Kala Wade

Experience

• 

  Sam's Club

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2017

  • Generated $900K in total savings, $400K of which in accident cost-improvements through evaluating and governing exception reports related to controllable expenses in 2016; results exceeded target goals in these categories• Drove a 10% improvement YOY for physical inventory shrink within the territory• Led and coached a team of 14 and supported 2,400 managers and associates in the North Texas market• Recognized for achieving the No. 1 ranking in Most Accident-Free Day stores, No. 2 in Region Safety Performance and top 10% overall for organization• Achieved a score of 99%, exceeding the goal of 95%, for compliance and regulatory inspections in food safety and environmental compliance• Conducted daily internal and external investigations for fraud, theft, compliance, ethics, safety, workplace violence, and threat assessment claims at store and market level• Improved shortages in-store and in-market by monitoring inventory flow processes, managing store level inventories, performing internal audits, facility controls, and store-level tours• Collaborated in the development and roll-out of Club Inventory Management (CIM) system, and Inventory and Training Guides on audit processes, safety, and environmental compliance• Planned and implemented Regional VIP Events, celebrity appearances, book signings, and seasonal performance activity including Black Friday and Back to School promotions• Partnered with HR on hiring new talent for the team and conducting required investigations thoroughly• Member of the Asset Protection Council; a select group of 10 employees tasked with solving high priority operational, employee, and performance challenges; new processes and decisions were rolled out enterprise-wide Show less • Led territory-wide process implementations involving safety, inventory management, investigations, and back-of-house inventory control processes to enhance overall efficiency• Achieved store and territory performance metrics through the leadership of associates and collaboration with general management highlighting operational excellence in claims, audits, and security• Led the pilot roll-out of a new claims system that improved visibility and accuracy with item returns and damages including accounting enhancements for the front-end and accounting office operations Show less

  • Market Asset Protection Manager

    Jan 2009 - Jan 2017

  • Regional Loss Prevention Manager

    Jan 1999 - Jan 2009
• 

  Lowe's Companies, Inc.

  Mar 2019 - May 2021

  • Surpassed all sales targets in 2020; resulted in 26% above plan in the Paint department, 26% above plan for Home Décor, and 18% above plan for Home Organization• Increased comps (comparable store sales) by 13% in 2020• Coach and developed a team of eight directly, and manage the store activities around opening, shift changes, and closing procedures to ensure safety and operations throughout the facility• Oversaw associate scheduling, expenses, merchandise planning, logistics, and tracking. Reviewed and reported any exceptions to the P&L (Profit and Loss Statement). Filed for credits on damage merchandise and followed up on environmental and safety at all times. • Conducted weekly inventory audits across departments, and generated daily reports around, sales, safety, loss prevention data, survey results, credit card and warranty sales Show less • Oversaw the following departments for a $32M store: Front-end operations, accounting office, receiving, installation, claims, delivery, customer service, administrative office, freight flow, fulfillment, procurement, and curbside pick up procedures. • Led a team of two managers and 51 associates; and occasionally 125 when interim store manager; exceeded quarterly revenue goals consistently and went down in shrink by 10 basis points in 2019• Managed the store safety, inventory strategy, P & L, cleanliness, and DOT compliance for employees and customers; provided training of new operations and procedures as needed.• Drove operational efficiencies and maximize customer satisfaction daily; rated #2 in the market for Lead To Recommend satisfaction surveys and the #3 market enterprise-wide for a positive in-store experience• Led daily huddles with the employees to increase engagement, provide performance feedback, coaching, recognition and celebrate service awards • Collaborated with HR to interview and hire top talent for the store and resolve associate relation issues efficiently Show less

  • Operations / Department Manager

    May 2020 - May 2021

  • Operations Manager

    Mar 2019 - May 2020
• 

  Interstate Batteries

  May 2021 - now

  HR Coordinator - Operations and Talent

  -Manage documentation needs around confidential information of employee files.-Implementing an automation project with physical employee active files to digital files to a system called Workday. -Assist with on boarding employees personal information.-Assisted the Recruiting Department with setting up interviews and being the contact between the interviewer and the interviewee. -Manage Department expense for the Human Resource Division. With this responsibility I also ensure all P&L (Profit and Loss) statements are tracked accurately and distributed accordingly. -Manage an employee site called Report It for complaints, violations or unethical behavior. -Currently assisting with a moving location project for Interstate Batteries Corporate Office to a new location by processing over a 6 month period of multi million dollars in expenses and ensuring bills and PO's are paid to vendors tasked with the construction of the new Corporate building in a timely manner. - Join monthly operations meetings to remain current on company initiatives and build relationships with leaders in the company. Show less