David Vaughn
Jacksonville,FL
Summary
Results-oriented individual with a passion for continuous learning and innovation. Known for leveraging analytical thinking and creativity to solve problems and deliver high-impact solutions in fast-paced environments.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Chef
Buca Di Beppo
Jacksonville, FL
02.2014 - 01.2017
- Developed and implemented menus for multiple restaurants, catering events, and private parties.
- Assisted in developing marketing strategies designed to increase restaurant revenue.
- Analyzed customer feedback data to improve existing recipes or create new ones.
- Created daily specials based on seasonal ingredients and customer feedback.
- Ensured compliance with health department regulations by implementing proper sanitation procedures.
- Directed kitchen staff in food preparation and presentation to ensure high quality standards were met.
- Worked closely with purchasing manager to control food costs while maintaining product quality standards.
- Participated in industry conferences and culinary competitions as a representative of the restaurant.
- Planned weekly production schedules to maximize efficiency while minimizing waste.
- Controlled labor costs through effective use of staff scheduling techniques.
- Coordinated with front-of-house staff regarding reservations and table management.
- Inspected equipment regularly to maintain safe working conditions in the kitchen.
- Conducted regular staff meetings to discuss menu changes, special events, promotions.
- Supervised dramatic changes to kitchens, adhered to health department standards and handled customer requests for healthier food options.
- Streamlined kitchen processes to shorten wait times and serve additional guests.
- Improved performance of team members resulting in high-quality meals produced daily.
Lead Grill Cook
Miller's Ale House
Jacksonville, FL
01.2017 - 12.2020
- Made meals in accordance with company standards and requirements.
- Garnished and arranged plated meals.
- Established and maintained open, collaborative relationships with kitchen team to maximize efficiency.
- Replenished food items from inventory and rotated ingredients.
- Helped management stay on top of supply needs by sharing information about low or spoiled inventory.
- Communicated effectively with wait staff regarding patron food allergies and dietary restrictions.
- Checked temperature of freezers and refrigerators to maintain proper storage of cold items.
- Chopped, diced and sliced ingredients for stir-fries, salads and appetizers.
- Operated kitchen equipment in alignment with OSHA protocols and manufacturer instructions.
- Received and stored food and supplies.
- Maintained clean and orderly appearance throughout kitchen and dining area.
- Distributed food to service staff for prompt delivery to customers.
- Helped other staff members complete job tasks during peak times to keep kitchen running efficiently.
- Portioned food onto plates, added garnishes and sauces and handed off to wait staff for serving.
- Checked quality of food products to meet high standards.
- Set up work stations prior to restaurant opening to improve speed during busy periods.
Cook Shift Leader
TGIF Fridays
Jacksonville, FL
08.2011 - 02.2015
- Inspected equipment and ensured it was properly maintained by kitchen staff.
- Implemented cost saving measures while still maintaining high quality standards.
- Participated in periodic performance reviews for all members of the kitchen team.
- Trained kitchen workers on culinary techniques.
- Placed orders for food and supplies used for preparing and cooking meals.
- Served as lead cook, guiding and assisting training of less experienced cooks.
- Improved performance of team members resulting in high-quality meals produced daily.
- Sanitized counters and utensils used for preparation of raw meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
- Assessed inventory levels and placed orders to replenish goods before supplies depleted.
- Led team in high-pressure environments, ensuring timely delivery of orders.
- Cleaned and sanitized work stations and equipment, complying with regulatory procedures.
- Followed "first in, first out" rule with every food and beverage item, tossing outdated and expired food products.
- Checked freezer and refrigerator each day to verify proper functioning.
- Tested new recipes and menu items, following taste-test evaluation and procedural criteria.
- Operated variety of kitchen equipment to measure and mix ingredients.
- Made meals in accordance with company standards and requirements.
- Executed proper techniques when preparing menu item ingredients.
- Adhered to regulatory standards regarding safe and sanitary food prep.
- Operated kitchen equipment in alignment with OSHA protocols and manufacturer instructions.
Cook
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
Jacksonville, FL
11.2022 - 01.2024
- Prepared meals according to recipes and menus, adjusted ingredients and cooking times accordingly.
- Tasted all prepared dishes in order to check flavorings, texture and presentation prior to serving them to customers.
