Joel Kell
Las Vegas
Summary
Highly driven General Manager successful at implementing strategic approaches to drive profitability and sales. Recognized for ability to build and lead successful teams and for performance excellence in operations and customer care. Successful at motivating, training and developing team members to drive profitability in highly competitive environment.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
General Manager (Opening Team)
Firefall Ranch Resort Yosemite
Groveland
05.2024 - 05.2025
- Lead the resort’s soft opening and full opening, ensuring readiness in all areas (rooms, F&B, spa, activities, etc.).
- Represent the resort to key stakeholders, media, and partners during launch events.
- Monitor guest feedback closely and implement corrective measures swiftly to ensure 5-star guest experience.
- Opened Casual Dining Venue; Helped Create Menu(s) and culinary execution
- Opened Fine Dining Venue; Helped Create Menu and culinary execution
- Director of F&Bmanaged F&B Manager and Chef Teams
- Oversee daily resort operations and maintain exceptional service standards.
- Manage budgets, forecasts, and financial targets, ensuring profitability and cost controls.
- Cultivate a high-performance culture through leadership, coaching, and performance management.
- Ensure health, safety, and environmental standards are met or exceeded.
- Build strong relationships with the local community and tourism partners.
- Maintained updated knowledge through continuing education and advanced training.
- Worked with cross-functional teams to achieve goals.
- Provided support and guidance to colleagues to maintain a collaborative work environment.
Food and Beverage General Manager
Front Street Grill & Rhumbar
Beaufort
09.2023 - 05.2024
- Oversee daily operations of a well-known waterfront restaurant and bar including boat dockage, and dockside portable bar.
- Supervise and coach a team of 5 managers and 60 associates to ensure positive experiences and satisfaction for all guests.
- Create new menus for lunch, Rhumbar (happy hour), dinner and brunch–goal is to bring more South Florida and Caribbean style foods and flavors.
- In the process of creating two new lines of revenue–a bakery and a merch shop–should be fully operational by 15 December 2023.
- The restaurant has been losing traction within the community due to poor quality food and inconsistent levels of service–currently changing the culture and repositioning the brand to fully launch in March 2024; Revenue is currently at $2.25 million–my goal is to increase to $2.6 million by December 2024 and $3 million by December 2025.
- Monitored financial performance and identified areas for improvement in cost savings and revenue generation.
- Conducted market research to identify trends, opportunities, and threats in the industry.
Director of Operations-General Manager
Useppa Island Club
Bokeelia
07.2021 - 08.2023
- Oversee daily operations of a well-known luxury resort complex, including 125 private homes on the island, a utility plant, hotel/inn, 25 rental homes, restaurant, boutique store, and a fleet of 3 boats.
- Supervise and coach a team of 10 managers and 82 associates to ensure positive experiences and satisfaction for over 1,250 members.
- Manage 7 lines of business and accounts by coordinating resources, such as labor, equipment, and budgets, implementing cost-effective business processes that save over $125,000 in downtime per year.
- Play a key role in designing and analyzing metrics for service cost and quality, researching and developing process maps for current and future business workflows!
- Conduct audits and compliance reviews 4 times per year, ensuring adherence to company policies and proper use of funds for a operating budget of $7.5 million annually.
Hospitality Manager/ Rooms Director
Useppa Island Club
Bokeelia
04.2021 - 07.2021
- Managed a portfolio of services across the hospitality department, including reception/ guest services, housekeeping, and bellmen staff.
- Ensured service readiness for all rooms, rental homes, and boats by performing quality control and directing employees across 5 maintenance or improvement projects.
- Performed administrative functions, such as approving rental ledgers, staffing positions, scheduling employees, and providing training for a team of 22 associates, which improved staff engagement by 25%.
Resident Manager on Duty
Useppa Island Club
Bokeelia
03.2018 - 05.2020
- Played a key role supporting a team of 22 hospitality employees by assisting in the areas of reservations, concierge, special events, delivery, mail services, and guest services.
