Kristin Sarrels
Elgin,IL
Summary
Service-focused professional with history of driving operational excellence and delivering top-quality service outcomes. Known for strategic planning and enhancing customer experiences through innovative solutions. Promotes teamwork and adapts to evolving challenges with effective communication and leadership skills.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Services
Earthwise Pet
03.2023 - 12.2024
- Spearheaded the development of company-wide standards and best practices for corporate-level team members and franchise build-out standards, owner/ employee handbooks, company-wide training standards, and operational processes as the company services expert.
- Actively overseen simultaneous multi-unit grooming salon and daycare conversion and new build projects, taking the location owner from Day 1 after signing their location lease to grand opening and continued location support. Such duties included, but not limited to, designing location floorplans, electrical, plumbing placement, lessor, and city code compliance. In addition, actively overseen the ordering and placement of large equipment, furnishings, tools, supplies, and decor, hiring, marketing strategies, pay plans, and budgets.
Director Conversion Manager
Earthwise Pet
02.2022 - 03.2023
- Actively overseen simultaneous multi unit conversion projects, taking the new store owner from Day 1 of owning the business to a fully converted & operating as an EarthWise Pet location. Such duties included, but not limited to, systems, in-store physical aspects, signage, operations, training, services, managing on going contact with each conversion locations, coordinate and oversee weekly meetings with locations as well as progress reports to fellow C Suite team members and my direct manager VP of Services.
General Manager/Silent Co-Owner
Charlie's Doghouse, Inc.
04.2011 - 10.2022
- Building business from inception and managing a 5,000 sqft dog daycare, boarding, and grooming facility with revenue totaling, at present, nearly $1 million a year. Duties include, but are not limited to: developing/maintaining standard operating practices, employee training programs, development/management of HR practices, event budget/ coordination, payroll, revenue/ P&L management, grooming, state licensing, and Dept. of Agriculture compliance.
Midwest Sales Representative
Grandma Lucy’s
04.2021 - 07.2021
- Managed a 14-state region with over 400 accounts while building and maintaining customer service, store support, sales training, B2B sales, marketing, merchandising, event coordination, distributor partnerships, and facilitating in-store vendor representation.
Regional Sales Manager
Side by Side Pet
10.2019 - 04.2020
- Managed store operations in the Chicago location, consulted upper management on industry providing advice and insight for success, produced company training documents for onboarding new vendors and vendor training, process and procedure development for the regional sales department, liaison to logistics and readied new product rollout for Chewy and Petco.
Assistant Training Manager & Store Mentor
Bentley’s Pet Stuff
12.2017 - 07.2019
- Spearheaded company-wide training standards and operational processes for 70+ locations using my previous location as the model and collaborating with upper and lower management, leading to improved store operating function and performance, new hire training efficiency, and improved communications between the home office and stores. Worked in tandem with upper management in the creation of LMS system content and producing sales training videos. Managed company intranet content.
- Managing multiple simultaneous new location set up and trained location managers. Mentored and point of contact for all new location managers for the first 3 months of operation, troubleshooting, brainstorming, empowering, and ensuring staff and revenue growth. Traveled to acquisition locations, assisted with transitions, and assigned to existing low or declining growth locations to assess sales and/or operational weakness, providing training and operational structure to ensure success.
- Key Achievements:
- + Successfully breathed life back into the flagship location by providing much-needed structure, organization, and staff training thus increasing revenue to an otherwise stagnant growth pattern.
- + Last store location assignment has increased revenue 13-20% month over month within 30 days of arrival exceeding stretch revenue goals. Previous sales were stagnant for close to a year.
Store Manager
Bentley’s Pet Stuff
11.2015 - 12.2017
- Managed operations for multiple retail locations, including the 2rd highest revenue–generating locations in the company. Overseen all day-to-day operations, delivering legendary customer service, marketing, staffing and training, vendor and distributor order management, inventory management, and evaluated P&L budgets to establish growth strategy.
- Key Achievements:
- + Recognized as the only manager in the company to open a new location and generate multi–million dollars in revenue in less than 2 years. In the same timeframe, this store became 3 rd highest revenue location and only proceeded by 2 flagship locations ranging in age of 5-10 years.
- + Established new company operating standards while also streamlining existing standards for maximum productivity and efficiency.
Store Manager
Petco
01.2013 - 11.2015
- Managed all day to day operations, delivering legendary customer service, marketing, staffing and training, vendor and distributor order management, inventory management, and evaluated P&L budgets to establish growth strategy.
- Key Achievements:
- +Top 5 of the company wide customer service and sales contest out of 1,500 chosen store representatives sent to compete.
Education
A.A.S. - Criminology
Elgin Community College
Elgin, IL01.2011
Skills
- Multi-state and multi-unit management
- Ability to build and maintain vendor partnerships of 400 accounts
- Ability to see the ‘big picture’ and small details simultaneously
- Ensuring a fun and upbeat environment to drive sales and meet goals
- Exceptional customer service ability
- Sales and operations training
- Critical problem solving
- Ability to ‘think on my feet’
- Inventory/order management
- Profit/Loss reports
- Social media and outside marketing
- Point of Sale systems
- Microsoft platform’s proficiency
- Teams platform proficiency
- Google Workspace proficiency
- Salesforce Platform Proficiency
- Team collaboration
- Customer engagement
- Relationship building
- Client engagement
- Customer retention
- Team training and development
- Troubleshooting
- Product sales
- Employee performance management
- Company policy adherence
- Marketing
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving abilities
- Multitasking
- Active listening
- Decision-making
- Interpersonal skills
- Analytical thinking
- Conflict resolution
- Staff training
Timeline
Director of Services
Earthwise Pet
03.2023 - 12.2024
Director Conversion Manager
Earthwise Pet
02.2022 - 03.2023
Midwest Sales Representative
Grandma Lucy’s
04.2021 - 07.2021
Regional Sales Manager
Side by Side Pet
10.2019 - 04.2020
Assistant Training Manager & Store Mentor
Bentley’s Pet Stuff
12.2017 - 07.2019
Store Manager
Bentley’s Pet Stuff
11.2015 - 12.2017
Store Manager
Petco
01.2013 - 11.2015
General Manager/Silent Co-Owner
Charlie's Doghouse, Inc.
04.2011 - 10.2022
A.A.S. - Criminology
Elgin Community College
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