SUMMARY
Innovative General Manager with 9+ years experience increasing sales and reducing cost at diverse service oriented companies focused on education, consumer health, and well-being. Talent for uncovering all possible sources of savings and revenue through highly insightful and effective management and process improvement. Able to continuously and repeatedly improve policies and procedures by applying effective measurement and review. Record of earning customer loyalty, paving new revenue paths, and effective brand marketing. Experienced leader of expansion, change management, staff retraining, and analysis.  

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

THE PRINCETON REVIEW, Madison, New Jersey
Provider of test preparation, school assessment, and curriculum development services for standardized tests including the SAT, ACT, PSAT and GRE. Annual regional revenue $4.3M+.

Executive Director · 2009-present
Manage team of 200+ instructors and 10 full time direct reports consisting of an Operations Department, Marketing Department, Tutoring Department, and Sales for one of the top 5 offices in the country ($4.3M P&L). Conduct monthly financial reviews to determine revenue growth paths and long-term sustainability. Manage COGS & SG&A expenses to capture approximately 66.2% gross margin and 40.9% EBITDA. Launch new products, conduct market research, and analyze trends for needed content and operational improvements. Negotiate site contracts, new courses and room rental fees.
Financial Contributions

• Cut expenses and consolidated operations to achieve a 68.4% GM and 46.9% EBITDA first year when budgeted at 66.2% GM and 40.9% EBITDA.
• Positioned office to open satellite site in northern NJ which will double tutoring revenue ($1.5M) within 3 years.
• Launched diversified product mix in existing and new territories to capitalize on additional $100k in consumer surplus.

Operational Enhancements

• Implemented customer agreement contracts to outline terms of service and money back policies.  Attained 99% collection rate and a decrease in refunds due to better customer communication.

Director of Operations · 2006-2009
Financial Contributions

• Increased 1st-year annual revenue 3.8% and exceeded enrollment goals for 2009.
• Negotiated $50,000 annual contract with leading local university for summer program.
• Boosted revenue $28,000 annually by introducing new programs to local college campuses.
• Identified $21,000 annual excess spending by improving teacher accountability.
• Reduced classroom rental fees 44% through renegotiation and saved additional $12,000 through improved use of on-site resources.

Operational Enhancements

• Expanded services into new territories utilizing agreements with the school campuses, hotels and area churches.  Launched expansion of high school courses to include ACT preparation program.
• Increased payroll accuracy utilizing automation tools including spreadsheets.
• Minimized customer response lag time using weekly parent emails and clarified office policies.
• Created and implemented evaluation and raise policy based on professional review, student score improvements, and evaluations.

Graduate Director · 2005-2006
Financial Contributions

• Led 5 graduate department divisions to up to 50% annual sales growth by analyzing course needs and re-engineering course offerings.

Operational Enhancements

• Enhanced staff communication with monthly meetings, social gatherings, and weekly reports.
• Collaborated with instructors and tutors to monitor student achievement and apply needed changes.  Researched and administered new teaching materials and accompanying teacher retraining.
• Represented company at education fairs and trade shows which were previously not attended

TANGIBILITIES, INC., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · 2003-2007
Antiques dealer and liaison with auction houses including Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

Vice President and Consultant
Created business plan and provided incorporation guidance. Conducted and applied research for new acquisitions and current property placement.  Developed company website.  Boosted account profit margins by up to 400%.

VYGOR FITNESS AND NUTRITION, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · 2001-2003

Health club offering classes, personal training, and nutrition consultation. Annual revenue $750,000.
Marketing Manager
Satisfied customer needs through follow-up calls, member surveys and member appreciation efforts. Sought new members with door-to-door recruiting, cold calls, market research, and campus recruitment visits. Oversaw marketing campaign including print advertising and direct mail efforts.
Key Contributions

• Consistently led monthly and annual sales totals, including highest in club history for 3 consecutive months and club leader for 12 consecutive months.
• Reduced costs by creating and implementing inventory tracking system.
• Led new club expansion by recruiting 200 members prior to building.

EDUCATION
Executive Master of Business Administration, August 2008
Bachelor of Science in Economics and Psychology, December 2005
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Green Belt, LEAN/DFSS certified, 2009 
Six Sigma Black Belt certified (spring 2010)
Member of Madison Rotary

COMPUTER SKILLS
Microsoft Office Suite including extensive spreadsheet knowledge, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Illustrator, DreamWeaver, Microsoft FrontPage and Access, C++, HTML/XHTML, Java, Adobe Quicken and QuickBooks for accounting, MiniTab, SPSS and Solver for statistics, Oracle, Crystal Reports

RELEVANT EXECUTIVE MBA COURSEWORK:
Organizational Behavior: Leadership & Group Effectiveness

• Business Law
• Business Ethics & Social Performance
• Human Resources for a Competitive Advantage
• Entrepreneurship & New Venture Initiation
• Strategic Management
• Strategic Leadership
• Strategic Visioning for a Global Future
• Change Management
• The Effective Global Manager

Financial Coursework

• Financial Accounting
• Economic Analysis for Analytical Managerial Decisions
• Statistical Analysis: Uncertainty
• Financial Management
• Decision Technology in Manufacturing & Operations
• Strategic Cost Management
• Information Technology & Business Value
• Acquisitions & Divestment Analysis

Marketing Coursework

• Marketing Management
• Advertising
• Brand Management