- Adjusted seasonings of dishes during cooking process in order to enhance flavors.
- Coordinated with wait staff to ensure timely delivery of meals to customers.
- Maintained a clean working environment by sweeping, mopping floors, washing surfaces and emptying trash cans.
- Inspected kitchens for sanitary conditions before the start of each shift.
- Cleaned kitchen equipment, surfaces, utensils and dishes.
- Adhered to food safety standards when storing and preparing foods.
- Resolved customer complaints regarding food quality or services provided.
- Operated grills, fryers and broilers to cook items to quality guidelines.
- Took inventory counts before and after shifts to complete food inventory or storage sheets.
- Prepared and served meals by reviewing recipes and combining and cooking ingredients.
- Interacted with waitstaff regarding special orders for customers with food allergies and gluten intolerance.
- Managed portion control using correct utensils during preparation and plating.
- Set up and performed initial prep work for soups, sauces and salads.
- Coordinated orders to expedite food from kitchen according to cook time and delivery time.
- Operated ovens, fryers and mixers safely to prevent kitchen accidents and machinery malfunction.
- Replenished food items from inventory and rotated ingredients.
- Wrapped, dated and labeled food items in storage for safety and freshness.
- Operated kitchen equipment in alignment with OSHA protocols and manufacturer instructions.
- Communicated effectively with wait staff regarding patron food allergies and dietary restrictions.
- Chopped and diced vegetables and fruits to stock fridge ahead of busy periods.
IT Service Delivery Lead
Commercial Metals Company
Jacksonville, FL
11.2022 - 04.2024
- Supervise desktop management teams to facilitate continual improvements in the desktop environment
- Troubleshoot IT issues including Helpdesk, A/V, Mobile devices, network, printing, telecom and IoT devices
- Support the on- and off-boarding of staff and assists with setting up equipment and conference rooms as needed
- Serve as a business analyst and performs needs assessments with users including describing current processes, suggesting alternatives, and challenging the status quo, when appropriate
- Develop and deliver training materials, provide on-site and/or remote support for staff
- Work closely with business partners internally and externally to administer, configure, troubleshoot, and support business applications, processes, and system integrations
- Oversee and manage IT service catalog ensuring that listings are accurate, adding missing services or making recommendations for services that are not offered
- Assist in driving the adoption of existing and emerging technologies
- Analyze user requests to ensure that best practices are followed and implemented
- Other duties as assigned
- Manage information technology (IT) tasks and staff, which includes Student Workers and outsourced IT team members
- Support relationships with external clients and provides oversight of the servicing computer systems and software
- Support in vendor relationships to include third-party support services, for example: reproduction services, labs (ex
- Matlab, IBM SPSS, etc.) and IT call center services
- Manage the inventory and support for computing assets (Ex
- PCs, laptops, iOS devices etc.)
- Contribute to the development of plans, standard operating procedures (SOP)s and schedules to ensure consistent, efficient, and effective delivery of IT services across all the University's sites
- Support in providing executive level technical services to cabinet members and support staff
- Assist in the distribution of tickets to Tier 1 or Tier 2 support services and ensures escalation to appropriate ISM teams
- Support the IT point of contact (Client Services Manager) for the support of university events and key functions, where applicable
- Contribute to the development, implementation, sustainment, quality and continuous improvement in IT Service Management processes and the ISM's service delivery capability
- Aid in the process of ensuring the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and supporting Operating Level Agreements (OLAs) are published and met by support teams
- Monitor, measure and report on a comprehensive set of metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to services, processes, operations, and delivery
- Support the execution of the process development and improvement roadmap for multiple ITIL processes to improve alignment and business outcomes
- Partner and collaborate with other teams to deliver a holistic IT Service Management program with a coordinated set of continuous improvement initiatives
- Train, coach, advise and provide technical assistance and resources to the Client Services team to ensure improved performance and utilization of ISM's Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) systems
- Aid in the successful transforming of the IT organization by delivering best practices supporting Service Management and overall Operations Service Delivery
- Promote the benefits of Incident, Problem, Change, Request, Knowledge Management, CMDB and other IT Service Management processes
- Support in the development and implementation of the service management, Tools and Monitoring / Logging strategy and associated business processes across the IT organization.
