TRAINING PREPARATION FOR NEW STORE OPENINGS What leaders should expect

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE  To better prepare store personnel for store openings through training and development exercises  Relationship building with key people necessary for business success  Benchmark other companies processes

SIGNIFICANCE  Structuring training and development for future store openings is paramount to the success of the organization  Create and explain to future leaders what to expect for the months leading up to opening and have a roadmap to follow

“THE VENUE’S COMPANY STATISTICS  Opened first store in 1985 in Monterey, California  Sells primarily boats and fishing gear  Currently has 80 stores in the United States and Canada

METHODOLOGY  Research was be extracted from previous store opening successes and opportunities from on-hand experiences  “Best practices”  The “not knowing”  Consulting other company officials throughout the organization on best practices  What are established methods of operating  Not all practices work in every location  Compare analysis with external companies business plans  Disney  Nordstrom’s

COMPANY OBJECTIVES  How to expand  Strategic planning  Using “best practices”  Training and development

FOUR SOLUTIONS  Do nothing  Promote from within  Emulate another company  Redirect training efforts of all managers

DO NOTHING  No effort required  No expenses  Historically, many companies do not see the pay off or change and therefore no risk  Fear of turnover

PROMOTE FROM WITHIN  Have a better understanding about the company and the culture  Exposure to prior store openings  Lack of knowledge, skill and/or education  Lack of leadership skills

EMULATE ANOTHER COMPANY  Proven strategies for change  Policies and procedures  Technology based  May not fit the business prototype

REDIRECT TRAINING EFFORTS  Driven by Human Resources  Create updated training curriculum that is user friendly  Roll out to both internal and externally hired managers  Open learning atmosphere  Provide mentors and have “check-ins”

PROPOSED TRAINING GUIDE  MONTH 1  a. Meet with HR and review training plans.  b. Make travel arrangements to local store for 3 weeks for one-on -one specialized training (repetition).  c. Touch base with mentor and exchange information.  d. Review with management staff the weekly timelines that lead up to store opening.  e. Job fair management training and mass hiring process

PROPOSED TRAINING GUIDE (CONT)  MONTH 2  a. Meet with HR and review training plans. Touch base with mentor.  b. Take basics courses on each store department fundamentals (operations, merchandising, safety etc) in group sessions.  c. Reach out to all visiting support team members and calendar dates, times, and training objectives during visit. Get corporate contact info.  d. Prepare questions for visiting support team members to go over in month 4 on things that need clarifying from the one-on-one training in month 1.  e. Review with management staff the weekly timelines that lead up to store opening.

PROPOSED TRAINING GUIDE (CONT)  MONTH 3  a. Meet with HR and review training plans. Touch base with mentor.  b. Conduct mass hire and begin training associates.  c. Receive trucks, planogram layout/set-up and begin merchandising store.  d. Organize all operational work areas and train store staff on processes with assistance of visiting support team.  e. Review with management staff the weekly timelines that lead up to store opening.

PROPOSED TRAINING GUIDE (CONT)  MONTH 4  a. Meet with HR and review training plans. Touch base with mentor.  b. Completion of all management IT systems ( , Portal etc)  c. Set up scheduling of before and after Grand Opening to assist with additional department specific training and working reports.

REFERENCES  Abarbanel, K., & Freeman, B. (2008). Birthing the elephant: The woman's go-for-it! guide to overcoming the big challenges of launching a business. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.   Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (1999). First, break all the rules: What the world's greatest managers do differently. New York, NY.: Simon & Schuster.   Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap--and others don't. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.   March 15, 2012 Susan Knapp, System Account, H.R.-training   Khan, H. (2014, October 9). Retail Staffing 101: How to Hire, Train, and Retain The Right Employees – Shopify. Retrieved July 16,   Waddell, D., & Stewart, D. (2004). Training Quality Managers-Do they Practice what they Preach?. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 15(8), doi: /   WARR, P., & BUNCE, D. (1995). TRAINEE CHARACTERISTICS AND THE OUTCOMES OF OPEN LEARNING. Personnel Psychology, 48(2),   Welch, J., & Welch, S. (2005). Winning. New York: HarperBusiness.