Kimberly Ann's Resume

Resume of Kimberly Ann Calos

PERSONAL:

B. S.  Communication Arts,   summa cum laude, James Madison University

Address:  246 N. Sycamore St.

                  Petersburg, VA 23803

Email Address:  kimberlyanncalos@aol.com

Cell Number:  (804)586-1633

CAREER ASPIRATIONS:  
To utilize my varied and extensive skill sets and partner with a business or organization that is seeking a multi-faceted individual to assist them with their marketing, promotions, public and employee relations and company growth.  As a strong self motivator with boundless energy and creativity, I can work alone or as a team member to accomplish any goal or challenge the job requires.  I embrace change, work very well under pressure, am extremely organized, always proactive and fiercely dedicated.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

1990 to present:  Owner, Kimberly Ann’s and The Open Door Gallery, Petersburg, VA.

Owning and operating a small business for over two decades, has enabled me to learn everything from marketing to merchandising to public relations. Over the years, I have become a detail oriented master multi-tasker.  I’ve managed as many as five employees, handled the day to day bookkeeping, ordered and acquired merchandise, designed all store windows and displays, designed and maintained my web site and Facebook page, created extremely effective marketing and promotional campaigns and built a working relationship with the community, other businesses and local officials.  I continue to grow my customer base by constantly reinventing the shop through name changes, product and service changes, and continuous rearranging and reorganizing of the business and merchandise. 

I deal and have dealt with consignments; estate tag sales and auctions; decorating, reorganizing and downsizing clients’ homes and offices; and running a very successful art gallery.  My varied experience has given me a vast knowledge of merchandise of all types and descriptions from antiques and collectibles to tools and jewelry.  I have been fortunate to work with the public on many levels and am extremely skilled at dealing with people from all walks of life.

One of the most rewarding things I do is create and execute innovative and imaginative community service projects.  I envision and plan each project, obtain funding methods, recruit and coordinate all volunteers, delegate responsibilities, conceive most marketing and promotional materials and act as a media and community liaison through all stages of the project.  I pride myself on finding ways to promote the positive aspects of my business and community.  I’ve achieved this goal by developing outstanding relationships with my customers, community leaders and the media through my communication skills and willingness to work until a task is successfully completed.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS:

The Historic City Point Association - This Hopewell neighborhood organization was created to form stronger bonds among residents and the city administration through neighborhood clean-ups, pot luck dinners and events such as seasonal decorating contests and Christmas caroling and adopting less fortunate neighbors.  One of the major fundraising projects of the HCPA was their cookbook, Memories and Recipes of Old City Point. 

The Broadway Village Merchants Association – This group was formed to bring the business community in a two block area together for cooperative networking, advertising and promotional activities. The Association also enabled the business community to have a stronger voice in local politics that affected the shopping district.  

The Harvest Fest – This family oriented festival was organized after Hurricane Isabel forced the cancellation of the annual Hooray for Hopewell Festival.  Downtown merchants counted on that weekend event to bring in much needed revenues.  Organized in just a few days and held in November, the free event drew over 6,000 people and featured street vendors, a children’s area, live entertainment and food vendors.  The festival was paid for entirely through advertising fees and donations of talent, manpower and money.  In the spring, a similar event, The Spring Fest, was equally as successful. 

Bikin’ for Books – This event was a motorcycle Poker Run that was conceived to raise monies and obtain donations of new books for the Hopewell Public Library.  Bikin’ for Books, funded solely through donations and paid advertising opportunities, drew hundreds of bikers and people into the downtown retail district during the usually slow shopping days of summer.

Work Places and Living Spaces Tours – These highly anticipated and well attended tours showcased the renovation projects in downtown Petersburg that focused on converting old buildings into spaces that combine business locations and living quarters.  This project was funded entirely through sales of ads in promotional materials and ticket sales and benefitted Downtown Petersburg Inc. and Pathways.  The tour was held three times and visitors were able to see the progress made on many of the projects.  The inaugural event featured a designer apartment that was decorated and furnished with merchandise from downtown establishments and sold to generate more revenue. This was also the second time that I had been featured on the cover of the Times Dispatch’s Metro Business Section.  That article resulted in a segment about one of the buildings from the tour on HGTV.

Art Underfoot – This public private partnership was initiated to beautify the worn sidewalks of the 200 block of N. Sycamore St. in downtown Petersburg.  Materials were paid for by corporate donations and over 50 artists painted over 60 works of art that now adorn this once decaying city block.  The project was featured in a segment of WCVE’s Virginia Currents, WTVR, and WRIC and in many print publications.  Visitors still flock to the area to view the artworks.