Shipping & Receiving Supervisor
Sanmar
Jacksonville, FL
01.2022 - Current
- Oversee and managing the day-to-day operations of the warehouse, including receiving, storing, and shipping products or materials, while ensuring efficient coordination amongst the staff
- Monitor and enforcing compliance with company policies and safety regulations to ensure the safety of all warehouse employees
- Manage inventory, which includes maintaining accurate records, conducting cycle counts, and resolving any discrepancies
- Effectively plan and allocate resources in order to meet daily operational requirements, maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime
- Train, mentor, and provide regular feedback to warehouse staff in order to cultivate their skills and expertise, enabling them to carry out their duties with utmost efficiency
- Work together with other departments, such as logistics and procurement, to effectively manage and prioritize incoming and outgoing shipments
- Consistently seek out opportunities for process improvement, and implement changes to increase efficiency and decrease costs
- Conduct regular inspections and audits to maintain cleanliness, organization, and compliance with quality standards
- Manage and resolve any warehouse-related issues or conflicts that may arise, ensuring prompt resolution and maintaining positive employee relations
- Prepare and analyze reports on warehouse operations, including productivity, inventory levels, and shipping/receiving accuracy, providing recommendations for improvement.
Chief Operating Officer
Diversified Management Group LLC
Jacksonville, FL
12.2019 - 12.2022
- Oversee operational policies and procedures for Janitorial Services for the State of Florida's Department of Management Services
- Oversee day-to-day operations in 8 Government Buildings with 49 plus employees, including finance, human resources and sales, of over $3 million dollars in contracts
- Oversee planning, maintenance and efficiency
- Prepare operational reports and management reports
- Ensure compliance on a company, state and federal level
- Drive sustainable growth and minimize losses
- Head outreach and business relations
- Review budgets and staffing.
Senior Systems Administrator
ServiceLink\Telecommunications Engineer
Jacksonville, FL
06.2017 - 12.2021
- Responsible for effective provisioning, installation/configuration, operation, and maintenance of systems hardware and software and related infrastructure
- Participates in technical research and development to enable continuing innovation within the infrastructure
- Ensures that system hardware, operating systems, software systems, and related procedures adhere to organizational values, enabling staff, volunteers, and Partners
- Assist project teams with technical issues in the Initiation and Planning phases of our standard Project Management Methodology
- Engineering of SA-related solutions for various project and operational needs
- Install new / rebuild existing servers and configure hardware, peripherals, services, settings, directories, storage, etc
- In accordance with standards and project/operational requirements
- Perform daily system monitoring, verifying the integrity and availability of all hardware, server resources, systems and key processes, reviewing system and application logs, and verifying completion of scheduled jobs such as backups
- Perform regular security monitoring to identify any possible intrusions
- Perform daily backup operations, ensuring all required file systems and system data are successfully backed up to the appropriate media, recovery tapes or disks are created, and media is recycled and sent off site as necessary
- Provide Tier III/other support per request from various constituencies
- Investigate and troubleshoot issues
- Apply OS patches and upgrades on a regular basis, and upgrade administrative tools and utilities
- Configure / add new services as necessary
- Perform ongoing performance tuning, hardware upgrades, and resource optimization as required
- Configure CPU, memory, and disk partitions as required
- Maintain data center environmental and monitoring equipment.
IT Support Analyst II/ Desktop Support
ServiceLink\ Loancare
Jacksonville, FL
01.2015 - 06.2017
- Maintains AD domain for users
- Adding and updating user profiles and security
- Maintaining and granting users access to different applications such as DLV, SFT, and etc… Installs and configures all new PCs and laptops
- Performs hardware and software break / fix work including but not limited to upgrades
- Develops expert understanding of PC hardware, software, and internal software and associated technologies
- Diagnoses/resolves end-user problems including recognition, isolation, research of software/hardware errors/features if required and problem resolution
- Executes planned and unplanned infrastructure downtime activities as required
- Assist in maintaining the LAN/WAN infrastructure on a day-to-day basis
- Monitors the infrastructure to identify/resolve issues
- Responds to escalated end-user issues
- Participates in maintenance activities geared to ensuring the health and availability of infrastructure equipment
- Provides problem analysis and support to ensure proper escalation during outages or periods of degraded infrastructure performance
- Moves employee equipment
- Organizes and maintains equipment inventory levels
- Analyzes and evaluates PC hardware and software
- Responsible for a broad set of desktop and related technologies including high-end copiers, scanners, and printers
- Assists with purchase order activity
- Provides support utilizing all available tools including remote control technologies
- Assists in the coordination and execution of planned and unplanned infrastructure downtime activities as required
- Understudies one or more infrastructure technology disciplines.
