Renee B. Sessoms
President of Retail, Coffee bakery cafes
Boston, MA · (617) 555 0117 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/reneebsessoms
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Twenty two years in specialty retail and food service, seven at officer level
INDUSTRIES
Coffee and bakery cafes, specialty food retail, Northeast and mid Atlantic markets
SPECIALTIES
Division profit and loss, fleet strategy, digital ordering, franchise and company operations
SYSTEMS
Oracle NetSuite, Workday, Snowflake, Power BI, Salesforce
CREDENTIALS
Certified Food Protection Manager; board member, Massachusetts Restaurant Association
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration, Boston College
Results at a Glance
$690m
Million dollars
11
Consecutive quarters
96
Cafes and closed
128%
Percent by raising
Executive Summary
Retail president leading a 420 cafe and bakery business with 9,800 employees and 940 million dollars in annual revenue. Twenty two years in food and specialty retail, with three profitable years in a segment where most operators lost traffic, and a leadership bench deep enough that four of six vice presidents were promoted from within.
Signature Achievements
- Grew the retail division from 690 million dollars to 940 million dollars in revenue over five years while raising operating margin by 240 basis points.
- Delivered positive comparable store sales for 11 consecutive quarters in a category where regional competitors averaged a decline.
- Built digital and mobile ordering from nothing to 34 percent of transactions, which lifted average ticket by 1.90 dollars.
- Opened 96 cafes and closed 21, improving average unit volume across the fleet from 1.9 million dollars to 2.4 million dollars.
- Reduced hourly turnover from 128 percent to 71 percent by raising starting pay, guaranteeing minimum weekly hours and paying for training time.
- Integrated a 40 cafe regional chain onto company systems in seven months while holding sales at the acquired locations flat or better.
Professional Experience
President of Retail
Charter Bay Coffee Company, Boston, MA 2020 to present
Leads the entire retail business, 420 company operated and franchised cafes, 9,800 employees and 940 million dollars of revenue, reporting to the chief executive officer.
- Owns the division profit and loss statement and presents results, capital requests and the fleet plan to the board every quarter.
- Leads a team of six vice presidents covering operations, development, culinary, marketing, people and franchise partnerships.
- Sets the three year growth plan by market, deciding where the company builds, where it franchises and where it exits.
- Rebuilt the labor model and wage structure across all markets after two years of staffing shortages closed cafes early.
- Chairs the food safety and workplace safety council with legal and human resources, covering Occupational Safety and Health Administration performance and Fair Labor Standards Act practice.
Senior Vice President of Operations
Harborline Bakehouse Group, Providence, RI 2015 to 2020
Ran operations for 240 bakery cafes across six states with 5,200 employees.
- Grew comparable store sales by an average of 4.6 percent a year over five years.
- Cut food waste by 3.1 percent of sales through production planning and a revised par system.
- Introduced catering as a channel and built it to 78 million dollars in annual revenue.
- Reduced the recordable injury rate by half across the fleet.
Vice President of Store Operations
Granite Row Provisions, Manchester, NH 2010 to 2015
Directed 120 specialty food stores and 2,100 employees in northern New England.
- Turned a division losing money into one delivering 11 percent operating margin in four years.
- Closed 14 unprofitable stores and reinvested the proceeds in remodels that returned their cost in under two years.
- Built the district manager training program still in use at the company.
Licensure and Certification
Certified Food Protection Manager
Board member, Massachusetts Restaurant Association
Member, National Retail Federation
Education
Master of Business Administration, Boston College, 2012
Bachelor of Science in hospitality management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2004
Core Skills
Division profit and loss leadership · Fleet and growth strategy · Executive team building · Digital ordering and loyalty · Franchise partnership management · Labor model and wage strategy · Board reporting · Acquisition integration · Food and workplace safety governance · Margin improvement