District Manager Administrative Assistant

Kristen G. Schmitt

Cincinnati, OH ■ 254-***-**** ■ ************@*****.*** ■ linkedin.com/Kristen-Schmitt

Achievement and results-oriented professional with 25+ years’ experience in category and multi-unit operational management and a proven track record of managing complex projects while supporting an organization’s overall success. Provides exceptional skills in merchandising & promotions, leadership, product performance & analysis, and relationship management. Consistently identifies opportunities for advancing business objectives while implementing practices for process improvement. Value-centric team leader who thrives in fast-paced environments delivering both forward-thinking and professionalism.

Strategic Planning and Execution

Retail Sales and Merchandising

Excellent Formal Presentation and Oral/Written Communication skills

Forecasting/Budget Management

Inventory Management and Operations

Vendor Management

Coaching/Development

Process Management

Category Management

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Good Oil Company, Winamac, IN 09/2022 – 01/2023

Director of Retail and Marketing

Responsible for the operations and marketing for a chain of fifteen convenience stores

Had two of four direct report positions filled during my tenure

Maintained vendor partner/supplier relationships

Developed annual marketing plan

G&J Pepsi, Hamilton, OH 03/2022 – 09/2022

OTS-KAM (Own the Streets-Key Account Manager)

Responsible for the relationship between G&J Pepsi & 481 independent convenience store owners.

Managed contract verification, planograms, and assisted with any issues between sales and the store owners.

Acted on business analytics for sales opportunities and equipment placement

Duncan Oil, Beavercreek, OH 07/2021 – 12/2021

Director of Retail Operations

Hired to direct the retail operations and marketing for a chain of eight convenience stores.

Had three direct reports: Operations Manager, Food Service Manager, and Administrative Assistant

Maintain vendor partner/supplier relationships

Analyze costs and negotiate best possible price for company

United Dairy Farmers, Cincinnati, OH 02/2020 – 07/2021

Field Category Manager, Cincinnati, OH

Hired to facilitate the execution of all corporate food programs at store level.

Serve as Category Manager for the company’s supply category of over 250 SKUs

Communicate supply issues and solutions to zones, vendors and other Marketing team members

Maintain supplier relationships

Analyze costs and negotiate best possible price for company

Develop operational efficiencies in food program execution

EG Group – America, Cincinnati, OH 4/2018 – 1/2020

EG Group America, a Cincinnati based subsidiary of EG Group headquartered in Blackburn, UK operates 1,300+ convenience stores in the United States and 5,500 worldwide. EG Group purchased the stores from Kroger in April 2018.

Senior Category Manager, Convenience Stores Merchandising – Cincinnati, OH 10/2019 – 1/2020

Promoted to Senior Category Manager of Cold Vault to help improve current processes and strategies due to the high profile and profitability of the category, dealing with high velocity items and large CPG vendors

Serve as Senior Category Manager managing sales growth and product merchandising of nine Divisions with over 1,300+ store sites

Responsible for the Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic categories’ P&L success with sales totaling over $250M annually and 1,000+ UPCs

Communicate daily issues and solutions to divisions, vendors and other Merchandising team members

Maintain vendor relationships and perform negotiations on annual agreements which align with sales objectives

Analyze promotional efficiency and effectiveness and work with vendor partners to best allocate trade spending

Meet with current and new vendors to review innovation and new items in the marketplace, negotiating cost and promotional strategies to help drive a successful launch of product expansion, capitalizing on consumer trends

Supervise and coach team of 6 direct reports in the performance of their duties

West Region Fuel Manager, Convenience Store Fuel Supply – Cincinnati, OH 02/2019 – 10/2019

Promoted to Fuel Manager after being retained as an employee with the sale of stores to EG Group America

Drove operational excellence between fuel carriers, suppliers, and internal team for three Divisions of over 350+ store sites

Analyzed and Managed supply allocation to eliminate disruption to the fuel business

The Kroger Company-Convenience Division, dba Kwik Shop 10/2015 – 4/2018

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Kroger Company is the largest grocery retailer in the United States operating 2,500+ stores under more than two dozen banners, in many different formats (including convenience), across 35 states.

District Manager, Convenience Stores Operations – Kwik Shop, Wichita, KS 10/2015 – 02/2019

Recruited as District Manager for highly visible, critical market in Wichita KS.

Served as District Manager maximizing sales growth and executing merchandising standards for twelve-twenty-three stores.

Held responsible for P&L controllable and sales totaling over $30M annually.

Supported and engaged all direct and indirect reports to ensure succession and build a team within the Wichita market.

Fikes Wholesale Inc/CEFCO Convenience Stores, Temple, TX 4/1995 – 9/2015

Headquartered in Temple, TX. CEFCO Convenience Stores is a division of Fikes Wholesale, Inc and has over 220 convenience stores operating in seven states.

Commercial Fuel Account Manager, Fikes Wholesale, Inc. 2014 – 2015

Acquired new fuel customers for commercial side of the business.

Maintained commercial accounts for 50+ businesses.

Processed fuel orders to include pricing and submitted to dispatch for delivery within customer guidelines.

QSR District Manager, CEFCO Convenience Stores 2012 – 2014

Transferred to QSR District Manager assuming responsibility for eight Subway locations across Texas.

Served as QSR District Manager while also supporting twenty-one proprietary food locations across Texas.

Ensured Subway locations met/exceed both Subway and company standards.

Coached and developed direct and indirect reports to ensure succession plan in place and build a team in my market.

Operations District Manager, CEFCO Convenience Stores 2009 – 2012

Promoted to District Manager in highly visible market in Texas.

Served as District Manager maximizing sales and executing merchandising standards for a district comprised of ten convenience stores.

Reduced controllable (cash, shrink, drive offs) to less than 1% of sales month over month.

Reduced district labor to 10% of sales without comprising company standards or personnel’s work/life balance.

Coached and developed direct and indirect reports to ensure succession plan in place and build a team in my market.

Cold Vault Category Manager, CEFCO Convenience Stores 1999 – 2009

Promoted to Category Manager of Packaged Beverage to help improve current processes and strategies due to the high profile and profitability of the category, dealing with high velocity items and large CPG vendors.

Serve as Category Manager managing sales growth and product merchandising over 100 stores across multiple states.

Responsible for the Packaged Beverage category P&L success with sales totaling over $1M annually.

Communicate daily issues and solutions to operations, vendors and other team members/leaders.

Maintain vendor relationships and perform negotiations on annual agreements which align with company sales objectives/strategies.

Analyze promotional efficiency and effectiveness and work with vendor partners to best allocate trade spending

Meet with current and new vendors to review innovation and new items in the marketplace, negotiating cost and promotional strategies to help drive a successful launch of product expansion, capitalizing on consumer trends

Work with Pricebook team to ensure all new items and programs are set up accurately and on time within internal systems, ensuring successful new item launches and promotions

Marketing Assistant 1998 – 1999

Accounting Assistant (Accounts Payable/Payroll) 1995 – 1998

EDUCATION:

Purdue University Global, 3.96 GPA

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

EV (C-Store Reporting Tool)

Clearview, Price Advantage (fuel monitoring/pricing tools)

Syndicated data: Nielsen, IRI

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Children’s Miracle Network – Temple, TX 1998 – 2015

Kansas Food Bank 2015 – 2019

Lord’s Diner 2015 – 2019

References available upon request

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