The Hospitality Buzz Is Back!
The Hospitality Buzz is BACK! With vaccines expected to be ready by year’s end, all eyes are on mid-2021 for a return to normalcy. But coming out of a global pandemic, what does normal look like and how are hospitality and food service managers preparing for it? We invited four young professionals from Compass Group, Nestlé USA and Aramark/Lifeworks to get together and answer these questions for us!
Check out each of our panelists below and make sure you’re following us on social media so you can see clips from the latest episode in the coming weeks and stay tuned for the full episode to be posted after Thanksgiving!
Justin Drew, Previously Served As Director, Business Development for Compass Group (top left): Justin brings over 12 years of experience in Business Development, Operations, and Sales Leadership within Contract Management for Corporations, Healthcare and Higher Education industries. Exceptionally talented, firm, fair, with a laser focus on customer experience, growth and retention, Justin is an expert at producing strong results for clients and providing the best overall solution. Most recently Justin served as North America Director, Business Development for Compass Group’s Unidine Sector. Justin currently sits on the Board of Directors as President for the FBI Philadelphia Citizens Academy Alumni Association which is a Community Outreach program and ambassador leadership program to support local field offices. Justin is a second year rising star within SHFM (Society for Hospitality and Food Management), he is the co-chair for the Philadelphia local committee and is on the 2020 conference planning committee. Justin enjoys networking and cultivating meaningful relationships and you will always see him with a big smile on this face.
Jenna Calhoun, National Account Manager at Nestlé (top right): Jenna is a creative, enthusiastic, driven sales leader with 12+ years of experience in CPG and beverage industries with some of the biggest brands in the world. Now a National Account Manager at Nestlé, Jenna began her career in retail and more recently, foodservice, leading national accounts, recreation, and workplace. She is passionate about relationships, strategy, business development, leadership, and networking. A Strong communicator, story-teller, and organizationally savvy, Jenna is Chicago and Northern California raised. She currently resides in Richmond, VA. A University of California grad, Davis (go Aggies), Jenna is results focused and competitive, with a personal commitment to continuous self-improvement and the bettering of others.
Brisbane Vaillancourt, Vice President Operations at LifeWorks Restaurant Group (bottom left): Brisbane Vaillancourt is the Vice President of Operations with Lifeworks Restaurant Group, a premium brand within Aramark. She has an extensive background in operations, training, openings, marketing, change management, growth and innovation. Brisbane has proven herself to be a forward thinking innovator who implements structures and processes to secure long term prosperity. Brisbane began her hospitality career with Margaritas Management Group, a privately owned, twenty-eight unit restaurant chain for twelve years. In 2016, Brisbane began working with Aramark as a District Manager, leading ten corporate dining clients and $38M annualized revenue. In 2018, Brisbane was the recipient of the Aramark Star of Excellence Award and is now a three-year recipient of the SHFM Rising Star award (2018-2021). In February 2019, she was promoted to Vice President of Operations for Lifeworks Restaurant Group.
Katie DeSimone, National Director of Catering and Conference Services, Compass Group, Bank of America (bottom right): Originally from Newtown Connecticut, Katie studied culinary arts at Newtown High School, achieved an Associates in Baking & Pastry and a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. Her career with Compass Group started in 2010. She spent time working her way up in corporate catering positions before becoming the National Director of Catering & Customer Experience. Katie spent almost 6 years traveling the country every week, working with different teams, guests and clients before settling into her role as National Director, Catering & Conference Services with Compass Group at Bank of America.
Overheard On The Buzz
