Keith A Fiantago

**** ****** ***** **. . ******* Lake, Illinois 60012 . Phone: (847) 217-

**** . *****: acn8z9@r.postjobfree.com

Executive Summary

An Innovative and Creative Business Builder with a distinguished career

and demonstrated success driving multi-million-dollar growth, developing

and maximizing profitability, and building or restoring market share in

highly complex and competitive business climates. Possesses the capacity

to attract, recruit, mentor, manage, and retain productive teams and lead

them in the execution of strategic initiatives that are key-to-the

mission in both stable and unstable environments. Tenacious at

identifying new revenue opportunities, securing customer loyalty, and

forging long term relationships with external and internal business

partners that drive and sustain results.

Functional Expertise

Operational Cost Reductions Expansion

Excellence

Business Development Customer Satisfaction Recapture Sales Growth Strategies

Leadership Best Practices & Standard Operating Entrepreneurial

Cultural Awareness Procedures Bootstrapping

Critical Thinking Problem Solving

Functional Expertise Demonstrated

KA Consulting, Cary, IL

2014 - Present

President/CEO

. Business Retention and Expansion: Established Consulting business

focused on Competitive Market Analysis and achieved contracts to provide

services to the Hospitality and Event Industry while creating Standard

Operation Procedures for execution.

CLASSIC PARTY RENTALS, McCook, IL

2013 - 2014

Director of Sales and Marketing

. Business Retention and Expansion: was hired during a very volatile time

in the company's history. Calmed the storms after the organization

announced its bankruptcy and retained long term customers. Cleansed the

customer base of non-profitable business. This effort produced $3.5M in

new customers and reduced unprofitable revenue $4.8M while increasing

profit 42%.

. Best Practices and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP): Inherited a

team that had lost 50% of the sales force. Hired, trained new

professional sales professional within 90 days. Implemented pipeline

expansion SOP, Customer retention SOP, managed monthly sales reporting

and business growth analysis. These efforts increase seasoned Sales

Professionals performance to achieve 129% of quota and position rookie

Sales Professionals for success.

. Marketing: Faced with a limited marketing budget, created and

implemented a trade and barter model for Print, Social Media, Radio and

strategic joint marketing to secure advertising. This delivered market

penetration with new and existing customer base.

Mac-Gray, Chicago Illinois

2012-2013

Regional Manager

. Team Implementation: Challenged to restructure team and turn sales

versus operations into a united front working towards a common goal.

After 90 days, improved installation of new business satisfaction from

75% to 98%.

. Restructure Sales focus: First Regional Manager to manage Sales and

Operations with a focus on customer retention and increasing new

business. Increased top line sales by 18% while achieving EBITDA target.

. Policy and Procedure Implementation: Changed the mind set of employees

from a fixed mind set to a growth oriented mindset, by providing clear

goals and boundaries for which to operate. Increased closing rate of new

business by 36% over prior quarter.

Traditum Group (now Gambit Trading LLC), Rolling Meadows, IL

2008 - 2012

Vice President of Operations and Sales

. Operational Excellence: was hired to restructure allocation of costs

and improve monitoring to reduce costs, improve controls, increase

growth, and increase profits. Within days, formulated and executed a

strategy to restructure; renegotiated vendor agreements and initiated

cost saving measures. Reduced expenses 25% while increasing profits 20%

the first 60 days. This effort produced an accurate cost allocation

system which resulted in better cost management; enabling the company to

thrive.

Keith A Fiantago

Page 2

Traditum Group (now Gambit Trading LLC), Rolling Meadows, IL 2008 - 2012

Continued

. Business Development & Expansion: Challenged to expand market coverage

to grow the business. Led the team that targeted, recruited, hired,

trained, and managed new employees within 30 days. Worked closely with

clearing firm to set up accounts and managed what contracts each trader

was allowed to trade and how much risk was taken. Within 6 months,

nearly doubled employee base. This increased divisional trading profits

20% and provided coverage for 23 hours a day (fixed income products).

. Cost Reductions: Charged with the development and implementation of a

solution to hold costs in line in the wake of the decision to offer

rebates on 500 to 1,000 trades daily threatening exponential cost

increases. Conceived and initiated a low cost market making program

(Asian market hours). This saved 30% monthly on exchange fees. This

prompted management to hold quarterly meetings with vendors to find

other ways to reduce costs; developing a corporate-wide cost conscious

mentality.

Chicago Board of Trade (now CME Group), Chicago Illinois

1998 - 2008

Independent Proprietary Business Owner

. Entrepreneurial Bootstrapping: Challenged to learn all financial

systems, build new relationships, research and identify trades, and

maintain a portfolio of profitable business. Worked on the floor as a

runner for a successful trader to learn risk and reward, manage

emotions, build and grow a business, and network with successful

traders. Within 90 days, acquired enough information to open a trading

account and become a Member. Increased annual earnings 300% year over

year. Ultimately achieved the $750,000 level.

Aramark Services, East Moline, Illinois

1996 - 1998

Assistant General Manager

. Customer Satisfaction Recapture: Satisfaction ratings hit an all-time

low (75%). Researched and identified key issues and hand-picked and

managed an elite Customer Satisfaction Task Force. Within 30 days,

created and rolled out a complete guide; policies and procedures and

focused the team on improving communication. Increased new customer

satisfaction to 97%. This effort increased plant tours 5X; fueling 30%

sales increases and was ultimately adopted by corporate for other

branches.

. Best Practices & Standard Operating Procedures (SOP): Lack of customer

service and sales training eroded renewal sales and the absence of

metrics made it impossible to measure performance. Developed Best

Practices and SOP in customer relations and led a series of training

sessions (6 District Managers and 10 Route Managers) instructing in

listening, objections, and closing. This drove new business the first

week and ultimately renewed 94% of the customer base the first year.

. Motivation & Sales Growth: A poorly managed sales and customer service

team caused apathy and accountability was non-existent. Identified all

issues, created proformas, and led the roll out to employees.

Established quota with action plans for missing it and celebrated

successes. Realized month over month improvement in every category. This

effort increased sales 25% the first year with profits over 30%. This

sales process became the benchmark for other market centers.

Aramark Services, Arlington Heights, Illinois

1994 - 1996

Professional Sales Representative

. Sales Excellence / Ingenuity: Challenged with developing relationships

and delivering new business. Worked closely with the Sales Manager to

learn the business and establish product and service knowledge. Within

30 days, conceived a unique marketing idea to provide logos to potential

customers to get them to envision using our product and to drive

business. By the end of the first year, ranked in the top 10% of all

Sales Representatives in the region (111) and was promoted to Assistant

General Manager.

Aramark Services, Palatine, Illinois

1993 - 1994

District Manager

. Motivation & Leadership: Lack of morale in a union based sales

environment led to 50% turnover and terminations were complicated by

union defenses. Tasked by Sr. Management to find ways to motivate the

team, monitor and reward performance, and change negative attitudes.

Over a period of 6 months, held motivational meetings to influence

thinking, develop a growth mentality, and defend reasonable management

actions. Increased sales 25% the first year with profits over 30%

transforming an entitlement attitude into a cooperative and motivated

mindset.

Education

Illinois State University - Bloomington/Normal, IL

Bachelors of Science - Major Marketing, Minor Business Administration

(1991)

Languages

Limited Spanish

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