Blaine Ford, Support and Operations Expert in New York, NY, United States
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Blaine Ford

Support & Operations Expert

New York, NY, United States

Toptal member since March 9, 2026

Bio

Blaine is a strategy and operations leader who helps companies scale complex operations. He has led redesigns of operating models, automation initiatives, and new marketplace launches across 100+ location networks at CloudKitchens and WeWork. Blaine specializes in operational transformation, process redesign, and building data-informed systems that allow distributed teams to execute consistently as companies grow.

Expertise

  • Cross-functional Team Leadership
  • Data Analysis
  • Operating Models
  • Operational Transformation (OT)
  • Operations
  • Process Design
  • Program Management
  • Scalability

Work Experience

Senior Strategy and Operations Manager

2022 - 2025
CloudKitchens
  • Designed and scaled a direct-to-consumer marketplace across a 100+ location restaurant network, growing the business to $2.3 millions in monthly revenue.
  • Built an internal labor marketplace supplying vetted frontline staff to 90+ facilities, improving staffing fulfillment speed by 40% and reducing operational downtime.
  • Implemented an AI-driven support triage system and redesigned Zendesk workflows across 100+ locations, reducing inbound support tickets by around 60%.
  • Redesigned operating systems connecting field operations, support, and internal teams across a 100+ site platform, improving operational visibility and accountability.
  • Redesigned staffing models, workflows, and training programs that reduced site-level operating costs by 13% within one year.
  • Owned operational performance across a national portfolio of 100+ locations, driving 15% year-over-year profitability improvement through process redesign and performance tracking.

Director of Operations

2014 - 2020
WeWork
  • Managed operations and P&L performance across a portfolio of coworking assets of around $40 million, overseeing facility teams, vendor programs, and day-to-day execution across multiple markets.
  • Increased portfolio profitability by 42% YoY by redesigning service offerings, refining marketing strategy, optimizing pricing, and enforcing disciplined operational budgeting.
  • Led operations for a mixed-use hospitality and residential portfolio, supervising 50+ employees and managing performance, KPIs, and cross-functional initiatives.
  • Launched a hospitality-driven residential concept to 100% occupancy, increasing rent revenue per room by over 50% and growing monthly rent roll from $400,000 to $600,000+.

Project History

Institutional Rental Portfolio Operations Optimization (Great Jones/Roofstock)

https://www.housingwire.com/articles/roofstock-buys-great-jones-platform-to-help-investors-profit-on-their-real-estate/

Rebuilt operating frameworks for institutional single-family rental portfolios, improving revenue per unit $150+ and stabilizing performance across leasing, maintenance, and vendor operations.

I worked as an operations and strategy consultant supporting institutional single-family rental portfolios managed through Great Jones, a property management platform later acquired by Roofstock.

The business was scaling rapidly but experiencing operational fragmentation across leasing, maintenance, pricing, and vendor management. I was brought in to diagnose performance issues and redesign operating frameworks, connecting financial outcomes with day-to-day execution.

I rebuilt pricing and revenue management models to improve unit economics, introduced structured vendor management processes for maintenance and repairs, and redesigned operational dashboards to give operators clearer visibility into portfolio performance.

The work focused on aligning property operations, financial performance, and operational accountability across the portfolio. These changes improved revenue per unit by more than $150 and helped stabilize operational performance during a period of rapid growth and platform integration.

Sales Performance Optimization for Multi-market Residential Platform

Improved sales performance and occupancy outcomes across multiple markets, helping portfolio teams exceed revenue targets by over 10%.

I was engaged to support sales operations and performance optimization for Common, a technology-enabled residential platform operating across multiple US markets.

The business was experiencing uneven sales performance across properties and limited visibility into the drivers of revenue outcomes. I worked with leadership and property operators to diagnose bottlenecks in the sales funnel and improve the operational systems used to track and manage performance.

The work focused on building clearer sales reporting and performance dashboards that allowed operators to better understand pipeline activity, conversion rates, and revenue trends across markets. I also advised on improvements to sales workflows and performance management practices that helped teams operate more consistently.

These changes improved visibility into sales performance, strengthened operational discipline around pipeline management, and helped portfolio teams exceed revenue targets across multiple markets.

Pricing and Revenue Optimization for Multi-market Housing Platform

Developed data-driven pricing strategies that increased revenue per unit by $150+ while accelerating lease-up velocity in underperforming markets.

I advised leadership at Common on pricing strategy and revenue performance across a portfolio of residential assets operating in multiple markets. The business was experiencing inconsistent revenue outcomes across properties and lacked a structured framework for evaluating pricing decisions relative to market demand and leasing performance.

I analyzed market trends, pricing benchmarks, and internal performance data to identify opportunities to improve revenue outcomes. Based on this analysis, I developed pricing frameworks that better aligned listing prices with demand signals and leasing performance across markets.

These changes helped operators adjust pricing more dynamically, improve revenue performance, and accelerate lease-up timelines in underperforming markets.

Operational Analytics and Performance Reporting for Rental Portfolio

https://www.housingwire.com/articles/roofstock-buys-great-jones-platform-to-help-investors-profit-on-their-real-estate/

Developed operational reporting frameworks that gave leadership real-time visibility into vendor performance, spend, and service outcomes across a national portfolio.

I advised the operations team at Roofstock following its acquisition of Great Jones, helping improve operational visibility across a rapidly scaling rental portfolio.

The platform lacked consistent reporting on maintenance performance, vendor reliability, and operational spend, making it difficult for leadership to evaluate portfolio performance or identify operational risks. I led an initiative to clean and standardize operational data across systems and develop reporting frameworks that connected maintenance activity, vendor performance, and cost trends into a unified view of operational performance.

These reporting tools gave leadership clearer insight into operational drivers of portfolio performance and enabled more informed decisions around vendor strategy, pricing, and service standards.

Education

2006 - 2010

Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts

Point Park University - Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Skills

Tools

Looker Studio, Zendesk, Asana, Jira

Administrative Operations

Workflow Design, Presentations, Maintenance

Automation & No-code

Zapier

Customer Support

Communication

Data & Reporting

KPI Tracking

Productivity Suites

Google Sheets, Dashboard Building

Project Management Tools

Airtable, Notion

CRM & Sales Tools

Salesforce

Travel & Events

Events

Other

Storytelling, Operational Transformation (OT), Process Design, Operations, Program Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Process Improvement, P&L Management, Operations Management, Operational Workflow, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Change Management, Public Speaking, Creative Problem Solving, Operating Models, Analytics, Performance Metrics, Automation, Scalability, Operational Excellence, Strategy, Data Analysis, Team Management, Business Strategy, Operations Strategy, Budget Management, Performance Coaching, Performance Management, Organizational Management, Organizational Design, Pricing, Data, Advanced Excel, SQL, Operational Planning, Real Estate, Real Estate Management, Sales, Property Management, Vendor Management, Facilities Management, Financial Analysis, Sales Operations

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