sources into a new database to create project reports.• Developed communications to share program updates to help hotels meet standards as the brand is finalized.• Established service behaviors to create consistency while employing brand principles for unique delivery. • Leveraged internal and external research to create a service style that meets guests’ evolving needs in the upper-midscale segment. • Developed a quant/qual insights plan to know how guests respond to service and ways to improve delivery.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Helped facilitate the roll-out of InterContinental Hotels Group's newest brand in the midscale segment. The role focused on helping 12 new properties meet the experience and design requirements to guarantee product consistency across a geographically diverse portfolio. To achieve these goals, the position engaged with internal partners and ownership groups to implement best practices to open properties quickly and be set up to achieve successful ramp-up performance. In addition, the role managed the reporting for guest sentiment, insights, and pipeline development. • Collaborated with 8 cross-functional teams to build a new roadmap to guide hotel-level engagement for new brands and programs, focusing on aligning workstreams across 105 project milestones.• Created weekly status reports to gauge project progress based on schedule, highlight risks to opening, and forecast impact to opening date and marketing launch if risks not mitigated. • Led weekly meetings with 8 teams to identify and deploy program and project-level solutions to eliminate gaps.• Designed schedules based on the new framework for 12 hotel openings and implemented project calendar to help achieve an average ~11-month build timeline versus an expected ~13 months.• Reviewed construction estimates and equipment and supplies quotes to help projects maintain ~$9M budgets.• Coordinated and conducted touchpoints with hotels to provide brand and operations standards and confirm compliance with mandates.• Developed 9 resources to assist in creating a suite of property-level tools used to expedite and standardize tasks, including product ordering, construction practices, and operations setup.• Stood up portfolio reporting for Franchise Development to monitor pipeline progress.• Established guest sentiment reporting, leveraging survey data, to track brand and hotel level guest satisfaction. • Managed consumer listening to highlight opportunities for the brand and hotels to improve guest experience.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Supported brand design development for avid hotels’ launch with an emphasis on building an enticing guest offering to capitalize on a $20 billion whitespace in the midscale segment. Balanced guest needs and construction costs to create a compelling owner return model versus other hotel brands. • Created avid hotels’ prototype book, including versions for US market and expansion into Mexico, to highlight the hotel’s design and key features for interested franchisees and external partners.• Managed design iteration and production of 2 vital elements for the hotel’s lobby, while working with the lead designer to keep consistent with the interior aesthetic and procurement to ensure effective pricing.• Maintained a $3+ million capital budget, tracking all architecture and design spend to verify expenses were accounted for, vendors paid, and expenditures reconciled with the finance department.• Owned the brand’s operating supplies and equipment (OS&E) program, including creating the OS&E Guide for individual hotels, streamlining the package to eliminate under-utilized items.• Formed personal amenities program to align with IHG’s bulk strategy while achieving savings of $8,435 per year per hotel on products and $5,766 on fixtures for initial hotel build compared to build cost model.• Designed fitness equipment package to offer an elevated feel with the addition of a spin bike, robust accessories package, and upgraded equipment while generating a savings of $428 versus the target goal.• Coordinated with architecture and design managers and contractors to oversee construction of prototyping at IHG Design Center, ranging from foam mock-ups to full construction of model rooms and lobby space, to study strengths and weaknesses of the brand’s design with senior leadership.• Led guest insights work to create an action plan for improving guest room design based on consumers’ reactions to seeing and interacting with model rooms.

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Provided consumer insights for 8 clients by creating copy tests, in-market advertisement evaluation studies, and brand equity tracking projects, which targeted advertising- and brand-enhancement opportunities and business objectives. Owned brand-focused project work for clients across multiple industry sectors, including pet care, retail, durable goods, and food and drink.• Responsible for generating annual revenue exceeding $2.5 million, accounting for 20% of the team’s revenue stream.• Used 30% of work-week to manage client relationships and discuss brand and project needs.• Developed custom approaches to provide insights into specific advertising, brand, and business initiatives by collaborating with brand marketers, consumer insights managers, creative agencies, and media buyers.• Constructed presentations that provide insightful data narratives and actionable business and brand findings.• Spent 60% of work-week leading multiple projects in various stages, ranging from creating custom proposals to launching studies to delivering results.• Collaborated with 6 internal groups during projects to uphold timelines, budgets, and project execution while preserving data quality to maintain client expectations.• Maintained project costs and investigated overages for issue resolution or escalation to senior management to uphold client expectations and budgets.• Investigated problems that arose and applied solutions allowing reporting to be delivered on time.• Worked with 3 junior staff members, 2 who were promoted, to effectively manage workloads, delegate project tasks, and improve data analysis and reporting skills.

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Managed 3 pet care clients, leading all project work and supporting team revenue responsibilities to reduce managers’ workloads. Continued to aid the client service team in running 31 copy test and 7 in-market tracking projects for a multinational CPG company, resulting in revenue 130% to the target goal.• Interacted with clients to discuss projects, including designing studies based on the brand’s goals and business aims, finalizing costs and timing, and talking through data and recommendations for their next steps.• Created 31 topline reports and presentations, transforming quantitative research into stories and folding in data visualizations while delivering brand insights and useful recommendations.• Supported 5 account managers throughout the duration of their projects and owned all project data work, including correlations, statistical significance calculations, and trend analyses.• Contributed throughout each project by collaborating with managers and research partners during proposal development, study design, fielding, and final analysis to reduce workloads.• Designed study proposals and questionnaires in response to client budgets, deadlines, and brand objectives.

