Shay Stevenson

Experience

• 

  World Circumnavigation

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2008

  Yachtsmen

  Completed a 44,000 nautical mile journey around the World crossing the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans visiting 55 countries along the way gaining invaluable life experience. I sailed over 750 days at sea on thirteen different private yachts through five continents; obtained a British Captain's license, a U.S.C.G. Captain's license, a PADI Divemaster and did so all on my own accord, both physically as well as financially. In 2006, I traveled over land 10,000 miles from South Africa to Egypt via 13 countries along the interior using public transport and the supplies and limited resources available to sustain myself. My journey taught me a new understanding of the world and its people and I have gained invaluable life experience that will forever influence my interactions with those around me. Show less

• 

  West Coast Sales

  Sept 2010 - Jun 2017

  Manufacturer's Sales Representative, SW Territory

  • Account Management & Marketing Manager for a leading marine specific manufacturer’s representative company on behalf of 22 prominent manufacturers in the marine industry including Fusion Electronics, Attwood Marine, Cequent, Kwik Tek, Shakespeare and more.• Develop and cultivate direct business relationships with high caliber businesses including West Marine, Malibu Wake Boats, Centurion Boats, Land N Sea Distribution, Leslie's Pool Supply, Seawide Distribution and a network of over 300 dealers, service centers, retail stores and other OEM’s• Manage current clientele relations and create new relationships with buying groups, mass retailers, e-retailers, and sole-proprietors through a multitude of marketing and sales efforts• Responsible for the Southern California, Central California and Arizona territories with annual sales reaching $4.1m in 2016, representing a 8% growth in YOY sales in the territory• Perform Due Diligence and Market Research on competitors and develop customized marketing plans for new products, including sell sheets, social media networks, and field test studies• Organize vendor specific sales & training events that have successfully resulted in an increase of product awareness and sales among a multitude of distributor reps, end-users and dealers• Responsible for all logistics related to organizing, planning, facilitating and participating in industry trade shows, retail grand openings, regional boat shows, and training seminars with similar growth for 2017 expected. Show less

• 

  DJR Companies

  Jun 2018 - Dec 2019

  Site Acquisition Specialist

  Wanting to pursue a commercial route with a foundation in development, Shay was happy to find DJR Companies in 2018 and quickly found a home with founders Drew and his father Andy. Shay’s business and life experience have been a good fit in this highly specialized, yet diversified real estate company. Working as a Site Acquisition Specialist, Shay’s role is to help manage the RE transactions and business development of DJR Realty for its fastly growing customer base across California.

• 

  Sola Salon Studios

  Feb 2019 - now

  Sola Salons is a rapidly-growing Franchise real estate concept which essentially enables beauty professionals to become entrepreneurs. Sola provides beauty professionals with high-end, fully-equipped salon studios alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business in a hassle-free landlord/tenant based environment.With two locations in operation today, we lease over 17,600 square foot of retail space that is subdivided into 30 independent studios in each salon. These studios allow hair stylists and other beauty professionals to lease and operate their own fully equipped salons. Sola is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing beauty franchise in the US with over 400+ locations in operation since inception in 2005.• Led the site selection for the retail space by mapping the salon, population and demographic densities of Fresno• Created a detailed business plan with budgeting forecasts, financial reports, break-even analysis that helped earn 3x private equity commercial business loans despite tightened lending standards. • Negotiated the lease and LOI for the 5,600, 5800 and 6200 square foot retail spaces putting in place 10yr (10yr option) multi-million dollar deals.• Managed 3x $1,000,000 tenant improvements of the retail spaces from the layout design, architect, construction, and permitting and more.• Leased 90 individual studios with a current tenant network of 110+ beauty professionals that rely on daily consistent operations.• Manage the sales, accounting, marketing, and daily operation of these large retail spaces, while maintaining 90% or more occupancy. • Conducts and manages maintenance of facilities for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC and supervises a full-time site manager. Show less Shay was brought on as the General Manager to the lead the Sola Salons Orange County team when the 12 established locations transitioned to being owned by the Sola HQ Team out of Denver in early 2018. Shay's past experience as a Sola franchisee and real estate background qualified him to be a good candidate for the position and Shay leads a great team of 5 highly productive individuals overseeing 500+ studios. Shay also oversaw the development of 2 additional Corporate-owned locations in 2019/2020. Shay's primary role is to provide support where needed; seek out inefficiencies in operations, increase occupancy and tenant retention, obtain a higher level of customer satisfaction, gain insight into the ever-changing beauty industry and reignite the energy & growth of the Sola brand in Southern California. Show less

  • Sola Salons Franchisee/Owner

    Sept 2015 - now

  • General Manager Sola Salon Studios Orange County

    Feb 2019 - Dec 2021
• 

  Sola Salons

  Jan 2022 - Jan 2024

  Director of Corporate Facilities & Development

  • Lead, train and manage a team of 11 Facility Managers across 4 states (Maryland, Virginia, California, and Colorado) in a remote and on-site capacity.• Oversee the full scope of building oversight and project management for new salons. Have built 7 corporate-owned salons in the last 4 years. • Ensure high level of team performance in all operational Facility Management KPIs • Coordinate logistics related to scheduling and performance of building repair & maintenance and studio make-ready projects with internal Facility Managers, including scheduling maintenance activities with field management and procurement of local vendors to meet desired deadlines.• Manage and improve building HVAC/Plumbing/Electrical/Low Voltage systems, including automated monitoring capabilities to support proactive response to issues.• Foster partnership between the facilities operations team and other departments, encouraging effective communication and consultation.• Manage building and equipment maintenance with vendors, including HVAC maintenance, plumbing fixture maintenance, janitorial services, etc.• Plan, budget, schedule, and oversee facilities modifications, including cost estimates and contract negotiations.• Oversee vendors QM contracts for Facility assets and new projects including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, contracted services (pest control, fire alarm, window cleaning, etc ) and other quarterly maintenance vendors.• Direct local operations management team and offer support for a variety of maintenance tasks including but not limited to: emergency flood response training, general studio maintenance, resetting equipment and reporting alarms, locating and operating important main shut off valves, etc.• Manage ongoing building system updates, such as: WiFi bandwidth/acces points, security system upgrades and troubleshooting, various location improvement plans- Audio/Video updates, door system upgrades, and other technology enhancements, etc. Show less