CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MOST RECENT PLACEMENTS
*Scott Schafer was appointed to MSE at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne
*Ian Abdon was appointed to Director of Operations at The Clevelander Hotel, Miami
*Manuel Rodriguez was appointed to Banquet Chef at The Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans a Waldorf Astoria Hotel
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SPECIALTY SEARCH WELCOMES NEW CLIENTS
We are pleased to welcome the following new luxury clients to our preferred list:
*Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
*The American Club Hotel-Destination Kohler
*Stein Erikson Lodge
*Evans Premier San Diego Hotels
*The Irvine Companies-The Resort at Pelican Hill
*Enchantment Resort and Spa
We are also excited to announce the recent appointments of the following candidates to our clients:
Kekoa Morton was appointed the Guest Services Manager at the Enchantment Resort
Rudy Benavides was appointed the Director of Revenue Management at the Resort at Pelican Hill
April West was appointed the Director of Human Resources at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua
Masato Kominami was appointed the Director of Rooms Operations at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco
Matthew Birkenmeier was appointed Chef de Cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall
Todd Phillips was appointed F & B Manager at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Resort
Dan Keyser was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for Hilton Dulles
James Coffey was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dolce Peachtree
Joylette Whitaker was appointed the Director of Sales and Marketing Embassy Suites Chevy Chase
Theresa Martin was appointed the Catering Manager at the Silverleaf Resort
Bhavna Venugopal was appointed the Sales Manager at the Lansdowne Resort, Benchmark Hospitality Int.
Renee Russell was appointed Catering Manager at the Lansdowne Resort, Benchmark Hospitality Int.
Fernando Cerna was appointed Regional Director of Travel Industry for Ritz-Carlton Miami
Leanna Carlson was appointed Director of e-Marketing for West Paces Hotel Group
Ylin Sun was appointed Director of Revenue Management to the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach
Beth Stone was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for the University Hotel Minneapolis
Constanza Thornton was appointed Sales Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Naples
Linda Menshon was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
Megan Whaling was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing to the Founders Inn Resort and Spa, West Paces Hotel Group
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SPECIALTY SEARCH WELCOME KEVIN GALICA, MARK BOULLION & MICHELLE MACMULLEN
Specialty Search International is proud to welcome it’s three newest members, Kevin Galica, Mark Boullion and Michelle MacMullen to the recruiting team. Each are seasoned hospitality personnel but each bring their own unique expertise to the company.
Kevin Galica, a Philadelphia Pennsylvania native, has an extensive career in the hospitality community. Having worked with prestigeous companies such as the Four Seasons Hotels, he also expanded his sales knowledge by working with Novartis in the pharmaceutical world and Maritz Travel Company. Kevin brings his extensive sales background and we are excited to have him join the Specialty Search family.
Mark Boullion, a California resident, has specialized in managing food and beverage operations for luxury and upscale hotel brands for 20 years. His work has included leadership roles with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Mandarin Oriental along with several independently branded hotels. He has created, designed and launched several successful independent restaurant concepts and has done the same for many hotel and resort outlets. We are glad to welcome Mark to the family.
Michelle MacMullen, specializing in group sales with luxury hotels in both property-based and deployed offices, had achieved in her previous role, the Director of National accounts for the Five Star rated Broadmoor Resort. Prior sales roles during an 8 year tenure with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company include the Philadelphia, Amelia Island and Palm Beach hotels. Michelle is a valuable asset to our team and we are proud to welcome her aboard.
All of the new team will join together in mid-June for a Specialty Search traninning seminnar to hone their unique skills and prepair them for the hospitality recruiting world. We wish each of them well and continued success.
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KERRY KUHL JOINS THE SPECIALTY SEARCH TEAM
Kerry Kuhl, a veteran to the hospitality industry, joins the Specialty Search International Team bringing her twenty plus years of experience in sales and operations from four and five diamond locations. Having also owned her own advertising company, she managed a sales team that specialized in print and online advertising. Kerry is very excited to be a member of the team and we are expecting to see great things from her in the near future. Kerry Kulh is based out of our Sacramento, California location. Welcome Kerry!
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SPECIALTY SEARCH INTERNATIONAL – RADIO INTERVIEW
Ron Folkman, Chairman & CEO of Specialty Search International, will be on KVON 1440AM on Friday February, 4th at 9:20am discussing expansions overseas and the new west coast office in Napa, CA. If you are unable to catch the interview live, go to www.KVON.com and click on the link for the interview to hear it.
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Specialty Search International Office Expansions
Specialty Search International, Inc. (SSI) is opening several new locations in response to worldwide client growth in the luxury segment of the hospitality industry.” We want to expand with our clients”, says founder Ron Folkman. “Many of our client relationships extend approximately 15 years and we are dedicated to serving their management staffing needs. By opening these new locations, SSI will broaden its access to the world’s best hospitality talent.” Ron’s move to Napa, CA will create a west coast office and Greg Birkmeier, SSI`s President will remain in Florida managing the 20+ year east coast office. Ron expresses “I am so excited to be branching out to the west coast. It is such a beautiful area of the country. We have worked successfully with many clients throughout California and the Western U.S. over the years. We look forward to continuing to partner with their talent needs.”
SSI is also finalizing international sites to focus on Europe and Asia and service their international clients. “Companies like Ritz-Carlton and Intercontinental that we assist in the Americas continue to expand internationally. We understand the benefits of our proximity to their management teams, as well as the synergies derived from understanding local employment practices and cultures”, says Ron.
