Devon Kelly

Background

About Devon Kelly

15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Have worked every position imaginable to work my way through college. Became and Fitness Director right after I graduated but learned quickly I wanted to get back in the industry. Started Mix and Mingle Chicago in June 2013 where I focused mostly on single and social events locally. The company quickly grew and I organized/executed events in 3 different continents from Industry Open Houses, book tours, large scale social events, festivals and much more. In October 2014 I co-owned and was the GM of Hard Water Bar and Grill. Couldn't ask for a better environment to learn everything about opening and operating a large business. I am currently the Assistant General Manager at City Winery Chicago. I am responsible for overseeing all day to day operations, ensuring teams are meeting sales & budget goals, analyzing P&L's and developing strategies to meet our monthly & yearly goals, and developing training plans for support & management teams. This past year I created training plans & trained all new GM's, AGM's, and Service Directors for all of our locations. At Hard Water I created all F&B menus and recipes from scratch, created daily and monthly specials based on needs/wants of the community as well local competition. Hired and trained all teams, created all training materials, and in charge of weekly payroll. With it being a start up restaurant, I ran all departments. Created and maintained all marketing material and social media pages, all F&B ordering, finding the best vendors & pricing, and creating & executing a variety of special events. I started Mix and Mingle Chicago while I worked full time as a Fitness Director. I started hosting small single events on the side for Match.com, Speed Date Chicago, and multiple meet up groups. I quickly realized I wanted to get back into the hospitality industry. Opened my company in June 2013 and was able to generate enough income to pursue my company full time by October 2013. What started as a small single/social events company turned into more than I ever expected. Organized book tours, open houses, festivals, and large scale special events for restaurants and hotels.