Wesley Barga

Experience

• 

  Central Co-op

  Jan 2004 - Apr 2019

  Led store operations including all customer-facing and back office activities across organization. Drove process improvement efforts and cultural transformation to meet the needs of the quickly changing landscape of retail grocery business. Partnered with senior leaders to define organizational strategy and objectives aligned with cooperative principles and values. Built financial plan using inputs such as performance data and market research; accountable for financial performance based on $25M revenue. Managed operations and implemented customized process framework based on Lean principles. Leveraged Open Book Management in partnership with team of department and store managers.Key Accomplishments• Lean Practices – Led development of a customized framework of Lean practices to fit operational needs and elicit employee-driven improvements. [Kaizen, Single-piece Flow, 5S, Gemba, and MVP concepts.]• Pricing & Merchandising Strategy – Analyzed customer, product, and financial data using Tableau and PowerBI. Defined strategy and implement tactics resulting in increased margin and improved perception of pricing and selection.• Training Program – Developed ongoing program of employee training modules including custom Lean process framework, Open Book Management, and customer service. • Mentorship Program Pilot – Contributed to leadership development program centered on eliciting key leadership mindsets in combination with enriching tactical skills to build strong leaders. • Culture & Employee Engagement – Established shared vision and align objectives across levels of management.• New Store Planning – Leveraged PowerBI to analyze data for site selection and planning. Collaborated on definition of community engagement strategy and participated in tactics including outreach, event marketing, and social media.• System Implementation – Partnered with buying, pricing, data analysis teams to implement supplier data management functionality via Supplier Gateway and POS. Show less Managed all facets of customer-facing processes and activities including point-of-saletransactions, handling of customer service, and general inquiries. Built productive team ofcustomer service supervisors and associates through smart hiring, effective training, andcollaborative performance management. Partnered with marketing, product, and financeteams to provide transparency and ensure alignment of objectives.Key Accomplishments• Improved Productivity & Engagement – Oversaw cultural transformation in Front Endteams leading to substantial increase in employee job satisfaction and productivity.• Merger Planning & Change Management – Contributed to planning of merger withTacoma Food Co-op. Participated in to planning and launch of change in businessmodel. Conducted outreach for member input and votes.• Business & System Integration - Oversaw the integration of point-of-sale systems(involved ECRS Catapult and SMS) and consolidation of bookkeeping functions due tomerger. Contributed to merging of databases including product and member info.Oversaw procurement of equipment and partnered with ECRS PM to set up a testenvironment, configure equipment. Installed replacement POS hardware.• Owner Benefits Program – Partnered with senior leaders to evaluate and design a newowner benefits program. Oversaw customer-facing rollout and communications. Show less

  • Operations Director

    Jul 2016 - Apr 2019

  • Front End Manager

    Jan 2012 - Jul 2016

  • Shift Lead & Store Support Coordinator

    Jan 2005 - Jan 2012

  • Cashier

    Jan 2004 - Jan 2005
• 

  Hopelink

  Jul 2019 - now

  Launched and operate Hopelink's Project Management Office, supporting project managers in planning and executing a variety of business development projects in a highly diversified non-profit agency.Oversee a process and improvement and documentation program, supporting functions in improving customer value while ensuring compliance with a variety of contract and regulatory requirements.Support key agency initiatives including digital transformation and program migration to ensure continuity of client services during Covid-19 pandemic. Show less

  • Director of Organizational Excellence

    Dec 2021 - now

  • Senior Manager of Quality Improvement

    Jul 2019 - Dec 2021