Kendra Cook

10065 Juliana Circle * Powell, Ohio 43065

Phone: (614)679-2460 * e-mail: kca55dd6@westpost.net
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:
A seasoned management professional with more than 19 years experience in the bea
uty and retail industries managing both established and start-up organizations w
ith annual budgets in excess of $20 million. Strongly self-motivated, energetic
and both people and profit-oriented. Experienced in developing long-term custome
r relations. Proven ability to cultivate creative excellence. Distinguished comm
unication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
J.Bentley Studio and Spa
Chief Operations Officer 2006 to August 2010
Responsible for all financial, operations, marketing, and staff management aspec
ts of the salon and spa. Plans and organizes corporate communications and events
and manages vendor partnerships, community relations, and all fiscal commitment
s of the organization. Directs the staff education and performance improvements
program for more than 65 employees.
* Created and Achieved Company Philosophy of a people-first environment supporte
d by open-door culture, strong employee and customer relations, brand integratio
n and sound business practice
* Managed Fiscal Operations: created and implemented data-driven daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly and annual projections (e.g., identified weakest service by d
epartment and built plan of action to enhance service performance, ensured conti
nuance of strongest services' increasing trend line); created formulas for Budge
t Plan using historical data to predict future revenue, cost of goods, payroll a
nd expenses; projected cash flow and calculated profit and loss statements for s
trategic planning.
* Developed and managed company wide Policies and Procedures: created employee h
andbook (e.g., paid time off, benefits, dress code, etc.), client release forms,
medical history forms, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and State
Board of Cosmetology policy adherence.
* Recruited and developed company staff (i.e. concierge, management, hair, spa):
developed recruitment plans (e.g., job fairs, advertisements, school presentati
ons), conducted interviews, drafted job descriptions and performance behaviorals
, conducted performance reviews and established continuous improvement plans.
* Established Training Curriculum (e.g., continued education units and professio
nal development): evaluated industry techniques and selected baseline methods fo
r application across salon and spa; developed handbook for each discipline; meas
ured performance with written and technical assessments; created criteria for pr
omotional opportunities upon completion of modules.
* Directed inventory controls: ensured adherence to Budget Plan through routine
reporting; approved purchases; monitored stock levels and usage (i.e. facilities
management, office supplies, retail and professional products); maintained over
all organization of the inventory flow through regulating weekly professional us
age and retail sales.
* Built and fostered Vendor Relationships: identified brands through analysis of
business practices, product results and consumer awareness; negotiated contract
s, terms, buy backs and cost of goods; coordinated onsite education and strategi
zed ongoing sales performance support from each of the 30 plus vendors.
* Originated and coordinated Marketing Strategies and Brand Awareness: enhanced
company visibility through multi-media venues including radio, television and pr
int advertisement; developed vendor partnerships by establishing trading opportu
nities; created client incentives to build email database; reviewed and approved
graphic design and editorial for all advertisements; created and maintained int
egrity of the brand.
* Administered Retail Sales Strategies: empowered employees to educate clients o
n needs and benefits of professional products; executed monthly and quarterly pr
omotions with the goal of client awareness and providing staff talking points; e
stablished individual goals and supported each employee through one-on-one mento
ring and training.
* Initiated Merchandising Strategies: developed six month planagrams (e.g., seas
onal focus, featured product) to support retail sales strategies; ensured overal
l adherence to the campaign; directed maintenance of displays; monitored visual
appeal; highlighted product launches through increased visual awareness both ons
ite and through marketing efforts.
* Produced menu of services: benchmarked with national and global organizations;
brainstormed service options; gathered employee input; created design layout; g
ather bids from production companies and managed printing process.
* Oversaw and authorized architectural and interior design plans: worked with ci
ty planners, contractors and vendors in designing and building physical facility
.
* Expanded company presence in additional industries: collaborated with medical
professionals to offer MediSpa services (i.e. Botox, Dysport, Restylane, Juveder
m and permanent makeup) and medical-grade products (i.e. Latisse, Vivite).
Kendra Cook
10065 Juliana Circle * Powell, Ohio 43065
Phone: (614)679-2460 * e-mail: kca55dd6@westpost.net
CHARLES PENZONE Grand Salon
Salon and Spa Operation Director / Spa Operation Director / Salon Manager 1997 t
o 2006
Managed, empowered, and developed staff of over 300 employees in all aspects to
include: internal and external customer relations, professional growth, and the
identification and evaluation of goals and objectives. Responsible for developin
g, administrating and monitoring multi-million dollar budgets (e.g., audit finan
cial accounts: cash flow, accounts receivable and accounts payable). Monitored a
nd mentored the professional development of all employees by establishing and ad
ministering continuous training and development opportunities.
