COO and AI operations leader · Dallas-Fort Worth
I run the business, and I build the systems it runs on.
I'm a Dallas-Fort Worth COO with full P&L ownership across sales, merchandising, finance, credit, HR, and technology. I also personally design and ship the AI and data systems that let a lean team operate like a much larger one.
Based in Dallas-Fort Worth. Available to travel for select engagements.
What I bring
Three things that rarely show up in the same person.
Run the business
Full P&L ownership, margin discipline, vendor negotiation, and the hard calls on footprint, cost, and staffing.
Build the system
AI agents, data pipelines, and integrations across ERP, accounting, and e-commerce, built hands-on without an IT department.
Lead the change
System go-lives, training programs, and policies that people actually follow, with governance built in from day one.
Results
From my current role leading a multimillion-dollar specialty retailer.
+240 bps
Gross margin improvement in 60 days after rebuilding pricing authority and discount controls
+13%
Average ticket over the same period
2 to 3 weeks → overnight
Vendor catalog onboarding after automating the import pipeline
6 months
To rebuild inventory and buying strategy after pandemic supply-chain disruption
Selected work
Case studies are described at the level of approach and outcome. Company-specific details, data, and code are not shared.
An AI operating system for a lean retail team
AI and systems · 2025 to present
- Problem
- A small team juggling ERP, accounting, e-commerce, credit, and marketing, with key numbers arriving weeks late and specialist expertise the business could not afford to hire.
- Approach
- Started with ChatGPT in 2025 and built up to an agent-based back office: a finance agent that reviews the books and flags issues before close, and a marketing agent that plans and quality-checks campaigns, each directing specialist sub-agents. Underneath sits a company-controlled data platform connecting the ERP, accounting, and e-commerce systems.
- Guardrails
- AI drafts, humans approve. Nothing posts to the books, goes to a client, or goes live without a person signing off. Least-privilege access, prompt-injection defenses, and an automated test suite that gates every deploy.
- Outcome
- Monthly performance visible without waiting on the close, faster pricing and promotion decisions, and a back office that scales without adding headcount.
AI agentsLLMsPythonProcess automationData integration
Margin discipline in 60 days
Operating leadership
- Problem
- Margin leaking through inconsistent discounting and pricing decisions made at the point of sale.
- Approach
- Rebuilt pricing authority into clear tiers, put discount controls into the point-of-sale system, and set per-rep sales standards so the team sold value instead of price.
- Outcome
- Gross margin up 240 basis points in 60 days while average ticket rose 13%.
Streamlining operations and making the hard calls
Operating leadership
- Problem
- A cost structure and footprint built for a different market than the one the business now faces.
- Approach
- Reshaped footprint, cost structure, staffing, and vendor mix to concentrate capital and talent on the highest-return work. Structured a vendor-funded co-marketing and consignment partnership with a national manufacturer that funds the marketing and puts no inventory capital at risk.
- Outcome
- A leaner operation focused where the returns are, with growth funded by partners rather than the balance sheet.
Finance systems that close on time
Change leadership
- Problem
- Manual handoffs between the ERP and accounting system, with a chart of accounts that no longer matched how the business ran.
- Approach
- Led the ERP-to-accounting integration go-live, rebuilt the chart of accounts and monthly close, launched a compliant in-house installment credit program, and documented every process in a training library the whole team uses.
- Outcome
- Cleaner books, a faster close, and processes that do not depend on any one person.
How I lead
I've taken the major leadership assessments, and I use them rather than file them away. Here is what they say and how it shows up at work.
Communicator first
My strengths cluster in influencing: Woo, Communication, and Activator. I sell the vision, get people moving, and repeat what matters. My rule: if it's important, I haven't communicated it until the team starts joking about how often I say it.
Drawn to what's broken
Restorative is my number one strength, with Ideation and Arranger close behind. I run toward the problem nobody wants, generate options fast, and rearrange people and resources until the work flows.
Culture people can trust
Includer, Individualization, and Belief shape how I build teams. One core value I've championed is permission to screw up: when you make a mistake, tell the truth, tell it yourself, and tell it quickly. Accountability is kind, direct, and fast.
I know my gaps, so I build systems
Consistency, Discipline, and Deliberative sit at the bottom of my profile. That's exactly why I build approval gates, test suites, scorecards, and SOP libraries. The system handles the repetition so my energy goes to people and problems.
- CliftonStrengths top 5Restorative, Woo, Ideation, Communication, Arranger (leads with the Influencing domain)
- DISC natural styleHigh Influence with high Dominance: fast-paced, persuasive, and results-driven
- Top motivatorsLeading and taking ownership, driving measurable results, and helping people grow
- Frameworks I run onEOS / Traction, Profit First, and DISC (practitioner)
How I build AI responsibly
The fastest way to lose trust in AI is to let it act unchecked. These are the rules I build by.
- Humans approve anything that leaves the building.AI drafts entries, messages, and changes. A person signs off before anything posts, sends, or goes live.
- Least privilege by default.Each agent gets only the access its job requires, and sensitive systems stay read-only unless there is a reason otherwise.
- Treat outside content as data, not instructions.Agents that read documents, email, or the web are guarded against prompt injection.
- Nothing ships without tests.An automated test suite gates every deploy, and the code is reviewed and cleaned up on a regular cadence.
- Demos use synthetic data.Anything I show publicly is built on made-up sample data, never a real company's records.
Experience
Full detail on LinkedIn.
Chief Operating Officer2017 to present
Family-owned specialty home furnishings retailer, Dallas-Fort WorthVice President of Retail2011 to present
Same company, held concurrently with the COO roleAdvisory Board2013 to 2019
Next Generation NowStore Manager2007 to 2010
GameStopBachelor's Degree, Business Management
University of Phoenix; coursework at Texas A&M University-Commerce
Work with me
I take on a limited number of advisory engagements for owner-led and growing companies that want operating discipline and practical AI, without hiring a department to get it.
AI operations build-out
Find the highest-return workflows, build agents and automations with human approval built in, and train your team to run them.
Operations and margin tune-up
Pricing authority, discount controls, KPI scorecards, and a weekly operating rhythm that keeps the leadership team aligned.
Leadership and communication
DISC team assessments, training programs, SOP libraries, and accountability systems that actually stick.
Engagements are scoped project by project, with a focus on companies in Dallas-Fort Worth. I travel for the right engagement. I don't take work that competes with my current employer.
Common questions
Quick answers for owners and leadership teams in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.
Where are you based?
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. I work with companies across the Metroplex and travel for engagements that call for it.
What does a fractional COO or operations advisor actually do?
I step in where a growing company needs senior operating leadership without a full-time hire: tightening margin and pricing discipline, setting a weekly operating rhythm and scorecard, fixing broken processes, and leading the team through change.
Can you help a small or mid-size business use AI without an IT department?
Yes. That is exactly what I've done. I identify the workflows with the highest return, build AI agents and automations with human approval built in, and train the team to run them day to day.
How do you keep AI projects safe?
AI drafts and humans approve. Every agent gets the least access its job requires, outside content is treated as data rather than instructions, and nothing ships without automated tests.