Curtis Ingram

Dynamic and results-driven retail professional with over 20 years of experience in managing high-performing teams within urban and rural store environments. Proven track record of driving sales growth, enhancing customer satisfaction, and implementing effective loss prevention strategies. Adept at leveraging strong leadership skills to foster a culture of accountability and teamwork while navigating the unique challenges of high shrink and sales in retail settings. Committed to operational excellence and continuous improvement, with a deep understanding of inventory management and customer engagement practices that align with corporate objectives. Excited to bring a strategic mindset and hands-on approach to optimize store performance and achieve business goals.

-Managed a high shrink urban store environment, implementing loss prevention strategies that reduced shrinkage by 36 and 37BPS% under goals over two years.
- Directed daily operations, focusing on enhancing customer experience while maintaining compliance with company policies and procedures.
- Developed and trained a team of 150+ associates on loss prevention techniques, inventory management, and customer service excellence, fostering a culture of praise and accountability.
- Collaborated with corporate teams to analyze sales data and shrink reports, identifying patterns and implementing effective inventory controls.
- Spearheaded initiatives to improve store layout and product placement, resulting in a 7% and 4% increase in sales year over year. Grew the Pro business by 34% year over year.
- Conducted regular audits and physical inventory counts, leading to improved accuracy in inventory records and enhanced operational efficiency.

At this we were able to bring this store from last on its district scorecard to #1. We also had the strongest Store Controllable Operating Profit in the district at a 10.23%.

As the Store Manager at Lowe's, I successfully led a team of over 130 associates in delivering exceptional customer service and driving sales growth in a competitive retail environment. My key responsibilities included:

- Leadership and Team Development: Recruited, trained, and managed a diverse team, fostering a culture of collaboration and high performance. Conducted regular performance evaluations, providing constructive feedback and identifying opportunities for professional development.

- Sales and Customer Experience: Developed and executed strategic sales plans to meet and exceed store sales targets. Implemented customer service initiatives that enhanced the shopping experience, resulting in improved customer satisfaction scores and repeat business.

- Inventory Management: Oversaw inventory control processes, ensuring optimal stock levels and minimizing shrinkage. Collaborated with the merchandising team to create attractive product displays that drove sales and promoted seasonal offerings.

- Operational Excellence: Managed daily store operations, including scheduling, payroll, and budgeting. Ensured compliance with safety and operational policies, maintaining a clean and organized store environment.

- Community Engagement: Built strong relationships with local community organizations and participated in outreach programs to enhance the store's presence in the community. Engaged customers through events and promotions that aligned with local interests.

- Analytics and Reporting: Utilized sales data and performance metrics to assess store performance and identify areas for improvement. Presented actionable insights to senior management, contributing to strategic decision-making.

Through my tenure at this store, I honed my skills in retail management, team leadership, and operational efficiency, consistently achieving business objectives while maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction. This store went from last in its District of 12 to number one in the entire Northern Division.

• As a Store Manager I was accountable for leading profitable operations of my store. I was responsible for executing customer service, in-stock, and store appearance in my store. I was also responsible for achieving profitability in my store by coaching and developing associates to drive sales through providing great customer service, resolving people issues, utilizing financial and store reports to identify operational opportunities, monitoring market trends and competition and executing effective game plans to consistently improve in all of these areas. I effectively communicated the company’s strategy and ensured its execution through strategic planning and timely follow-up. I had to totally implement the End 2 End process while there and immediately improved the talent loss through attrition. I maintained a daily focus on sales, profit drivers, operational excellence and the people-side of the business. I was also responsible for developing leaders and building a deep talent bench for my store leadership positions as well as for the District Backfill. I also did this for the Region in multiple functioning roles as a Developer and became a regional mentor for the Executive Presence Program. I also Recently completed Advanced Store Manger Classes in Atlanta. Her I Developed a Leadership Check in System that was adopted by multiple Store Managers within the District. I also came up with a cadence to getter better in-stock across the store involving the Top 25 classes which the whole District then adopted. I have taken the store from $31M to $40M in the time that I have been there and was responsible for over 160 associates.

• As a new Store Manager I oversaw receiving and display of incoming products, meeting planned promotions and seasonal rotation for sales events. I applied performance data to evaluate and improve operations, target current business conditions and forecast needs. Engaged and taught associates how to interact with customers to create a positive shopping experience and drive revenue growth. With in the First year I navigated and helped plan over 100 bay moves of new product and product adjacencies while also redesigning the Entire Front laydown areas. Developed, trained and encouraged over 120 associates by promoting a culture of respect, efficiency and performance. I also Maximized the receiving area by creating more holding power and increasing logistics. Was also part of helping other store maximize the End to end process when rolled out. Which ultimately helped take the Store from $21M to $30M by the time I left. It was also during this timeframe where I became a District Mentor for most of the Talent Bench within District.

• As a Store Operations Manager I was responsible for driving sales, customer service, associate development, store profitability, in stock and store appearance. I oversaw the Operational areas of the store like Back End, Front End, Inventory Management and the back office. I was responsible for executing core programs and strategies across the store. I was also responsible for driving safety standards and environmental compliance across the store. I was also responsible for driving expense management, shrink mitigation and overall operational efficiency. Daily monitoring of the Store Controllable Operating Profit was crucial to maintaining a profitable store. Here I was able to help The Parkville Home Depot and the Golden Ring Home Depot reduce shrink in both stores during my tenure by having a close watch on many P and L categories as well as theft prevention.