- Served as manager on duty to lead teams and provide training on company policies and best practices.
- Identified areas for procedural improvement, such as optimizing scheduling, priority management, and staff communication, which led to a 20% improvement in team performance.
- Oversaw daily activities of staff members providing support services onsite.
- Coordinated with contractors for needed repairs or renovations on the property.
- Communicated regularly with owners regarding progress reports on management objectives.
Food & Beverage General Manager
Texas Great Country Cafe
Whitney
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Served as primary point-of-contact for the management and daily operations of a fast-paced restaurant, supervising 55-60 team members, and managing an annual operating budget of over $300,000.
- Created and implemented strategies to support growth, including team growth and development, process improvement, and efficiencies, reporting yearly expansion of $200K - $300K.
- Successfully increased employee retention by +70% by implementing strong management systems, quality control, and team building opportunities.
- Assisted in the recruitment process by interviewing potential candidates for open positions.
- Prepared detailed reports for senior leadership outlining key performance metrics related to operational success.
- Resolved customer complaints quickly while maintaining high quality standards of service delivery.
- Maintained relationships with vendors to obtain the best pricing on supplies and materials.
- Analyzed existing processes for effectiveness and developed new systems as needed to enhance overall productivity levels.
Financial Center Manager
Bank of America
Phoenix
10.2013 - 11.2015
- Foster a team environment, and foster an effective client-centric, sales, and risk culture.
- Drive client relationship management, and assist with sales and service leadership.
- Drive operational excellence—training and executing the standard for audits and cash management.
- Drive associate performance in all areas—operational, sales, and service—through weekly check-ins and consistent individual and group coaching.
- Created and implemented strategies to support growth, including team growth and development, process improvement, and efficiencies, reporting yearly growth in loans by approximately $1.2 million.
- Successfully increased employee retention by 70% by implementing strong management systems, quality control, and team-building opportunities.
- Performed regular audits of branch records in order to identify areas of improvement or potential risks.
- Monitored daily transactions for accuracy and completeness prior to posting them into the system.
- Developed initiatives aimed at improving customer experience at the branch level.
Hospitality Manager and Assistant General Manager
Granny’s Restaurants
Owings Mills
08.2011 - 11.2015
- Restaurant Hospitality Manager–promoted to Assistant General Manager.
- Supervised and trained staff in customer service, food handling, and safety protocols.
- Adhered to all health department regulations regarding food storage and preparation.
- Maintained detailed records of sales transactions and daily shift reports.
- Collaborated with local businesses to create mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Developed strategies for improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
- Monitored stock levels of ingredients to ensure timely delivery of fresh produce.
- Inspected dining room area regularly for cleanliness and adherence to safety standards.
- Conducted weekly team meetings to discuss performance issues and provide feedback.
- Ordered supplies from vendors as needed while staying within budget guidelines.
- Ensured compliance with all food safety regulations and sanitation standards.
Financial Center Manager
PNC Bank
Urbana
08.2010 - 08.2011
- Managed the day-to-day operations of the branch including scheduling, staffing, budgeting.
- Coordinated with other branches regarding transfers of funds between accounts.
- Initiated sales campaigns to increase deposits and loan products in the branch.
- Maintained confidentiality of all banking records and transactions.
- Developed and implemented customer service policies to ensure efficient operations of the branch.
- Analyzed financial statements, loan applications, and credit reports to determine customers' eligibility for loans.
- Monitored daily activities within the branch including cash flow management, teller transactions, account openings and closings.
- Facilitated weekly meetings with senior management personnel from other branches to share best practices.
Assistant Banking Center Manager
PNC Bank
Pikesville
02.2008 - 08.2010
- Assist in managing daily branch operations, including cash handling, transaction approvals, and audit controls.
- Ensure compliance with all bank policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain proper security protocols and ensure the branch is audit-ready at all times.
- Oversee branch maintenance and technology systems, resolving operational issues as needed.