The Faces of Old Towne – This collaboration with local photographer Mel Talley, was designed to promote the many businesses that comprise the Old Towne shopping district.  Over 40 life size stand up photographs of business owners and employees were placed in vacant buildings at the entrance to Old Towne.  This not only enhanced the buildings, the exhibit served as an advertising vehicle for the participants.  The Faces of Old Towne was featured in major articles in the Richmond Times Dispatch, The Progress Index other local newspapers, Richmond Magazine and on area television stations.                                                 

The Petersburg Real Estate Fair – This event was funded and sponsored by Prince George Realty Inc. and was produced in cooperation with the city of Petersburg. All real estate firms in tri-cities area were invited to participate and set up displays in the event headquarters at the Train Station at no charge.   Created to expose potential buyers to the vibrant and unique properties available in Petersburg, the two day event drew hundreds of prospective buyers.

Real Estate Open House and Garden Party - In order to generate interest in a historic property I had listed for sale, I partnered with the Richmond SPCA and local artists and businesses to stage an event that would draw people and raise funds for an organization that is loved by many.  The event drew hundreds of people, raised much needed funds for the SPCA and resulted in the adoption of the dog they brought to the Open House.   This event was highlighted in the Richmond Times Dispatch.  Later, the property was featured in more news articles and on WWBT when I contacted a paranormal group to search for ghosts in the nearly 300 year old house.

 Old Towne Exposed – My second collaboration with photographer Mel Talley, garnered massive publicity due the carefully planned and marketed “perception” that the photography exhibit would show full nudity.  Old Towne Exposed opened during downtown’s Friday for the Arts! celebration and drew more than 800 spectators that evening who were stunned by the lack of nudity, tastefulness, professionalism and beauty of the images.  It hung in the specially built “Haase Open Door Gallery” in my shop and drew thousands of visitors to downtown and raised thousands of dollars for P.A.W.S (Petersburg Animal Welfare Society).  The Feature articles in the Richmond Times Dispatch, news stories on WTVR and a feature segment on Virginia Currents helped kept the momentum of the exhibit rolling until it was dismantled after a two and half month run.  

Art that Speaks Volumes - This event was designed as a fundraiser and awareness enhancement vehicle to promote the Petersburg Library Foundation’s efforts to build and new library.  I appealed to the community to donate unwanted books and artists to contribute a portion of the sale of their displayed works and held a two day gala in my shop with all proceeds donated to the Foundation.

Thursday Night Thunder Car and Bike Show - I organized this event to encourage persons to congregate in the parking lots in proximity to many Old Towne businesses.  After setting it up and designing the promotional materials, I convinced the city’s Tourism Department to adopt, sponsor and continue to promote the event.   Car and motorcycles enthusiasts bring their vehicles to share with the public every Thursday evening from April to October.  Young and old alike have made this a regular weekly event; they peruse the ever-changing array of cars and cycles and shop and dine in Old Towne.

The Parada Memorial Fundraiser - This community driven effort resulted after one of my fellow business owner’s wife and son were murdered while vacationing in their native El Salvador.  Within hours of hearing the news, I was able to gather a core group of volunteers to organize a Pot Luck Pasta Dinner and Silent Auctions to raise monies for the Parada family.  Area restaurants, businesses and individuals volunteered and donated products, monies and time to raise nearly $22,000 in less than two weeks for this very deserving family. 

Other Marketing Projects and Publications - I have been in charge of the marketing and conception of many other projects including spearheading painting Virginia State University’s logos on the streets down the homecoming parade route in downtown Petersburg, headed the publicity and decorating for the St. Elpis Greek Festival, headed the decorating of the Richmond Greek Festival, initiated the Crescent Hills Sears Roebuck Homes Tour, handled the publicity for Pathway’s Kitchen Tours and numerous other community events. I was also instrumental in the production of the following publications: Hopewell China Collector's Handbook, The St. Elpis Greek Cookbook, Memories and Recipes of Old City Point Cookbook and The Hopewell Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Program. I also served as Princess Winalotta, mascot of the Atlanta Braves and waged an unplanned campaign for freedom of speech after 9/11. That campaign included raising thousands of dollars for the Hopewell Red Cross through the sales of patriotic shirts and being featured in the ACLU newsletter, Lawyer’s Quarterly and national television including Fox News, MSNBC and Nickelodeon News.

Organizations & Offices - Vice- president of the St. Elpis Parish Council, founding member and president of the Broadway Village Merchants Association, founding member of the Historic City Point Association, and member of Downtown Petersburg, Inc., Historic Petersburg Foundation, Historic Hopewell Foundation, Petersburg Area Art League, Old Towne Merchants Association, Hopewell Chamber of Commerce and the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce.

PAST EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

Assistant Buyer - Miller and Rhoads; Personnel Recruiter - Manpower, Kogen Personnel and Shoney’s of Richmond, Inc.; Columnist -The Progress Index, Realtor® - Prince George Realty, Inc., Outside Sales Executive - ADVO Systems, Inc.;  Assistant Buyer - Miller & Rhoads; News Reporter, Outside Sales, Production of Commercials - WHAP Radio, Waitress – Mom & Pop Establishments to Five Star Restaurants.