Maria Aceto

I've spent my entire career in customer service, starting with 22 years in the restaurant business before transitioning to furniture sales about 4 years ago. At Leaders Furniture, I began as a sales associate and was promoted to sales manager after being part of a two-person reopening team at our West Palm Beach location. The store had been closed for two years during COVID for a remodel, and working alongside my manager, we achieved fantastic metrics despite being a low-traffic store. Our success earned him Manager of the Year, and he actually shared part of his bonus with me, saying he couldn't have done it without me. When he was promoted to one of the top stores, I took over as Manager at West Palm Beach. In this role, I handled everything from hiring and training employees to managing KPIs and metrics across our showroom, which was part of a 20-location company. I've always put 110% into my work, often taking on responsibilities beyond my role because I genuinely love what I do and care about the team. Earlier in my career, one of my proudest achievements was serving as opening general manager of RETS restaurant, where I was involved in every detail from the ground floor up, including plateware, cocktail menus, hiring, training, coolers, shelves, and even artwork. After a successful opening, I was recruited by another restaurant owner who offered better pay and hours. Throughout my career, whether in restaurants or furniture sales, I've worked long hours, weekends, and holidays, often managing multiple locations simultaneously. Now I'm looking for a new opportunity in inside sales or marketing where I can continue to excel while achieving better work-life balance.