Liz Tanaka

Results-driven professional with extensive experience leading whole body teams. Demonstrated expertise in strategic planning and driving team performance while upholding high standards. Highly regarded for collaborative approach and adaptability to evolving business needs, ensuring optimal team performance and customer satisfaction.

• Achieved highest supplement sales in the state through key retail events through careful planning and utilizing extensive experience.
• Supervised team of 5 on a daily basis. Intermittently supervised all team members of the store as shift lead. Approximately 100 team members.
• Supervised a team with top ordering and performance metrics for several years in a row.
• Dominated the Item Sales Movement store contest, through research, consideration, and utilizing experience.

• Punctual – It is a priority for me to always be on time.
• Hard Worker – I will do my best at all times to complete all tasks given in the time allotted.
• I care – I take pride in my workplace & in taking care of the customers. My job isn’t just a paycheck its my contribution to the community and to the team I work with.
• Team Work – I work well with a team. I enjoy collaborating on team projects & I understand that if I don’t finish my work someone else will have to pick up the slack.
• Customer Service – I love helping people find what they need & making their day better because they interacted with me. If a customer is unhappy for any reason I enjoy working with them so they can leave satisfied and in a better mood.

• Whole Body Specialist, Whole Foods Market, 05/01/18, Current, Responsible for all order writing in the department, Responsible for mentoring the back-up order writer, Responsible for execution of the ad change, Responsible for OTS execution, Responsible for taking all Whole Body conference calls and executing direction.
• Frozen Specialist, Coffee Tea Chocolate Specialist, Team Trainer, Grocery Consolidated Buyer, Whole Foods Market, 01/01/14, 05/01/18, Responsible for writing quality orders, processing purchase orders & credits, and monitoring until product is received., Responsible for growing sales & margins., Stocking product, keeping the shelves full & the backroom organized., Working in store operations daily monitoring open to buy, projections & sales, margin, spoilage, & P.O.s., Research & paperwork for product opportunities from customer requests to product setup errors., Working with local vendors to get their product on the shelf and maintain quality standards., Building attractive displays complying with the regional sales plans., Responsible for correct retail tags & signs of all products & displays., Record & minimize all spoilage. Working with proper rotation & keeping product efficiently stored to help eliminate damaged product., Participating in regularly scheduled inventories., Providing excellent customer service providing product knowledge and researching when necessary., Mentoring team members and contribute to the team goals and positive morale., Adapting to new opportunities & responsibilities that may emerge with good spirit & determination., Working with other departments to create & maintain sales growth through cross merchandising., Working within grocery department & other sub teams to offer support when needed.
• Grocery Team Member/Team Trainer/Grocery Special Orders, Whole Foods Market, 04/17/14, 08/31/14, Provide customer service adhering to the Rocky Mountain 5 standards., Department Recovery & Closing Procedures., Freight Throwing including proper rotation of product and understanding of Pick Tags & Price Tags., Oversee Grocery Special Orders., Creating Signs & Tags., Work with Metro Trainers and Team Leadership, Green Mission Reps and Team Members to ensure that the team is meeting and exceeding regional training goals., Participating in bi-monthly meetings and energizing team members to be educators in their departments and in the store., Implement team-specific training., Responsible for promoting the safety of Customers and Team Members., Conduct regular safety audits.
• Natural Food’s Administrative Assistant, Smith’s Corporate Office, 01/08/11, 01/22/14, Bought weekly and monthly promotional product distribution for 130 Smith’s Stores., Negotiated promotional contracts with local DSD vendors and implemented demonstrations & promotions., Ran weekly sales reports calculating the margin verses sell through and adjusted promotional activity accordingly., Natural Foods Store Customer Service/Support., Trained new Natural Foods department managers., Maintained/updated Natural Foods website., Created/Updated & implemented waste management program for Natural Foods departments in all 130 stores., Analyzed issues keeping the stores from running at their full potential such as opportunities in store mapping, item/vendor setup, procurement, and pricing strategies and created & implemented action plans accordingly., Contacted & setup local manufacturers to merchandise product in Smith’s stores., Worked with Smith’s Natural Food’s Category Manager establishing promotional merchandising space at store level., Created & distributed monthly promotional planner for the store managers., Worked with Pricing Managers to assign everyday & promotional retails., Presented Natural Foods training during store management training program., Mapped the new Market Place Natural Foods Departments for 2014., Coordinated bi-yearly store Gluten Free Events including all Smith’s food departments., Contacted Vendors & worked with Brokers for 30-35 sampling events., Organized weekly event meetings., Procured Manufacturer CEO & PR Guest Speakers., Coordinated gluten free store tours., Procured all supplies, uniforms, & entertainment for the event., Worked with the Advertising department for direct mailers, radio ads, & newspaper ads as well as in store announcements & flyers., Set up new bulk departments and remodeled bulk sections., Including coordinating and set up of transportation., Mapped product in the departments., New Product Setup., Trained new & existing bulk managers., Worked with Merchandiser to implement pricing strategy.
• Pricing Administrative Assistant, Smith’s Corporate Office, 01/20/12, 01/01/13, Assisted in assigning regular retail shelf prices for all Grocery/Drug GM items (including DSD); base retail change on cost change, competitive market movement, or specific guidelines established by Grocery / Drug GM Merchandisers and Corporate strategies., Reviewed product cost changes for possible retail adjustment., Analyzed & finalized retail changes when vendor notifications were received via Market letter., Back-up Pricing Analyst - Ran weekly sales & pricing reports, executing all pricing maintenance, gathered & analyzed competitive retails moving prices when necessary, & resolved store pricing issues.
• Natural Foods Department Manager/Assistant Manager, Smith's Marketplace/Fred Meyer, 08/08/00, 01/01/11, Salt Lake City, UT, Customer Service – Helped customers find product they were looking for and supplied additional selling options., Wrote daily duties for department associates., Ordered product from both warehouse and vendors., Wrote work schedule for Natural Foods department associates., Product Retail: Printed and hung tags, created signs & printing. Scan audits and submitting issues to the appropriate channels., Checked in vendor freight though receiving dock., Conducted employee performance reviews., Interviewed and hired associates., Trained new associates., Disciplined and terminated associates when appropriate., Conducted annual product inventories., Stocked shelves, rotated product, and checked for expiration dates., Sampled products to help move slow moving items or focus promotional item.
• Kung Fu & Tai Chi Instructor, Office Manager, Franchise Operator, Shaolin Arts, 01/01/05, 04/01/08, Salt Lake City, UT, Responsible for opening and closing Martial Arts studio., Taught private & group Shaolin Chuan Fa & Tai Chi Chuan classes., Lead and contributed to clinics, workshops, tests, colleague training, retreats and seminars., Traveled, met with out of state franchises, share best practices., Sales and new enrollments., Dues notification and collection., Advertising & promotions., Office appointments., Attained second-degree black sash in Kung Fu., Attained black sash in Tai Chi.