Keith A Fiantago
**** ****** ***** **. . ******* Lake, Illinois 60012 . Phone: (847) 217-
**** . *****: ********@*******.***
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