District Manager Customer Service

JOY RUBIN-SCHAEFER ***K Springmeadow Drive, Holbrook, NY 11741

linkedin.com/in/joyrubinschaefer 631-***-**** ************@*****.*** Multi-Award-Winning General Manager and Multi-Unit Leader

20+ years of diverse and consistently successful leadership experience in the ultra-competitive retail industry

Achieved exceptional results in every position, consistently building talented teams and driving sales to new heights

Proven success in every aspect of retail operations, including people, product, and P&L management GENERAL MANAGER Sep 2019 – Present

Visionworks – Farmingdale

Recruited by the territory director to take over a Farmingdale location that was in complete disarray. Implemented high standards in all areas and turned it quickly around before the 2020 pandemic. Accountable for all aspects of a business that includes a doctor’s office, lab, and optical store. Oversee 1 optometrist, 1 retail supervisor, and 7 associates.

Established a new sales record – drove the store to $1.1M in annual sales for the first time in history

Improved all key performance metrics by training and coaching the team on sales and customer engagement

Increased the average units-per-transaction from 2 to a consistent 3 – raised the average sale to $285

Increased adherence slots from 85% to 115% – ranked in the top 3 in the district (24 locations)

Increased the retinal imaging rate from 55% to 72% – ranked in the top 4 in the district

Increased the customer conversion rate from 60% to 70% – ranked in the top 6 in the district

Dramatically improved inventory control in a store that had the 2nd highest shrink in the chain prior to arrival

Hired, on-boarded, and trained 2 new ophthalmic technicians to boost staffing levels

Personally facilitated all individual insertion & removal classes for first-time contact lens customers

Guided the store through an extraordinarily challenging COVID pandemic, including a lengthy lockdown

Re-opened and led the entire business with only 3 staff and new protocols for employee & customer safety STORE MANAGER Jun 2017 – Sep 2019

Focal Point Optical – Garden City

Recruited by the owners of a very popular independent optical store that had been in business for many years. Joined the company with the goal of modernizing the business for the 21st century and driving sales & profit to the next level. Oversaw every aspect of day-to-day operations, including sales, service, frame purchasing, and inventory management.

Revamped the store’s layout, visual merchandising practices, and window display to feel more like a boutique

Implemented several new processes and tools to start calculating and tracking performance metrics

Built a computerized customer database with email addresses – launched their first email reminder service

Trained the staff to up-sell second pairs, sunglasses, upgraded lenses, coatings, and other options

Significantly improved the store’s sales performance and overall profitability

Established a new sales record – led the store to $750K in annual revenue for the first time in history

Drove the customer capture rate (from optometrist to eyewear sale) to 8% higher than the national average

Dramatically improved contact lens sales – created a discount program for annual supply purchases

Increased the gross margin to 69% – outperformed the industry median for independent optical stores (61%)

Marketed the business in the surrounding area – established relationships with several ophthalmologists

Developed a barcode scanning system that enabled customers to provide more reviews GENERAL MANAGER, REGIONAL IGNITE COACH Jul 2010 – Jun 2017 LensCrafters – Bay Shore and Lake Grove

Recruited by the district manager to rebuild a struggling Bay Shore location that hadn’t met their sales target in several years. Turned it quickly around, resulting in a March 2011 promotion to a larger, higher-volume location in Lake Grove. Directly accountable for every aspect of each office/lab/store. Led a team of 30, including 2 managers and 3 doctors.

Re-trained the Bay Shore team and met the sales goal in 5 months (this store fell short the previous 5 years)

Established a new sales record in Bay Shore – led the store to the $1M mark for the first time

Developed a very strong culture and improved every key performance metric by 20%

Lifted Bay Shore from 14th to 11th in the district (14 stores) for sales performance by the end of 2010

Promoted to a higher-volume location in Lake Grove in early 2011 – increased sales by $200K the first 2 years

Established a new sales record in Lake Grove – led the store to $2M for the first time

Drove the store to 1st in the entire northeast zone for customer satisfaction (Net Promoter Scores)

Increased customer satisfaction scores to 93% – awarded by the president for a personal NPS score of 100%

Ranked 5th in the entire company (1158 locations) on a major customer service initiative in 2014

Improved other KPIs including customer conversion (80%), average sale ($369), and units-per-transaction (3)

Recognized as the only store in the district (14 locations) to achieve the email capture goal of 80%

Surpassed the gross profit target every year by 8-15% – kept inventory shrink below budget every year

Ranked 1st in the entire zone for protection plan sales every year since 2012 – a key profit driver

Awarded membership in the “President’s Club” every year since 2012 in recognition of outstanding results

Maintained a strong culture with an 85% annual employee retention rate in Lake Grove

Trained, developed, and promoted 2 new general managers and multiple assistant managers internally

Hand-picked to serve as regional ignite coach for 14 NY/NJ stores due to extraordinary success in Lake Grove

Conducted weekly store visits, identified opportunities for improvement, and created action plans

Trained and coached staff from across the region on best practices for sales and customer engagement

Spearheaded the rollout of several new projects, programs, and other initiatives – facilitated training

Created a new training program that rolled out to all 1158 stores company-wide (“7 Steps to EPP Success”)

Awarded an overall rating of “exceeds expectations” on performance reviews (highest possible rating) AREA MANAGER Sep 2009 – Jul 2010

Cheaper Peepers – East Meadow and New Hyde Park

Brought to this new discount eyewear retailer to open and manage a group of shops inside big-box supercenters across the Midwest before the owner reversed course and the plan was cancelled. Oversaw every aspect of 2 locations.

Hired and trained 4 opticians, 2 full lab teams, and several sales associates, and exceeded all projections

Developed a comprehensive company handbook, a sales training manual, and a customer service manual REGIONAL MANAGER, DISTRICT MANAGER, STORE MANAGER Apr 1999 – May 2009 Rockaway Bedding – Multiple locations in NY, NJ, and CT Advanced quickly through the ranks after joining this mattress chain as a store manager. Promoted to district manager in 2001 and then regional manager in 2002. Proved instrumental to the company’s rapid expansion in NY, NJ, and CT.

Opened the East Meadow store in 1999 and led it to $1M in sales – awarded “Sales Professional of the Year”

Promoted from store manager to district manager in 2001 (first female DM in the company)

Awarded “District Manager of the Year” in 2001 for the best results and overall performance in the company

Promoted up to regional manager in 2002 (first female RM in the company)

Oversaw up to 99 stores at a time and consistently exceeded all corporate expectations

Ranked 1st in the entire company for gross profit and overall KPI performance for 3 straight years

Opened approximately 40 new stores – consistently met project timelines, budgets, and sales forecasts

Recruited, hired, and on-boarded 6 district managers and hundreds of store managers and sales associates

Developed and promoted 6 new district managers and 26 store managers internally for the company

Designed a comprehensive “8 Steps to Selling Success” training program – this rolled out company-wide

Created a standardized organization for front desks leveraging Lean Six Sigma – this rolled out company-wide

Honored with the “President’s Award” in 2006 for outstanding contributions to their best year ever

Recognized as a Project Legacy Honoree in 2005 due to exceptional leadership, spirit, and sales performance Lean Six Sigma Certification Program – LensCrafters Ophthalmic Career Progression Program (2 years) – The National Academy of Opticianry

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