* Achieved business goals to increase efficiency and effectiveness of Salon and
SPA operations: developed step by step procedural manual for the spa services; d
eveloped weekly walk through schedule ensuring compliance with all specification
s of OSHA and State Board Requirements, devised retail sales program, increasing
retail commissions and decreasing service commissions, to entice and motivate h
igh level retail performance.
* Increased client retention by improving employee capabilities through: adminis
tering quarterly performance reviews identifying staff strengths and areas of op
portunity; routinely auditing employee schedules to ensure efficient productivit
y for the operations of the salon and spa; and continually coaching staff in ord
er to achieve steady improvement in processes and procedures.
* Succeeded in facilitating the opening of three of the largest and most promine
nt salon and spas in the world, all of which average 18,000 square feet and gros
s an average of 10 million dollars in revenue.
* Cultivated external business partners by building extensive vendor corresponde
nts, coordinating/scheduling vendor credits for profitable education, and servin
g as consultant for other salons.
* Developed a variety of valuable brand-awareness programs to include: innovativ
e marketing strategies to expand the spa area with new spa services; Corporate S
ales program which established partnerships with area businesses; and incentive
program for employees who volunteer in special events. Coordinated philanthropic
events such as Adventure for Wish Kids, Mother and Daughter day, Breast Cancer
race for the cure and Look Good Feel Better program.
* Scheduled and tracked all continuing education hours (CEU): for the hair profe
ssionals, estheticians, make-up artist, massage therapist, and nail and pedicure
technicians.
* Developed successful business and community relations utilizing customer servi
ce and interpersonal skills to communicate frequently with new and existing clie
nts building goodwill and generating repeat/referral sales.
* Decreased costs through efficiency in payroll, reduction in shrink, and improv
ed theft prevention by working jointly with department leaders to monitor schedu
ling, product usage and scheduled/unscheduled salon walk-throughs. Maintain inve
ntory, logistics, purchasing and sales procedure of products and supplies.
* Built and fostered proactive work environment conducive to the highest levels
of employee participation.
District Manager /District Supervisor / Store Manager; 1986 to 1996
MERRY-GO-ROUND, INC.; Columbus, Ohio
Responsible for supervising daily activities of 12 facilities with 175 employees
in an 8 million dollar district through partnership with Store Managers in oper
ational and business development functions. Scope of accountability included rec
ruiting and developing managers and sales associates, monitoring budgets, contro
lling expenses, and evaluating performance of district (i.e., visual merchandisi
ng of stores, shrink reduction, profit and loss).
* Achieved multiple store turn-a-rounds by demonstrating expertise and dramatica
lly reducing cost expenditures while increasing productivity using a proactive h
ands-on style with intensive leadership and selling skills.
* Led the company as the number one store out of 1100 nation-wide for five conse
cutive years through demonstrating award-winning selling abilities and exception
al customer service and establishing a positive work environment.
* Improved employee morale and district overall performance through motivating,
training and mentoring individual success. Implemented regional training develop
ment seminars that consisted of motivation, customer service, and selling.
* Drove sales increases through tracking and critiquing daily sales performance
results with store managers. Communicated performance and goal progress to execu
tive leadership weekly.
* Accomplished increased revenue through creation of advantageous merchandise di
splays including product launches of newly arrived merchandise and remerchandisi
ng existing displays.
* Increased internal and external customer satisfaction, as well as cashier perf
ormance, cross-selling of higher-priced items, and ensuring correct pricing by e
stablishing a positive, proactive example for employees to follow in customer se
rvice activities.
Visual Merchandiser; 1984 to 1986
FASHION BUG INC., Chillicothe, Ohio
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Computer Skills: Proficient in Microsoft Office, Oracle, Mozilla Firefox, and In
ternet Explorer.
Certifications: Endermology, Mircroderma-brasion, Jan Marini, Skin Care Technolo
gy
Education/Professional Seminars:
* Tarrant County Junior College, Fort Worth, Texas; Business Management Coursewo
rk
* 10-year Strategic Planning Workshop
* Performance Branding Services - "Customer Satisfaction"
* International Chain Salon University - "Extreme Customer Service"