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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Education record