Run a real business, not a showroom. Foothills Flooring & Tile is looking for a General Manager with the judgment, drive, financial understanding, leadership ability and entrepreneurial mindset to run and grow an established small business with minimal owner oversight. This is a role for someone who wants to operate a company. For the person who proves capable, an opportunity to buy the company within about five years may be possible.

Reports to:

the owner. Flooring experience is helpful, but not required. About Foothills Foothills is a locally owned flooring business in the heart of Maine's Oxford Hills. Over 150 years of combined experience between owner and installers. Licensed. A real showroom on Park Street you can walk into.

What we do:

installation, vinyl plank, porcelain and ceramic tile, carpet, linoleum, custom tile showers, hardwood, engineered wood, epoxy and concrete grinding. We serve residential and commercial customers, and we compete by knowing our products, understanding the trades, standing behind our work and building relationships that last. We live here. Our installers live here. Our customers are neighbors, and supporting the town that supports us is part of the job, not something separate from it. The foundation is here, and we are looking for the person who can build on it. The opportunity As General Manager you will be accountable for the performance of the company, far more than opening the store and supervising employees. You are expected to see the business whole: set priorities, develop people and systems, manage the numbers, solve problems, and grow revenue and profitability. One day you may be reviewing the P&L to improve gross margins; the next, working through an installation schedule or coaching an employee. There are few layers to delegate through. For the right person, that is exactly what makes it attractive. What you will be responsible for Business strategy and growth: practical plans to grow revenue, market share and profitability.

Financial management:

the P&L, cash flow, margins, pricing, job costing and budgets, used to decide.

Sales management:

sales culture, follow-up and conversion, repeat, referral and new commercial work.

Operations:

jobs moving cleanly from first contact through scheduling, installation and collection.

People leadership:

hire well, set expectations, coach, and hold people accountable.

Installation coordination:

installer and subcontractor relationships, standards held.

Purchasing and vendors:

supplier relationships, product costs, inventory and margin.

Customer experience:

protect the reputation of Foothills; resolve problems quickly and fairly.

Systems and processes:

repeatable systems and accountability in place of owner dependence.

Marketing and business development:

invest where profitable business actually comes from.

Leadership reporting:

concise, useful visibility for the owner.

Most importantly:

how can we make this a better, stronger and more valuable company? Who we are looking for Flooring experience would be helpful but is not essential. We would rather hire an exceptional operator who can learn flooring than a flooring person who has never grown a business. You may have run a small company, a branch, a trades business, a building-materials company, a specialty retailer or a dealership. Your industry matters less than your track record.

Strong candidates will bring:

Full operational responsibility for a business, branch or division. Evidence you improved or grew a business, not simply maintained one. Working knowledge of P&Ls, margins, cash flow and budgets. Experience managing and developing employees. A habit of setting goals, measuring results and holding people accountable, yourself included. An understanding of how businesses win and keep profitable customers. Comfort deciding without being told, and a willingness to get personally involved. Strong practical business judgment, organization and problem-solving. High integrity, and the trust of employees, installers and customers. An entrepreneurial mindset with the discipline to turn ideas into results. A real interest in serving this community, not simply working in it. A college degree is welcome; demonstrated business performance matters more. This position is probably not for you if… You are looking for a traditional store-manager position. If management to you means schedules, opening and closing, employee issues and daily tasks, this is not it. Those are part of the job, but only the beginning. We need someone who sees the entire business: Someone who notices that margins are slipping and investigates why. Someone who asks why one type of customer is growing while another is declining. Someone who recognizes an employee with potential and develops that person. Someone who sees a bottleneck and fixes the process rather than living with it. Someone who can see what Foothills could become in three to five years, and do the work to get there. What success looks like Over time, the General Manager will run the company without the owner needing to run the General Manager. The business becomes more organized, measurable and predictable; employees know what is expected; customers keep the personal service Foothills built its reputation on; problems surface earlier; and revenue and profitability grow. The owner can increasingly step away from daily operations, confident the company is in capable hands. A possible path to ownership For the right person and under the right circumstances, the owner anticipates a possible opportunity for the General Manager to purchase Foothills within about five years. It is not guaranteed and will not happen through tenure alone. Any transaction would depend on performance, fit and mutual agreement. But the possibility is real. For someone who has dreamed of owning a good local business but would rather earn their way in than start from zero, this is an unusual opportunity. Why the Oxford Hills? South Paris and the surrounding Oxford Hills offer a quiet, rural, four-season Maine lifestyle surrounded by lakes, rivers, forests and mountains, with hiking, biking, paddling, fishing and skiing close at hand. Nearby communities provide restaurants, arts and services, and larger cities are an easy drive. If your ideal quality of life involves meaningful work, knowing the people you do business with, and getting outdoors without hours in traffic, the Oxford Hills has a great deal to offer. Applying Along with your resume, please include a short note answering these questions: 1) What business, branch or operation have you been responsible for leading? 2) One example of how you increased revenue, improved profitability or materially improved a business. 3) Why does running a small business in South Paris, Maine appeal to you? 4) What interests you about eventually owning the company? We are hiring a business leader who can learn our industry, not an industry veteran who can manage our store.

Pay:

$60,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Employee discount Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Application Question(s): This is a high level leadership position that requires current knowledge, skills and abilities to manage a business by the numbers, including reading and analyzing P&L and other financial statements. This knowledge is required and will not be taught on-the-job. If you do not have this knowledge currently, please do NOT continue this application. By answering YES you are stating that you currently have the capability to read and analyze P&L and other financial statements.

Work Location:

In person