Athena Petrillo
San Francisco
Summary
Highly driven worker, successful at implementing strategic approaches to drive profitability and sales. Recognized for performance excellence in operations and customer care. Successful at motivating, training and developing team members to drive profitability in fast-paced environments.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Assistant Manager
Blick Art Materials
09.2021 - 11.2025
- Coached team members to enhance sales skills, build confidence and achieve daily targets.
- Managed goods receiving and delegated stock distribution.
- Secured revenue, accurately monitoring transactions and deposits to eliminate discrepancies.
- Completed inventory audits to maintain accuracy of stock, identify loses and project demand.
Barista
Milk SF
02.2022 - 04.2023
- Prepared and served hot and cold beverages such as teas, lattes, and smoothies.
- Greeted and described menu items to customers, provided samples of daily brews and recommended items based on stated preferences.
- Maintained clean and organized workspace to meet health code standards and enable coworkers to locate resources and product.
General Manager
Urban Remedy
09.2018 - 07.2021
- Established clear performance goals and metrics for revenue, P&L, customer service and customer retention.
- Designed sales challenges and developed service strategies to improve revenue.
- Complied with company policies and government regulations to prevent and detect rule violations, protecting stores from fines and lawsuits.
- Developed employee training guides, quick access sheets and workflow plans to formalize operational systems and procedures.
- Strengthened product branding initiatives and maximized outreach by creating collaborations with like-minded business's within the community and organizing events to drive brand-awareness.
Visual Merchandiser/Shift Lead
Project Juice
11.2017 - 07.2018
- Trained new employees and organized prep work.
- Worked with management to improve store operations and food safety practices.
- Created and maintained retail displays, signage and related sales collateral according to corporate strategy.
- Mastered product knowledge and created weekly readings for employees to improve their understanding
Food Prep Worker/Server
Fox 'N' Hound Catering
10.2014 - 10.2015
- Packaged and stored food products appropriately for proper handling and preservation.
- Served food to guests and answered questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request
- Assisted chief/owner in planning and organizing events as well as food preparation
- Achieved recognition by creating and presenting new menu items to the chief
Education
Associate of Arts -
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, CAHigh School Diploma -
City Arts And Tech High School
San Francisco, CA06.2015
Skills
- Detail oriented
- Team player
- Optimizing operations
- Visual merchandising
- Schedule management
- Staff training and development
- Sales planning and implementation
- Technical Literacy: basic understanding of computer software/hardware/word processing/spread sheets/email
Timeline
Barista
Milk SF
02.2022 - 04.2023
Assistant Manager
Blick Art Materials
09.2021 - 11.2025
General Manager
Urban Remedy
09.2018 - 07.2021
Visual Merchandiser/Shift Lead
Project Juice
11.2017 - 07.2018
Food Prep Worker/Server
Fox 'N' Hound Catering
10.2014 - 10.2015
High School Diploma -
City Arts And Tech High School
Associate of Arts -
City College of San Francisco
Art Experience
Celestial Mechanica (2016) - Large-scale kinetic orrery exhibited at Burning Man. Served as project manager, overseeing budgeting, material procurement, scheduling, and volunteer coordination. Additionally contributed to hands-on fabrication, painting, and on-site installation.
https://buchananwp.com/Celestial-Mechanica
Tabula (2016) - Commissioned by Brick Architectural, Tabula is a permanent educational LED installation displaying real-time seismic data. Responsibilities included quality control, component testing.
https://www.charlesgadeken.com/tabula
Tara Mechani (2017) - Created for Burning Man in 2017, Tara Mechani is a 16 ft tall mixed media sculpture of a female figure. I contributed to the design, fabrication and installation of this sculpture at multiple locations.
https://www.danaalbanyart.com/taramechanisculpture
Entwined (2021) - Entwined is a set of LED sculptures resembling trees and shrubs, growing in variety each year it is installed. I worked on the fabrication team for this project, and participated in the installation at multiple events.
https://www.charlesgadeken.com/entwined
Murder Inc (2019) - Created for Burning Man in 2019, this sculpture consisted of 100 different crows that traveled in a murder to create an immersive experience. My role in this project was to design and fabricate crows, create merchandise and lead installation.
https://www.charlesgadeken.com/murder-inc
Sea of Dreams (2022) - The Flaming Lotus Girls are a women-driven Bay Area art collective specializing in large-scale metal and flame-effect sculpture. I supported the Sea of Dreams project by assisting a department lead with project organization, fabrication, and hands-on instruction.
https://www.flaminglotus.com/sculptures/sea-of-dreams
Apex of Azure (2023) - Painting meets sculpture in this elaborate work of art that uses transparency and color to reflect light. Served as art consultant and later transitioned to project manager, painter, and social media manager.
https://www.apexofazure.com
Pulse (2024) - Contributed to the redesign of a signature Flaming Lotus Girls sculpture of a flaming heart. Responsibilities included prototyping, casting, painting, and assembly of the chandeliers. Later contributing to fabrication of rib panels and design of its decorative features.
https://www.flaminglotus.com/sculptures/pulse
Release (2024) - A 35-ft mixed-media figure composed of antique mosaics and metal butterflies. Produced the base maquette (the “Chrystalist”), executed welding and fabrication for the base and arms, and crafted both butterfly mosaics and the broken-china mosaic surrounding the sculpture.
https://www.danaalbanyart.com/release
References
E Dyer (she/her) - General Manager at Blick Art Materials
Contact: BlickVanNessGM@dickblick.com, (972) 904-7884
Relationship - Business Management
Siobhan Sanford (she/her) - Regional Manager at Urban Remedy
Contact: siobhan@urabanremedy.com, (404) 863-2397
Relationship - Business Management
Dana Albany (she/her) - San Francisco-based Artist
Contact: (415) 871-1261
Relationship - Art Mentor
Charles Gadeken (he/him) - Artist and Box Shop Manager
Contact: (415) 359-5084
Relationship - Lead Artist