Service Technician/IT Technical Support Specialist
Critical Alert
Jacksonville, FL
02.2013 - 12.2014
- Managed adds, moves, and changes with current or new hospital locations
- Maintains upgrades and patches to infrastructure firmware, hardware, and software products
- Setting up user accounts
- Installation and configuration of servers, workstations and related devices
- Analyzing of all hardware and maintain up to date information of all software
- Maintains computer hardware, which includes diagnostics and repair
- Insures the support of all applications within the infrastructure are working properly
- Perform periodic audits
- Plan and design of office network
- Installation of cat5 or cat 6 for the design
- Evaluate system potential by testing compatibility of new programs with existing programs
- Evaluate expansions or enhancements by studying work load and capacity of computer system
- Achieve computer system objectives by gathering pertinent data; identifying and evaluating options; recommending a course of action
- Confirm program objectives and specifications by testing new programs; comparing programs with established standards; making modification
- Improved existing programs by reviewing objectives and specifications; evaluating proposed changes; recommending changes; making modifications
- Evaluate vendor-supplied software by studying user objectives; testing software compatibility with existing hardware and programs
- Place software into production by loading software into computer; entering necessary commands
- Placed hardware into production by establishing connections; entering necessary commands
- Maximize use of hardware and software by training users; interpreting instructions; answering questions
- Maintain system capability by testing computer components
- Prepares reference for users by writing operating instructions
- Maintain historical records by documenting hardware and software changes and revisions
- Maintain client confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential
- Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies
- Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
Education
A.S. in Electrical Engineering -
Florida State College
12-2024
Miramar High School
06.1995
Broward Community College Basic Electricity and Analog Electronics -
Skills
- AUTO CAD
- Revit 2013 & 2014
- Active Directory
- Citrix Xen App
- VMware vSphere Client
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Windows XP
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 10
- SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager)
- SQL
- Linux Red Hat databases
- Wide Area Networking media and line encapsulations (Frame Relay, ISDN BRI, T1/E1, CSU/DSU)
- WinNT 40 Server/Workstation and Windows 2000 Advanced Server administration
- Network design and subnetworking
- Router and switch programming and troubleshooting
- Telecommunications
- Forklift operation
- Restaurant experience
- Software troubleshooting
- Customer service
- Communication skills
- Warehouse experience
- Administrative experience
- Order Management
- Food and beverage pairing
- Team Leadership
- Hiring, Training, and Development
- Ingredients Selection
- Restaurant Operations
- Menu Planning
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Food Stock and Supply Management
- Food preparation techniques
- Performance Assessments
- Budgeting and cost control
- Staff Scheduling
- Customer Service
- Kitchen Staff Management
- Recruitment and Onboarding
- Decision-Making
- Strong Work Ethic
Timeline
Cook
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
11.2022 - 01.2024
IT Service Delivery Lead
Commercial Metals Company
11.2022 - 04.2024
Shipping & Receiving Supervisor
Sanmar
01.2022 - Current
Chief Operating Officer
Diversified Management Group LLC
12.2019 - 12.2022
Senior Systems Administrator
ServiceLink\Telecommunications Engineer
06.2017 - 12.2021
Lead Grill Cook
Miller's Ale House
01.2017 - 12.2020
IT Support Analyst II/ Desktop Support
ServiceLink\ Loancare
01.2015 - 06.2017
Executive Chef
Buca Di Beppo
02.2014 - 01.2017
Service Technician/IT Technical Support Specialist
Critical Alert
02.2013 - 12.2014
Cook Shift Leader
TGIF Fridays
08.2011 - 02.2015
A.S. in Electrical Engineering -
Florida State College
Miramar High School