SSI can be reached at any of their U.S locations toll free by dialing 866-789-2673.
HOTEL COMPANIES IMPACTING REVENUE GROWTH THROUGH HIRING AND SELECTION STRATEGIES WITH SPECIALITY SEARCH INTERNATIONAL.
Specialty Search International, Inc (SSI) has successfully assisted clients in recruiting industry professionals to make a direct impact on revenue and market share growth. SSI’s Chairman, Ron Folkman, has noticed a significant trend developing within the industry’s hiring strategies. “We are seeing a dramatic ‘flight to quality’ as companies seek candidates who have the experience and relationships to build market-share during these challenging economic times. While clients have certainly noticed a sizable increase in the number of unemployed candidates seeking opportunities, they are aware that the professionals they wish to attract are often not active job seekers.”
In the past several months, some of these placements include Regional Director of Revenue Management – Capella Hotels and Resorts; Regional Sales Manager – Capella Hotels and Resorts; Director of Sales – InterContinental Chicago; VP of Sales – Tradewinds Resorts; Director of Corp. Sales – Peninsula New York City.
Kit Pappas, VP of Sales for the West Paces Hotel Group, the parent company for Capella Hotels and Resorts, stated, “I have worked with Greg Birkmeier at SSI for nearly 10 years. For Capella Hotels and Resorts, he has been successful in understanding our organizational needs and consistently finding high performing professionals.”
Dan Preston, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Intercontinental Chicago summarized his recent experience, “SSI recently completed a search for the Director of Sales here at the Intercontinental Chicago. This was my first experience with SSI. Several of our sister properties have successfully used SSI in their past recruiting efforts, and now I see why. They produced a number of high-profile, talented sales leaders from the target market we identified and as a result, we secured our candidate. Their process is more thorough and all encompassing than any that I have experienced with other recruiting firms. The next time I have outside recruiting needs, SSI will be my first call.”
Keith Overton, Chief Operating Officer for Tradewinds Island Resorts, stated, “We recently completed a search for a Vice President of Sales here at Tradewinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach, Florida. In addition to our own recruitment efforts, we engaged multiple hospitality search firms to identify and introduce us to great candidates for this critical position. Kevin Kelley with Specialty Search International identified a number of highly qualified candidates, and they introduced us to the hospitality sales leadership professionals that ultimately became our 3 finalists for the position. We were all extremely impressed with the quality of candidates that SSI provided to us and we were also very impressed in the professional manner in which they managed the entire process. I highly recommend SSI for any organization that is in search of top hospitality talent.”
Specialty Search International has focused on world-wide hospitality industry recruiting for the past 20 years. The firm offers both contingency and retained search options, and specializes in the upscale, luxury and boutique segments of the industry. Contact the firm at 813/818-7800 or info@ssirecruiting.com.
HOTEL COMPANIES IMPACTING REVENUE GROWTH THROUGH HIRING AND SELECTION STRATEGIES WITH SPECIALITY SEARCH INTERNATIONAL.
Specialty Search International, Inc (SSI) has successfully assisted clients in recruiting industry professionals to make a direct impact on revenue and market share growth. SSI’s Chairman, Ron Folkman, has noticed a significant trend developing within the industry’s hiring strategies. “We are seeing a dramatic ‘flight to quality’ as companies seek candidates who have the experience and relationships to build market-share during these challenging economic times. While clients have certainly noticed a sizable increase in the number of unemployed candidates seeking opportunities, they are aware that the professionals they wish to attract are often not active job seekers.”
In the past several months, some of these placements include Regional Director of Revenue Management – Capella Hotels and Resorts; Regional Sales Manager – Capella Hotels and Resorts; Director of Sales – InterContinental Chicago; VP of Sales – Tradewinds Resorts; Director of Corp. Sales – Peninsula New York City.
Kit Pappas, VP of Sales for the West Paces Hotel Group, the parent company for Capella Hotels and Resorts, stated, “I have worked with Greg Birkmeier at SSI for nearly 10 years. For Capella Hotels and Resorts, he has been successful in understanding our organizational needs and consistently finding high performing professionals.”
Dan Preston, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Intercontinental Chicago summarized his recent experience, “SSI recently completed a search for the Director of Sales here at the Intercontinental Chicago. This was my first experience with SSI. Several of our sister properties have successfully used SSI in their past recruiting efforts, and now I see why. They produced a number of high-profile, talented sales leaders from the target market we identified and as a result, we secured our candidate. Their process is more thorough and all encompassing than any that I have experienced with other recruiting firms. The next time I have outside recruiting needs, SSI will be my first call.”
Keith Overton, Chief Operating Officer for Tradewinds Island Resorts, stated, “We recently completed a search for a Vice President of Sales here at Tradewinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach, Florida. In addition to our own recruitment efforts, we engaged multiple hospitality search firms to identify and introduce us to great candidates for this critical position. Kevin Kelley with Specialty Search International identified a number of highly qualified candidates, and they introduced us to the hospitality sales leadership professionals that ultimately became our 3 finalists for the position. We were all extremely impressed with the quality of candidates that SSI provided to us and we were also very impressed in the professional manner in which they managed the entire process. I highly recommend SSI for any organization that is in search of top hospitality talent.”
Specialty Search International has focused on world-wide hospitality industry recruiting for the past 20 years. The firm offers both contingency and retained search options, and specializes in the upscale, luxury and boutique segments of the industry. Contact the firm at 813/818-7800 or info@ssirecruiting.com.
