James Waldner
Vice President I Servant Leader I Certified Diversity and Inclusion Advocate I Talent Builder
- Role
- Vice President of Operations-dogtopia at Legacy Franchise Concepts
- Location
- Portland, OR, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About James Waldner
Inspirational operations executive with over two decades of progressive leadership experience across national retail and hospitality brands. Proven track record of driving growth, building high-performing teams, and improving operational efficiency at scale. Skilled in multi-unit management, P&L ownership, labor optimization, and customer experience improvement across diverse markets.Favorite saying:\"You are only in competition with your own best-self.”Core Competencies:Multi-Unit Operations • P&L Management • Labor & Cost Controls • Executive Leadership • Talent Development • Organizational Scaling • KPI-Driven Strategy • Sales & Customer Growth • Diversity & Inclusion Leadership
Experience
Vice President of Operations-dogtopia
Aug 2025 — Present · US
Supporting the talented team at Legacy Franchise Concepts’ Dogtopia doggy daycare locations- Serving as VP-level executive lead, partnering directly with the board of directors to stabilize operations and build a scalable growth plan- Leading entire field team and daycare support staff- Partner with shared service departments to refine a cohesive operating model, improving execution, communication, and accountability- Redesigned field leadership structure to better support frontline teams and improve operational results- Implemented preferred-employer compensation strategies to strengthen hiring, retention, and engagement- Established repeatable operating routines to drive consistency in guest experience, sales performance, and profitability- Improved cash burn rate, turnover, and NPS in the first six months
Education
Cornell University
Executive Certificate, Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
Skills
- Problem Solving
- Operations Management
- Employee Training
- Selling
- Budgets
- Community Outreach
- Non-Profits
- Workshop Facilitation
- Development of Promotional Materials
- Coaching
- Customer Service
- Standards Compliance
- Retail
- Team Building
- Management
- Customer Engagement
- Multi-Unit
- Income Statement
- Program Implementation
- Account Management
- Sales Management
- Merchandising
- Franchise Consulting
- Sales
- Marketing
- Professional Mentoring
- Project Management
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Team Leadership
- Key Account Management
- District Management
- P&L Accountability
- Recruiting
- Profit
- P&L
- P&L Management
- Training
- Asset Managment
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