Over my diverse career I have worked as an engineering analyst, corporate finance analyst and restaurant franchisee. In my next venture I plan on drawing on more of my professional experiences to acquire/operate an established business that provides essential services with a high level of recurring revenue located in Southern California. Over the years, I have honed skills in leadership, adaptability, customer service, finance, operations, staff management, and resilience—preparing me well for this venture.
My leadership, operational skills, and adaptability were developed over two decades of franchise ownership. Most recently, this was exhibited by my restaurant’s performance during COVID. My restaurant was one of very few Denny’s locations nationwide and the only restaurant in the entire city of Huntington Beach to stay open 24/7 throughout the pandemic, while adhering to all state and county COVID protocols. As a result, the year after COVID we were immediately able to staff up and achieve consistent YOY sales in excess of 25% over pre-COVID levels.
My foundation in operations management was built during my participation in Denny’s development program, where I gained expertise in restaurant turnarounds, developing strategic approaches to address staffing issues and facility renovations to drive sales growth and improve customer satisfaction. My restaurants have consistently achieved the lowest turnover and customer complaints in the system.
Before my experience with Denny’s, I developed my financial skills by earning an MBA with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. I then navigated the corporate landscape at Southern California Edison’s Treasurer’s Department, gaining valuable experience in financial planning, cash management, and corporate finance until I entered Denny’s franchise development program. Despite the high failure rate within the program, my financial skills and perseverance paid off as I acquired and successfully managed multiple Denny’s franchises in Southern California. I am currently the sole remaining franchisee who entered through this development program.
My resilience was cultivated as a full-time engineering student at UC Santa Barbara while also working part-time at Santa Barbara Research Center, a division of Hughes Aircraft. As I entered the heart of my engineering courses, I focused on my study habits leading to consistent academic excellence, earning a place on the Dean’s List for the remainder of my academic career in both engineering and business school. After earning my Masters in Engineering, while still working as an engineer at Santa Barbara Research Center, a hobby in real estate investing sparked my entrepreneurial spirit. This interest eventually led to my pursuit of an MBA with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. My corporate experience further sparked my interest in behavioral management, shaping my staff management style. Currently, the tenure of my staff greatly exceeds that of Denny’s corporate restaurants.