- Provide excellent customer service and resolve escalated customer inquiries or complaints.
- Coach staff on delivering exceptional service and building long-term client relationships.
- Maintain a deep knowledge of the bank’s products and services to effectively support customer needs.
- Support the Branch Manager in driving branch sales goals and performance metrics.
- Promote and cross-sell banking products including accounts, loans, and investment services.
- Participate in community events and local business outreach to increase branch visibility and customer base.
- Supervise, train, and motivate frontline staff including tellers and customer service representatives.
- Assist in performance evaluations, scheduling, and professional development.
- Act as the acting Branch Manager during absences or when delegated.
Education
Certification - Executive Leadership
Cornell University
Ithaca09-2023
Certification - Hospitality Management
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York03-2023
Associate of [Arts/ Science] - Business Administration
Montgomery County Community College
Blue Bell, PA08-2007
Skills
- Operations Management
- Budgeting
- Financial Forecasting
- Financial Reporting
- Team Supervision
- Training
- Coaching
- Marketing
- Sales
- Internal Audits
- Recruiting
- Hiring
- Data Analysis
- Payroll
- P&L
- Strategic Planning
- General Ledger Accounting
- Salesforce
- QuickBooks
- Microsoft Office
- Google Workspace
References
- Pete Frazetta, Useppa Island Club, Manager On Duty After Hours, 239-560-9007, pfrazetta@useppa.com
- JR Hillier, Useppa Island Club, Service Manager, 239-770-6826, jrhillier@useppa.com
- Chrystal Lancaster, Texas Great Country Cafe, Owner, 817-774-5887
- Steve Acuff, Useppa Island Club, Board of Governors Chairman, 727-688-0688, botswainsmate@icloud.com
- Jim Carraway, Useppa Island Club, Member, 414-331-9365, jtcaraway777@gmail.com
Military Service
United States Army, E-4, Chaplain Assistant, U.S. Army Achievement Medal, Chief of Chaplains Coin, Corps Commanding General Coin
Accomplishments
- Army Achievement Medal
- Chief Of Chaplains Coin
- LT General Laporte Coin
Certification
- ServSafe Food Protection Manager (2028)
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
General Manager (Opening Team)
Firefall Ranch Resort Yosemite
05.2024 - 05.2025
Food and Beverage General Manager
Front Street Grill & Rhumbar
09.2023 - 05.2024
Director of Operations-General Manager
Useppa Island Club
07.2021 - 08.2023
Hospitality Manager/ Rooms Director
Useppa Island Club
04.2021 - 07.2021
Resident Manager on Duty
Useppa Island Club
03.2018 - 05.2020
Food & Beverage General Manager
Texas Great Country Cafe
01.2016 - 01.2018
Financial Center Manager
Bank of America
10.2013 - 11.2015
Hospitality Manager and Assistant General Manager
Granny’s Restaurants
08.2011 - 11.2015
Financial Center Manager
PNC Bank
08.2010 - 08.2011
Assistant Banking Center Manager
PNC Bank
02.2008 - 08.2010
Certification - Executive Leadership
Cornell University
Certification - Hospitality Management
Cornell University
Associate of [Arts/ Science] - Business Administration
Montgomery County Community College
Similar Profiles
Jennifer Dawn BousquetJennifer Dawn Bousquet
Front Desk Agent at Yosemite Westgate Lodge, Buck Meadows & Sugar Pine RanchFront Desk Agent at Yosemite Westgate Lodge, Buck Meadows & Sugar Pine Ranch
Carlos TorresCarlos Torres
Server at Yosemite RanchServer at Yosemite Ranch
Kristie SanchezKristie Sanchez
Server at Yosemite Ranch Steak, Seafood, And Roast HouseServer at Yosemite Ranch Steak, Seafood, And Roast House
RYAN REIDELBACHRYAN REIDELBACH
Operations Manager at W.H. SmithOperations Manager at W.H. Smith