Lauren Kohl (O'Connell-Fujii): in Seattle, WA

Personnel Recruiting, hiring, training and retaining store staff Coaching and career development, conducting disciplinary actions, writing performance reviews Writing staff schedule, managing time off requests Writing yearly operation and capital expense budgets, maintaining payroll and other expenses to budget Developing and implementing team rewards and benefits Succession planning Customer Service In-Store, Phone, Email, and Social Media interaction with customers Fulfilling the customers product and information needs through respectful interaction Exceeding customer expectations with thorough communication and follow up via email and phone Managing store credit, gift card, and Friends and Family customer databases, improving on processes already in place Writing and implementing cross-departmental policies on warranties and returns, streamlining the customer experience Tracking and reporting on warranties and returns to Product Development and QC departments Empowering and supporting sales staff to handle customer issues without managerial approval De-escalating upset customer situations with empathy, generosity, and humor as appropriate Finance and Buying Writing and maintaining yearly operations and capital expenses budgets Developing and delegating sub-budgets such as Event Marketing Attending sales meetings and trade shows, Outdoor Retailer Planning, placing, and reviewing seasonal merchandise buys of $600,000-$700,000 Reviewing shipments, paying invoices, maintaining relationships with vendors Maintaining banking records and daily accounting reports, retaining files as required by law Marketing Working with Creative Director and Graphic Designers to create visual ads Directing Social Media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Google, Instagram Supervising Store Events Coordinator Sponsoring events: Seattle Bouldering Project, Vertical World, Green Drinks, Rock Fest, Paddle Fest Tracking and Improving ROI on each initiative year over year Creating and Sending marketing emails to lists of 2,000 to 25,000 addresses using Mail Chimp

I worked my way from SS1 to ASM over the course of 2.5 years. I have done absolutely everything that could be done in the store and I have mastery of it.

I began at REI as a PT Sales Specialist and was promoted after one year to FT. I cross trained as a cashier and trained new employees in hard goods. I worked as a seasonal temporary Returns Specialist in the Distribution Center, giving me a well-rounded introduction to work at a leader in the Outdoor Industry.