AI Issue 8 2017

Acquisition International - 2017 Excellence Awards 95 HMG Plus is a front of the house hospitality service firm, focusing on staffing and training, providing professional servers, bartenders, captains, coat check attendants and promotional staff for all types of events, as well as customized training programs for food service entities. We caught up with Karen DiPeri to learn more and explore her role in the firm’s success. MG+ is a quality-focused hospitality event solutions provider with deep experience in a wide variety of hospitality disciplines, delivering the expertise their clients need to thrive as a food service provider or business today. Karen outlines how the firm works to ensure excellence for its clients and provide the very highest standards of service and support. “Here at HMG+ we provide professional servers, bartenders, captains, coat check attendants and promotional staff for all types of events, as well as customized training programs for food service entities. We service the New York Metro area and are currently expanding to Long Island, NY. Some of our clients include household names such as Goldman Sachs, United Nations, Bloomberg, Citi, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Capital One, NY Giants and American Express. “For these clients, our mission is simple; to deliver outstanding service professionals to each event location. We are passionate about being the company everyone wants to work for, and having fun while doing it. The vision is to elevate the hospitality staffing industry providing a level of organization, integrity and professionalism.” Operating in the highly competitive hospitality market, HMG+ has to work hard to differentiate itself from its competition, which it achieves through a supportive internal culture and a commitment to success for its clients, as Karen who personally became an active member of as many industry organizations as possible because collaborating with like-minded industry professionals because it fuels her passion for learning and commitment to excellence, explains. “What separates HMG+ apart from the competition is we set out to build a company where job opportunities are numerous and employee flexibility is key. We focused on providing innovative tools, like our web platform for booking. Helping service pros manage their bookings and clients to manage their events. We assembled a small but strong management team of passionate individuals with Company: HMG Plus Contact: Karen DiPeri Email: [email protected] Address: 265 West 37th Street, Suite 907, New York, NY 10018, USA Phone: 001 646 661-1021 Most Influential Businesswoman: Hospitality H GE170001 Most Influential Businesswoman: Hospitality a combined 30 years of hospitality experience. In addition to providing flexibility, we wanted to elevate the knowledge, skill and income for our employees. We spent the past year developing a business plan to launch a training academy. We offer free specialized training programs to service professionals who wish to further their knowledge in the hospitality industry, as well as offer additional resources. “This has led to some great successes. For example, HMG+ service professional Wendy Hobbie was named National Staffing Employee of the Year by the American Staffing Association earlier this year. Additionally, we have begun to offer wellness activities for staff members, such as meditation workshops, yoga classes and massage days, which helps their performance both on and off the job. “Practicing this supportive and collaborative approach is essential also, and as such the internal culture in our firm is very professional. Showing you care about your employees and being certain they care about the company and your vision is very important. Also, being demanding but supportive. We offer wellness events to our employees each month to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Our team is also provided with healthy snacks to keep everyone motivated throughout the day.” Looking to the future, Karen is keen to emphasise the firm’s focus on growth and expansion as it seeks to build upon its current success. “At the beginning of 2017 HMG+ had the opportunity to expand and grow into the Long Island area, which we took advantage of. We are now consistently seeking more opportunity for expansion throughout the hospitality industry in order to support more clients.”