Larisa has a certain playbook for success, but she’s set herself apart by creating an actual huddle board. Team members and leaders actively use that board to set goals, track progress and celebrate achievements.

The board is a visual guidepost and it reflects Larisa’s belief in the power of motivation to lift a store’s performance through its people. She also encourages employees to take part in company communication platforms and they do more than just take part in platform activities: her store regularly leads in SPAR Georgia’s monthly motivational programs that reward top-performing employees in categories such as highest average check, best sales growth, and customer service excellence. To create a pipeline of such competitive talent, she introduced what has become a popular mentorship program.

The spirit of friendly competition and camaraderie is exemplified in the store’s participation in community outreach programs. Laria’s team members regularly take part in grassroots efforts like a nature clean-up campaign in the summer and the National Retail Football Cup.

Her emphasis on identifying and meeting goals is evident in her own objectives for the store. To forecast and optimize future sales, Larisa meticulously analyzes previous sales data. That detailed approach and other tactics have allowed her to drive financial success at her location, with a significant double-digit sales increase in the past year.

To maintain sales momentum, Larisa also prioritizes loyalty. Among other initiatives, she introduced a promotional campaign that enhanced loyalty and boosted sales. To make customers and associates alike feel heard, she encourages the use of a hotline, where shoppers can call and express their gratitude for exceptional store service offers.

Another one of Larisa’s objectives is to keep store operations running smoothly at a location that has heavy foot traffic, peak hour congestion and high customer demand for speed and efficiencies. To deliver top-notch customer service in this kind of high-volume environment, she devised structured workflows and optimized staff scheduling to best manage peak hours.

Her sphere of influence extends beyond her location, a testament to her leadership abilities. Her initiative to speed checkout systems was brought to the company as an example of a process that can reduce wait times during peak hours. In addition, one of her customer loyalty engagement programs, in which frequent shoppers receive personalized promotions based on their purchasing habits, is under review at the company for further rollout.

The company has formally recognized Larisa’s accomplishments. She has received several internal distinctions for leadership and innovation, including SPAR Georgia’s Best Store Manager Award. According to SPAR, she was nominated for FMI’s Store Manager Award after a rigorous evaluation of several outstanding managers and chosen for her record of success and ability to inspire and develop her team.