GENERAL MANAGER
BROADWAY ACE HARDWARE
Portland, Oregon
March 2015Â - Present
I was hired by NFN Investments to head the development of a brand new 15,000 square foot hardware store, to be known as Broadway Ace Hardware. It was my responsibility to handle all aspect of the development stages of the store. This included duties such as project management, research & development, space design, staffing, developing policies and procedures, training, marketing, accounting, scheduling, purchasing, and countless other tasks required to establish and operate the store. Under my management the store had sales over $1.38 million in year one, and exceeded pro forma expectations by more than $80,000.00.
OPENING OF BROADWAY ACE HARDWARE
January 12th, 2016
The opening of Broadway Ace Hardware was the culmination of many months of preparation, hard work, and execution. As the restoration of the building was taking place, I was responsible for coordinating and executing the installation of fixtures and merchandise into the new store. As we got closer to the soft opening, It was my duty to ensure that every detail was attended to in order to open on time and under budget.
THE GRAND OPENING EVENT
April 1st, 2016
The grand opening celebration for Broadway Ace Hardware was a huge event, and I was responsible for planning and orchestrating the entire event. It was a major undertaking that took the coordination of many people. In the end, the event went off perfectly and was a huge success!
The 3-day grand opening included a wide variety of features that made for an exciting and entertaining event. We focused on the local Portland community, and included things such as a VFW color guard, the local high school band, and live local musicians. We also had the local high school cheerleaders giving out hot dogs to customers. We had vendor reps on site to promote and discuss their products, as well as contests with amazing grand prize giveaways.
In addition to planning the grand opening, I was also responsible for the advertising of the event. I designed a flyer and distributed it to over 20,000 households in our region. I even personally went business to business in our neighborhood, inviting people to the event. We ran radio ads and did a live radio broadcast for the store. All of these efforts drew a huge crowd and sales exceeded our expectations.
Planning and executing the Grand Opening for Broadway Ace Hardware was a big challenge for me, but it was also fun and exciting. I learned a lot from this experience and I am proud of what a successful event it turned out to be.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
As we progressed through our first year, the store continued to improve and evolve. We expanded our product lines, as well as the services we offered to our customers. We utilized several different advertising outlets, and worked to increase the number of business to business accounts we had. All of these efforts, along with the dedication of our staff have shown an increase in sales, and a trend of upward growth. As you can see on this graph, our sales versus Ace Corporate pro forma projections started slightly above, dipped slightly under in the middle months, but came on strong and finished higher than projected as we closed out the year. We have continued this upward momentum into year two and are looking to build upon the success of our first year.
CONTINUED GROWTH
Entering year two, Broadway Ace Hardware was on a high growth trajectory and operations were improving exponentially. Our monthly sales far exceeded those from the previous year, as well as our year two pro forma expectations. By the end of the year, we had sales in excess of $1.8 million, which was nearly 42% higher than the previous year! As we begin year three, the store is poised to eclipse these numbers, and continue the trend of outperforming expectations.
ABOUT THE JOB
Throughout my time with Broadway Ace hardware I have put systems and protocols in place that allow me to effectively manage, delegate, and oversee all aspects of the day to day operations of the store. I have hired a competent and well trained staff that provide excellent customer service as well as perform their daily duties to ensure the smooth and profitable operation of the store. My primary concern is always the bottom line and every decision I make is with the success of the company in mind. I am frugal by nature, but aggressive when I see opportunity and value. I believe in investing in human resources, and using motivation and accountability to maximize the effort and productivity I get from each employee.
On a typical day, I begin by balancing all tills and deposits, opening the store, reviewing sales reports, and evaluating the data. I look at immediate needs and deal with all the urgent issues facing the store. I always have an eye on the future and I ensure we are prepared for upcoming sales and promotions. Communication with my managers and team leaders provides me with the information I need to make long term decisions and to resolve any immediate concerns. Maintaining regular communications with our accounting department is extremely important to ensure that our books are in order. We have established a system of checks and balances that ensures accuracy and transparency with all financial aspects of the business. I treat the store as if it is my own and do all I can to ensure its success.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Management
Research & Development
Purchasing
Inventory Management
Store Planning
Merchandising
Marketing & Promotion
Customer Service
Vendor Relations
Financial Planning & Budgeting
Policy Development & Implementation
Staffing (Recruit, Hire, & Fire)​
Training
Store Opening & Closing
Cash Balancing & Reconciliation
NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
As General Manager, the accomplishments of Broadway Ace Hardware, are a direct reflections of my own personal achievements. It is very gratifying to see the store reach goals and receive accolades. Below are a few of our notable accomplishment we have achieved in the short time the store has been open.
PLATINUM PERFORMANCE RETAILER
The Ace Hardware Corporation has developed a set of guidelines for metrics they feel are important for a successful Ace hardware store to achieve. These metrics include things like number of in-store events, club card scan rate, customer surveys, and training hours completed. We achieved Platinum Performance level in our first year as well as in year two.
HELPFUL 101 CERTIFIED
Being helpful is the main slogan of Ace hardware and is something we take great pride in. I ensure that all of my associates are property trained and prepared to give each and every customer the most helpful and positive shopping experience at my store. The Ace Hardware Corporation has developed customer survey programs designed to test the helpfulness of each store. In our first year we achieved an overall score of 96%, and were officially Helpful 101 Certified.
ESSENTIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS CERTIFICATE
Ace Hardware regularly offers training programs designed to developed better management and operational procedures. I completed the course and received a certificate of achievement for my efforts. I gained valuable knowledge and obtained information and practices that I have implemented into my management skill set.
THE WRAPÂ UP
I cannot say enough positive things about my experience working as General Manager of Broadway Ace Hardware. Seeing the store grow literally from the ground up, has been an amazing experience and I have learned so much along the way. I believe the experience and education I received prior to my arrival, were extremely valuable and gave me the foundation to do what was necessary in managing every aspect of such a complex and demanding project. From the development, to the execution, to the day to day operations, I constantly adapted to changing environments and expectations. All the way, I have maintained a high level of professionalism, organization, and efficiency. Managing so many different aspects of the business has proven to be a great challenge, but has been greatly rewarding. I have gained extremely valuable experience that I will continue to utilize throughout the remainder of my professional career.
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If you would like to see more pictures of Broadway Ace Hardware, please click this link to the photo gallery of my website. There you will find store interior and exterior images, pictures from our Grand Opening, as well as a variety of other images from throughout my professional life.