KENNETH VARGAS

Plaza De Las Fuentes, 1262 Espaa St. 787.908.8132

Toa Alta, PR 00953 kvc416f4@westpost.net
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Successful senior retail executive with 21-year track record revitalizing and ma
naging multi-site business units. Proven career of producing multi-million doll
ar profits through pinpointing operational inefficiencies, designing new product
/service options, implementing technology and encouraging the revitalizing of em
ployee morale and corporate culture change.
Strengths...
a Implementing corporate vision and organizational strategy to guarantee both t
he health of the organization and service to consumers.
a Utilizing out-of-the-box strategy to expand revenue streams.
a Increasing organizational efficiency, streamline procedures and improving cont
rols.
a Recruiting and building effective teams; bringing together and motivating tale
nted individuals to accomplish objectives.
a Providing positive, highly visible management presence.
EXPERIENCE
AUTO ZONE
May 2010 to Present
Store Manager - in training for District Manager Position

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS / WESTERN AUTO - Carolina, PR 1988 to 2010

Regional Tire & Service Manager, Nov 2008 a" April 2010
Company understood the importance of running the tire & service business on the
island due to this fact the position was once again opened. The trend of the tir
e and service for the last 7 years were in red numbers. I assume the role of sto
pping this negative trend and making it profitable. From November 2008 to Decemb
er 2008 meetings were been hold directly with the field personnel gaining their
attention and confidence that the tire & service business was important to the c
ompany such as the commercial business. 2009 was a year in which all needed equi
pment was bought within my budgets and equipment were also repaired. Training w
as given to the sales personnel by local and international vendors such as Tire
Kingdom.
a Service Sales for 2009 ended with double digit comps vs. 2008
aTire Sales ended with double digit comps vs. 2008
a Tire Gross Margin exceeded trend from 24 % to 34 % after market study which in
cluded Sears & Pep boys
a Presence in Local Marketing was attained by Radio Promotion and local newspape
rs strictly for the Tire & Service Business
aThree New Shops were re-opened: Ponce, Rio Grande & Carolina
Division Manager, 2002 a" Nov 2008
Hold P&L accountability (sales profits, gross margin, expense control and retent
ion) and manage performance of 11 profit centers (4 Advance Auto and 7 Western A
uto stores) with annual store sales ranging from $36M to $ 37M. Lead developmen
t and implementation of regional business strategies consistent with corporate r
oadmap. Create demographically defined promotions, special offers and advertisi
ng messages to maintain competitive edge working closely with ad agency. Ensure
delivery of financial, process and service commitments. Monitor KPIs across t
he division, from merchandising and marketing to service, new product launches a
nd store operations. Oversee 11 store managers and 550 employees, compliance wit
h corporate guidelines and safety issues, human capital and succession planning.

a Maximized division and store performance through effective management of KPIs,

ensuring trends were identified and opportunities to improve service levels wer
e exploited.
a Three-time winner of Division Manager Award (2nd and 3rd Qtr 2004, 2nd Qtr 200
3).
a Extended over-income budget YTD 2007.
a Maintained shrink and payroll control under budget.
Regional Tire & Service Manager, 2001-2002
Maximized sales, service and productivity for Tire and Service Center chain oper
ations in Puerto Rico and the USVI generating $23 million annually. Completed a
comprehensive review of the mission and the operations, identified point-of-pur
chase opportunities and optimal growth scenarios for strong financial returns.
a Petitioned and gained approval of $900,000 capital equipment budget and utiliz
ed $505,000 to update service centers.
a Designed/facilitated and/or outsourced practical and affordable training solut
ions providing teams with the product knowledge, technical skills and motivation
needed to ensure sales and profitability of repair and service shops.
a Analyzed mix of service provisions to optimize efficiency and cost of services
sold, resulting in increased service offering without increase in staff or expe
nse budgets.
a Created value-added "Bumper to Bumper" inspection program increasing average s
ervice/repair ticket from 20% to 35%, while advancing customer loyalty.
a Grew annual sales from $19 million to $23 million.
Store Manager, 1996-2002
Promoted from initial managerial assignment in the chain's smallest store (Mayag
ez) to direct the largest, full-service profit center on the Island (Plaza Las A
mricas). Managed business strategy, stressing excellence of customer service wi
th oversight for daily operations, forecasting, training, staffing, budgeting, a
uditing, competitive analysis, store sales, inventory and merchandising. Motiva
ted, coached and mentored 58-member workforce comprised of management and line p
ersonnel. Monitored and addressed operational efficiencies and attainment of bu
dgeted sales volumes, operational cost parameters and profit targets.
Store Manager Continued...
Plaza Las Amricas
a Delivered record-breaking revenue growth surpassing all performance and profit
objectives. Grew retail weekly sales from $115,000 to $150,000 and Tire and Se
rvice Center from $21,000 to $45,000.
a 2000 Store Manager of the Year.
Mayagez
a Halted union movement by dispelling the ideals represented by union leaders, a
ddressing employee grievances and employing incentive programs.
a Increased weekly sales from $25,000 to $60,000 in one-year span.
Assistant Manager, 1995-1996
Recruited to assist in the management of two Tire and Service Centers (Cayey and
Ponce) directing recruiting, training and daily supervision/task assignment of
25 technical and mechanical specialists. Manned front office interfacing with c
ustomer base promoting service options and special offers. Educated consumers o
n vehicle assessment and repair needs, prepared work orders, managed inventory a
nd purchase order requests.
a Exceeded all growth and service targets for both business units.
United States Marine Corps Reserve
1988 a" 1996
SEARS ROEBUCK & COMPANY - Ponce, PR 1988 to 1995
Sales Associate, 1992-1995
Brought creative new vision to retail sales position by executing demonstrative
presentations of sporting goods and hardware products increasing consumer intere
st and applicability of merchandise.
Office Clerk, 1988-1992
Tabulated and audited daily cash drawers of all sales associates and departments
to ensure accuracy. Investigated over/short, verified payroll accuracy and mon
itored sales and returns in the Catalog division.
EDUCATION
INTER AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO - Ponce, PR 1995
BBA - Marketing
OTHER SKILLS
Language: Oral and written language proficiency in Spanish and English / Fully
Bilingual
Computer: Windows XP/2K, MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
and Internet search engines