​​​​Mark Strazisar​

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE​

 

CANNABITION CANNABIS MUSEUM, Las Vegas, NV

Chief Operating Officer

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Assisted with the concept to completion of the world’s first immersive, interactive and instagrammable cannabis museum, located in Las Vegas, NV. We reached 4.8 billion media impressions and over 64,000 views on Google. Contributed to the build-out, construction and operation of the museum. Ensured effective, streamlined operations during events and daily operation across all departments: Internal office; “The Flex Bar”; admission and street team marketing; exhibits; gift shop; CBD store and maintenance. Interacted with all guests (B to C) and vendors (B to B). Worked closely with the founder/CEO to provide the structure and processes necessary to manage operational activities and projected growth. This involved capacity forecasting, identifying and implementing improvements to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction, in order to meet and exceed operational goals. Created an employee training manual and safety SOP’s to OSHA standards. Oversaw the selection, hiring, training, and onboarding process, as well as coaching programs to provide employees with tools necessary to deliver exceptional service. Regularly conducted walkthroughs and spot checks to address and correct any deficiencies.

 

Notable Achievement

Developed and implemented a dynamic guided tour, garnering 5-star reviews and placing museum notoriety into:

• The top 12 rankings of 430 fun things to do on Trip Advisor

• 4.8 stars on Google Reviews

• 4 stars on Yelp

• Consistent 5-star reviews on Facebook

 

OWNER | CONSULTANT: STRAZ ENTERTAINMENT

(Creator of Lounges, Sports Bars, Boutique Concepts)

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Conceptualization and realization of over a dozen multi-million dollar concepts that include: restaurants; dance bars; lounges; sports bars and nightclubs. Providing executive-level leadership and operational oversight from the start, through design and into operations, with full P&L accountability. I have hired, managed and empowered multiple teams of up to 100 employees at a time. Trained and mentored progressive growth culture, while maintaining high team member retention and three generations of customer loyalty.

 

NIGHTCLUB | CONSULTANT

Beta Nightclub Denver - Consultant Evaluated & promoted critical course corrections to achieve No. 1 Night Club status in North America. Reduced operating expenses by $10k per month by fine-tuning the inner workings & maximizing assets for optimum operating efficiency.  Designed & devised a re-branding of Beta to maximize profits.

 

LOUNGE | OWNER OPERATOR

SUTRA Lounge & Left on Lincoln - Re-vamped entire lounge & experience into Sutra…Dance Drink and Play! Overhauled entire concept, marketing, branding, promotional vendor ties & catered events. Sales doubled & we were voted as “Best comeback lounge”.

The HIVE Dance Club – Sutra Lounge was rebranded as “The Hive Dance Club”. Rated by Westwood as "Top 5 Best small dance clubs in Denver".

 

SPORTS BAR | CONSULTANT

THE SPORT BOOK - Developed the brand concept. A sports bar where guests were served by Denver’s most attractive & friendliest librarians. Microbrews & chef-driven small plates.

 

BOUTIQUE CONCEPT | OWNER OPERATOR

The Fix - I love great coffee, so I opened an espresso bar.

 

FAMILY FUN CENTER | IMAGINEER PLATTE RIVER ADVENTURELAND  

A passion project created by my wife and I. We designed two eighteen holes, highly themed miniature golf, laser tag & go-kart fun center.

IAAPA member for three  years                                                                                                                                                             

CO-OWNER | VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: OLIVEUS LLC

(Creators of Restaurants, Dance Bars, Nightclubs & Lounge)

 

RESTAURANTS

Lime Restaurants

Lime-An American Cantina | Lime XS | Lime Landmark

Casual, urban & community driven, providing the first DJ’d dining experience in Denver.

Restaurant America:  American cuisine & microbrewery at The Tivoli, Denver.

 

DANCE BARS 

Basins up | I-Beam | Lucky Star | Soul | Al’s Palace | Tulagi

Each a 6500 sq ft dance bar concept generating $2 million in annual sales

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NIGHTCLUBS  

Club America – A 3 story entertainment complex. Pioneered global DJ’s to Denver’s nightclub scene.

 

Beyond - At10k sqft. Denver’s only “Ice bar” with monthly premier proprietary events & Denver’s emerging top promoters, go-go"s & global DJs.

 

F-Stop - First Hip-Hop club in downtown Denver. Showcased performances by Snoop Dog, Eminem, Kurupt & Nate Dog. 

 

Buck Wild Saloon – Hip Country Western Nightclub featuring bottle service, mechanical bulls & Daisy Dukes.

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LOUNGE

SPY - A voyeurs’ paradise and signature martini lounge. Co-designed the interiors.  Recruited, trained, mentored and managed General Manager at Denver’s first customer & professional silhouette dancing experience. Spy cameras and VIP bottle service throughout the lounge.

 

Essential Functions

Strategies and Goals

• Ensured strategic priorities were always aligned with budget priorities & translatable into executable long-term & short-term operating plans.

• Implemented forward-looking strategic plans & streamlined team performance.

• Designed, implemented & identified systems & opportunities to improve processes, optimize efficiency, minimize cost & satisfy customers.

• Operated hand in hand with marketing, to analyze customer research, current market conditions & competitor information.

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Leadership

• Engage. Enlighten. Empower!

• Lead on design, construction of new builds & renovations.

• Selected, trained & mentored employees & talent.

• Provided tools for empowerment & maintaining staff morale.

• Created opportunities for professional development & identified needs for additional training.

• Communicated & promoted a unified company vision.

• Oversaw daily activities, determined priorities & set realistic goals.

• Implemented venue daily, weekly, monthly, specialty event scheduling.

• Identified potential & real time problems & developed effective solutions.

• Set & maintained standards with a hands-on approach.

• Executed the business plan & vision.

 

Operation Excellence

• High-level focus on ever-changing needs inherent in a startup environment.

• Took on any new duties that arose.

• Stayed on top of industry trends & predicted associated business changes.

• Identified opportunities for continuous improvement to existing procedures.

• A role model who embodied cultural values & fostered an environment of respect, trust & integrity.

• Practiced an in-depth understanding of all aspects involved in venue management & operations.

• Identified root cause problems & implemented innovative solutions to resolve guest complaints, team member conflict, equipment & facility issues.

• Monitored & supported ongoing safety improvements.

• Effectively lead operational excellence with a focus on team member and guest facing department interactions.

• Assisted guests efficiently, graciously & professionally, as well as resolved customer complaints immediately.

• Monitored & analyzed levels of guest satisfaction to maximize guest return.

• Used effective feedback tools to constantly improve guest satisfaction.

• Created a safe space to foster trust, transparency & a growth mindset throughout the organization.

 

Financial Responsibilities

• Created pro forma and operating budgets.

• Analyzed financial reports & budgets.

• Developed operating procedures and wrote employee manuals.

• Standardized & optimized activities for maximized gross profit.

• Recommended profitability improvements across controllable operations.

• Collaborated on reports daily, weekly, monthly & annual basis, to ensure appropriate staffing levels, maintain guest service levels & labor budget goals.

• Maintained exceptional operating standards by ensuring legal & operating procedures were adhered to, including federal & state regulations.

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