Gary Kessler
General Manager at Bote Paddleboards
Fort Lauderdale, FL
In My Own Words
Veteran action sports and lifestyle retailer with over 20 years of experience. Expertise in operations and field training, leadership and development. Visionary with proven ability to increase profit, improve service and optimize growth. Diverse experience through medium size to large, global brands.
Work Experience
Showroom General Manager @ BOTE Paddle Boards
BOTE2022 – 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
Travis Mathew2021 – 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
Island Daze2019 – 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
Pressed Juicery2018 – 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
Surf Line Hawaii / Jams2017 – 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
Adventure Sports Inc. a division of Pryde Group Americas2016 – 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
Bunulu / Bealls Dept. Stores2015 – 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
Nekter Juice Bar2014 – 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
Surftech2013 – 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
Quiksilver2011 – 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
Quiksilver2002 – 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
Quiksilver2001 – 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
Quiksilver2000 – 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
Quiksilver1999 – 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
Education
Florida Atlantic University
1999 – 2001
