TONY ULSES

2526 N 109th Terrace Unit 211 Omaha, NE(402) 208-9356

DIRECTOR of OPERATIONS

BROAD EXPERTISE IN BOTH BACK-/FRONT-OF-THE HOUSE OPERATIONS

Excels in driving revenue growth & improved profitability

Provides rigorous management in cost containment and quality control

Proven leadership in employee engagement and talent development

Highly accomplished and successful regional sales management professional with 20+-year track record in conceiving, leading, and executing upon effective strategy to drive revenue, contain costs, and improve profitability across multi-unit operations; consistently exceeds all goals. Provides hands-on, incisive leadership; excels in engaging employees, developing talent, and managing the diverse needs of franchise, corporate, and privately owned stakeholders. Leverages extensive background in back-of-the-house operations; provides judicious oversight of costs, quality, and operational efficiency.

PROFESSIONAL NARRATIVE

Granite City Food & Brewery Omaha, NE | 2000 – Present

Director of Operations Region 4

Promoted within one year to take over strategic leadership and direction of 18 stores throughout the United States.Responsible for overseeing up to $90M in revenues and $65M operating budget. Currently support 900+ employees 3 District Managers and 18 Store Managers.

HUGELY SUCCESSFUL IN INCREASINGOVERALL PROFITABILITY

  • Serve as instrumental contributor to GM’s success in winning ‘GM of the Year’ award in 2010;consistently producing one of the most profitable stores in the region (beating out 26 stores) for 8 out of 13 years.

Exceed annual goalsyear over year; averaging 85% in mystery shoppers across the board.

  • Achieve15% over budget within first year of leadership; executing aggressive sales and cost containment strategies.
  • Decrease food costs 2% and back-of-house labor costs.5% in first year; leveraging extensive back/front-of-house expertise and industry best practices to identify areas for improvement and reallocate resources accordingly.
  • Slash skyrocketing attrition in half; reversing existing culture of employee distrust and dissatisfaction by providing a hands-on, supportive leadership style, empowering staff, and treating employees with respect and dignity.
  • Maximize productivity and resource allocation;rescheduling labor resources during peak times, instituting new operational processes, and mandating cross-training of all employees.

EXCELS IN DRIVING REVENUE GROWTH ANDMARKET PENETRATION

  • Grew incremental revenue 10%-15% annually; executinga well-targeted strategy to entice new corporate clients.
  • Maintain revenue goals during deep economic downturn; adapting sales and pricing strategyand crafting resourceful promotions to further develop local following and increase corporate clientele post 9/11.
  • Drive increase in repeat and referral business; cultivating new culture ofservice excellence by training staff and management to be more aware and involved with the overall guest experience.
  • Spearhead ambitious community outreach strategy; leading new direction to cultivate community relations by donating time and resources to local charities, fundraising events, and school activities.
  • Expand marketing and advertising reach on a limited budget;developing cross-promotional strategies with local nightclubs, bartering trade with radio stations, and leveraging a local public relations strategy.

PROVEN LEADERSHIP IN LEADING, ENGAGING,AND DEVELOPING STAFF

  • Excel in developing employees for future leadership roles; training, mentoring, and grooming 6management candidates later chosen to head up and lead other store operations.
  • Successfully lead, empower, and engage staff and management; providing a hands-on, participatory leadership style to encourage employee engagement and involvement in bottom-line objectives.
  • Rebuild crucial trust with employees; treating staff with respect and dignity, listening to concerns, and delivering as promised upon new initiatives and proposed remedies.
  • Overhaul and spearheadnew training program; authoring much-needed training and procedure manuals to ensure consistency and incorporating new standards of excellence into all procedures.

TONY ULSES(402) 208-9356 PAGE 2

Planet Hollywood,Chicago, IL | 1998 – 2000

MULTI-UNIT GENERAL MANAGER

Provide strategic direction and oversight for two stores in Chicago generating $14M annually; overseeing 22 store managers and 400+ employees.

  • Drove revenue growth and overall profitability; overseeing all aspects of sales, marketing, public relations, operations, and merchandise departments.
  • Increased incremental revenues 10-15% within one year;executing effective merchandising strategy.

Cooker Bar and Grille,West Palm, FL | 1996 – 1998

CORPORATE CHEF

Played an integral role in expanding operations and regional market penetration; overseeing 20 stores throughout the Southeast regiongenerating $60M+ annually.

  • Slashed food costs across the board by 6% within 2 years; overhauling product mix and institutingrigorous controls.
  • Grew food sales by 10-percent; revitalizing stale menu by introducing new product ideas.
  • Decreased labor costs by 3% in one year; restructuring back-of-the house operations and improving labor utilization.
  • Provided strategic direction for 15store openings;forecasting/developing budgets for kitchen labor, food costs, and sales.

Grisanti’s, Omaha, NB | 1990 – 1996

REGIONAL MANAGER

Managed all areas of operations, sales, marketing, and P&L oversight for chain of 6 restaurants throughout the Midwest region generating $20M annually.

  • Drove significant improvement in operations, sales, and service; introducing new operational procedures to reduce costs, manage inventories, and improve quality consistency.
  • Increased sales by 10% within 6 months; spearheading and executing upon ambitious community outreach strategy, improved advertising mix, public relations strategy, and crafting creative promotions.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Overland Park, KS | 1989 – 1990

CORPORATE TRAINER

Developed, implemented, and conducted new hire training programs for newly opened restaurants; conducting classroom training, writing training manuals, developing job descriptions, and evaluating new employee job performances.

EDUCATION

BS degreein Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance

Rockhurst College, Kansas City, MO