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Assisted a client services team in managing all copy tests for a global food and drink company, accounting for $7 million in annual revenue. Helped managers by leading questionnaire development, completing internal tasks to launch tests, and conducting data work after studies were completed for 54 projects.• Aided managing VP during client service team’s transition to 3 new managers by providing background on client and all projects to preserve client expectations during changeover.• Produced tools which automated internal processes, including calculators to highlight client savings and project margins as well as procedures for analyst duties, ranging from job pricing to project deliverables.• Generated 4 copy testing databases for clients’ separate divisions to expedite the creation of data requests from client and internal partners.• After a project had been sold, aided questionnaire design, confirmed project details and specifications with internal teams, processed advertisements, and completed prerequisite tasks to launch study. • Reviewed data once fielding completed ensuring quality, allowing project managers more time on analyses• Researched business profiles of client and their brands, consumers, competitors, and industry trends to provide additional insight throughout the project process.

Cincinnati, Oh

• Developed and initiated a social media marketing plan and pilot program alongside the Director of Strategic Marketing.• Managed 14 clients’ social media properties, with accounts across Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.• Accounts saw growth, via organic methods, in reach that ranged from 27% to 282% on a monthly basis and engagement that increased 10% to 218% month over month. • Generated increase in followers, reach, and engagement for the clients, with substantial growth in the first few months of social account management and consistent growth after that period. • Researched and produced ad campaign for the clients in order to increase brand awareness. Developed strategies and conducted ad buying on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.• Compiled and analyzed data relating to social media metrics in order to better adjust social marketing strategies for increased followers, reach, engagement, and ROI. • Created monthly content calendars for each client and tailored the calendar to fit their social media accounts, promotions, and marketing approach.• Provided daily coverage of the social media accounts in order to engage with followers, offer support, and update the accounts as needed. • Conducted weekly meetings with the clients to relay information regarding data trends in key social metrics, calendar development, promotional campaigns, and general upkeep of the accounts. • Worked alongside account managers to explain the social media program to potential clients and partake in account meetings between clients and their account managers.

Charleston, Sc

• Launched a kitchen specialist company’s expansion into the Charleston, SC market.• Designed the company’s local website, including the new copy, layout, and logo.• Created new social media accounts and established marketing strategies for each social medium.• Used SEO techniques to emphasize specific keywords in various writings to increase search rankings. • Wrote a business plan for the company in order to secure financing for their launch and office. • Finalized a thorough budget and marketing plan for the company’s attendance of home show events. • Developed and implemented sales and marketing strategies for a dock building company.• Completed market research to better focus marketing and advertising tactics.• Optimized website and social media accounts to increase page views and click-through rates. • Managed contacts to increase market reach and create new customers segments. • Wrote industry research reports for account managers for their preparation of meeting potential clients.• Assisted the senior account executive in establishing their schedule, travel plans, and work calendar.• Organized the senior account executive’s filing system for their clients’ various documentation.

Lexington, Virginia

• Conducted research that focused on Washington and Lee University during the 18th and 19th centuries. • Served as an administrative assistant to the museum director and museum office staff.• Used primary sources to write briefs and essays on various topics related to Lee Chapel and the university and then distributed the information to various employees of the Chapel.• Developed educational curriculums and reading lists for Chapel employees and training programs for new hires.• Created and organized a library for Chapel owned books and updated the office’s electronic and physical filing systems.• Served as a guide in the Chapel and Museum, providing tours for groups and individuals. Presented educational information about the state of the University, history of the Chapel and University, and answered questions • Planned, scheduled, and organized speaking engagements held within the Chapel.• Designed and distributed materials to promote special events and speakers.• Worked in the Museum gift shop, handling purchasing transactions with visitors, end of shift reports, end of day reports, and restocking inventory.• Organized the gift shop inventory and filing system to ease restocking and updating inventory numbers for ordering purposes.

Orlando, Florida Area

• Assisted marketing executives carry out daily and special projects, ranging from data analysis to creating training manuals for new interns.• Recorded and analyzed daily, weekly, and monthly metrics for Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and GolfChannel.com.• Collected data ranging from page views to followers to click-through rate and analyzed the data to see how the numbers changed over time and illustrate the effectiveness of certain marketing campaigns. • Wrote blogs for GolfChannel.com, regarding golf tournaments, TV specials, and show premiers. • Wrote copy for photo galleries, which saw month-over-month growth during the internship.• Managed social media writings, tweets and Facebook posts, creating an increase in followers.• Optimized videos with SEO techniques and measured the positive growth of the optimization. • Completed a project on how to increase Golf Channel’s reach in Asian TV markets.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.) In Politics, Minor In Mass Communications

Activities and Societies: Phi Kappa Psi, onPoverty, Lee Chapel

Education record