Gary Kessler

Showroom General Manager @ BOTE Paddle Boards

2022 – Present

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations of store located at Fort Lauderdale, FL - Hiring, training and development of staff - Local marketing and monthly/quarterly store events and promotions. - Implementation of all company directives including policy and procedure - Analyzing sales, KPI and P & L reports to maximize store contribution - All product ordering, inventory maintenance and logistics - Motivation of management team and staff to meet operational and organizational goals

General Manager

2021 – 2022

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations of store located at Boca Town Center, Boca Raton, FL - Hiring, training and development of staff - Local marketing and monthly/quarterly store events and promotions. - Implementation of all company directives including policy and procedure - Analyzing sales, KPI and P & L reports to maximize store contribution - Motivation of management team and staff to meet operational and organizational goals

Operations Manager

2019 – 2021

Operations Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Leading customer service team - Leading independent sales rep force - Developing and implementing policy and procedure - Generating and distributing all sales and inventory reporting - Overseeing warehouse, logistics, receiving and distribution - Overseeing art/graphics department - Developing retail strategy for brick and mortar resort retail concept

General Manager

2018 – 2019

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Hiring, onboarding, training and development - Daily store operations and scheduling - All product and supply ordering from internal and external vendors - Monitoring, interpreting and executing on KPI and sales and inventory reports - Local marketing and promotions - Maintaining physical plant and equipment

Director Of Retail Operations

2017 – 2018

Director of Retail Operations duties included but were not limited to: - Report generation and distributions - Development of policy and procedure for retail operations - New store planning and execution (International Market Place, Honolulu, HI) - POS development through Shopify - Product development and planning - New hire training and development

Director of Retail Operations

2016 – 2017

Director of Retail Operations duties included but were not limited to: - Development and implementation of retail policy and procedure - 3rd party product development and purchasing - Overseeing daily store operations - Planning for yearly trade shows and twice yearly warehouse clearance sale - Event planning and execution for retail stores - Visual merchanding lead

Manager of Retail Operations

2015 – 2016

Manager of Retail Operations included but were not limited to: - New store opening planning and execution - Store manager hiring, onboarding, training and development - Development and implementation of all policy and procedure - Lead for opening of three new coastal lifestyle stores in Florida (Estero, Palm Beach and Jacksonville) - POS, CRM and back-office systems training for all store managers - Visual merchandising - Store visits and evaluation of management and staff

Director of New Stores

2014 – 2014

Director of New Stores duties included but were not limited to: - Development of new store opening procedures - Partnering with district managers, real estate, construction and supply chain (and other stake holders) to gather and collate information to develop new store opening procedures for nationwide expansion.

Hawaii Regional Sales Manager

2013 – 2013

Hawaii Regional Sales Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Lead for all product sales on Hawaiian islands and Guam - Development and implementation of wholesale and retail sales strategy - Lead for all warehouse logistics and planning - Hired, trained and developed warehouse and retail personal - Cultivation of business relationships with key decision makers - Ensured high-level of completion and customer satisfaction for retail and whole sale customers

District Manager

2011 – 2012

Southern California District Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations lead for 10 stores - Opening of two flagship locations in Newport Beach and Venice, CA - Analyzing sales data, P & L reports, payroll budgets, KPI's, etc. to maximize store/district contribution - Drove implementation of company programs, motivating and supporting store management teams to develop and execute action plans to meet operational and organizational objectives.

District Manager

2002 – 2011

Southeastern US District Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations lead for 10 stores - Opening of flagship locations on South Beach, Miami, FL - Opening lead for 15 retail locations including Orlando, FL, Paramus, NJ, Tempe, AZ, Boulder, CO, Times Square, NY, Montreal and Toronto, Canada. - Analyzing sales data, P & L reports, payroll budgets, KPI's, etc. to maximize store/district contribution - Drove implementation of company programs, motivating and supporting store management teams to develop and execute action plans to meet operational and organizational objectives.

General Manager

2001 – 2002

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations of outlet store located at Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise, FL - Hiring, training and development of staff - Implementation of all company directives including policy and procedure - Analyzing sales, KPI and P & L reports to maximize store contribution - Motivation of management team and staff to meet operational and organizational goals

General Manager

2000 – 2001

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations of flagship store located in SOHO, NY - Hiring, training and development of staff - Implementation of all company directives including policy and procedure - Analyzing sales, KPI and P & L reports to maximize store contribution - Motivation of management team and staff to meet operational and organizational goals

General Manager

1999 – 2000

General Manager duties included but were not limited to: - Daily operations of flagship store located in Boston, MA - Hiring, training and development of staff - Implementation of all company directives including policy and procedure - Analyzing sales, KPI and P & L reports to maximize store contribution - Motivation of management team and staff to meet operational and organizational goals

Florida Atlantic University

1999 – 2001