Marti Gorum and Paul Carolan consultants to

the HOSPITALITY
& RESTAURANT
INDUSTRIES

Our experience can help you flourish.

Marti Gorum and Paul Carolan consultants to

the HOSPITALITY
& RESTAURANT
INDUSTRIES

Our experience can help you flourish.

Who We Are

Marti Gorum and Paul Carolan each have over 40 years of experience in all facets of the industry. They are committed to partnering with you and your company to share their extensive knowledge to provide optimal solutions. Their goal is to:

      • Identify growth inhibitors and assist your team with resolutions
      • Engage leadership team to create a sustainable growth strategy with a focus on short and long-term wins
      • Coach team members to become effective catalysts for changing strategies

MARTI GORUM

Marti is an accomplished senior business development leader in the managed service and airport concession segments who has helped create significant growth in value for the largest concessionaires in the industry and minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses, including ACDBE, WBE, and MBE. In addition to her vast experience in business development, she has a proven career as a corporate contract and labor attorney and as VP of airport operations. Her multi-faceted skillset makes her uniquely qualified to help companies and individuals unleash their potential.

2022 SHFSO Directors’ Award for Community Service

Marti Linked-in url

PAUL CAROLAN

Paul’s diverse C-level experience and proven track record of creating financial and unit growth in the hospitality industry make him a valuable resource. In the last decade, Paul served in positions that included Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Development Officer. His tenure spans multiple hospitality segments, including branded chains with 300+ units and airport and managed services concessions. He’s well-versed in company-owned entities as well as franchise organizations. In addition, his varied experience and strong financial acumen as a CPA make him uniquely qualified to evaluate growth opportunities and potential.

Alumni Advisory Board Member – The Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech

Advisory Board Member – Advisor Board Member Prosper23

Adjunt Professor – Pamplin School of Business/Howard Feiretag Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Management/ Virginia Tech.

Paul Linked-in url

Who We Are

Marti Gorum and Paul Carolan each have over 40 years of experience in all facets of the industry. They are committed to partnering with you and your company to share their extensive knowledge to provide optimal solutions. Their goal is to:

      • Identify growth inhibitors and assist your team with resolutions
      • Engage leadership team to create a sustainable growth strategy with a focus on short and long-term wins
      • Coach team members to become effective catalysts for changing strategies

MARTI GORUM

Marti is an accomplished senior business development leader in the managed service and airport concession segments who has helped create significant growth in value for the largest concessionaires in the industry and minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses, including ACDBE, WBE, and MBE. In addition to her vast experience in business development, she has a proven career as a corporate contract and labor attorney and as VP of airport operations. Her multi-faceted skillset makes her uniquely qualified to help companies and individuals unleash their potential.

Marti Linked-in url

PAUL CAROLAN

Paul’s diverse C-level experience and proven track record of creating financial and unit growth in the hospitality industry make him a valuable resource. In the last decade, Paul served in positions that included Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Development Officer. His tenure spans multiple hospitality segments, including branded chains with 300+ units and airport and managed services concessions. He’s well-versed in company-owned entities as well as franchise organizations. In addition, his varied experience and strong financial acumen as a CPA make him uniquely qualified to evaluate growth opportunities and potential.

Alumni Advisory Board Member – The Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech

Advisory Board Member – Advisor Board Member Prosper23

Adjunct Professor – Pamplin School of Business/Howard Feiretag Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Management/ Virginia Tech

 

 Linked-in url

What we do

Whether you need interim leadership, a strategist, or an experienced hand to navigate specific challenges or opportunities, we can design a relationship that works for you.

Fractional Leadership

We can provide leadership during times of transition.

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • President
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Chief Development Officer
  • Executive Vice President of Development and Sales

Leadership Coaching

Good leaders can become great leaders. We work with teams and individuals and offer:

  • Active Intentional Leadership is a leadership development series focused on Trust, Valuing the Individual and Core Values
  • Leadership Coaching by experienced mentors. We are committed to transferring our combined knowledge to the next generation of great leaders.

New Business Acquisition

Operational due diligence:
As with all acquisitions, the financial proforma work is outstanding and incorporates multiple growth and saving assumptions. But an Operational Due Diligence assessment will give you the road map to avoid costly mistakes that aren’t always caught in the initial proforma preparation. In addition, an experienced executive in multiple critical facets of the industry can assist in identifying upsides and downsides for consideration during negotiations and establish the business plan once the acquisition has taken place.

Development Strategy

Many companies want to grow but lack the readiness. We can help build a solid sustainable growth strategy; with our fresh eyes, we can see your business in new ways, bringing with us a wealth of industry knowledge.

 

  • Corporate: We assist growth-minded companies in creating a strategy and ensuring the organization is adequately prepared to grow. We have experience creating sustainable initiatives, assessing the current organizational state, and designing a plan to ignite growth.
  • Franchise: We have experience initiating franchise development and re-energizing existing franchise systems. We can assist in creating an incisive and achievable plan no matter where your company stands in the process.
  • Non-Traditional (licensing): Our expertise in introducing brands to the non-traditional market and knowledge and relationships with concessionaires is one of the best in the industry. We can help navigate the daunting process of gaining access to venues such as airports, college campuses, and healthcare and advise how to work in that arena.
  • Minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses, including ACDBE, WBE, and MBE programs, are an expanding growth segment. Still, few companies have the expertise to create a sustainable program that will attract the best partners. We have unparalleled experience in developing and managing successful programs for some of the largest concessionaires in the industry.

Our Values

Our values form the foundation of collaborating with our clients and our approach to each engagement. We are committed to four basic principles:

  • Do the right thing for clients and team members alike
  • Value you and your team members as individuals
  • Hold ourselves accountable to deliver your business goals
  • Invest fully in furthering the growth of your business

Our Approach

Our approach is to become a valued member of your organization while working together and serving as a long-term resource. Although we thrive on team collaboration, we will never know as much about your company, culture, and organization as you and your team. We bring diverse professional industry knowledge that will enable us to collaboratively create a solution that works for your company and culture.

Our Mission

Our mission is to repay the incredible industry that provided so much to our careers by helping, coaching, and working with companies like yours. We also believe in supporting our communities; we commit 10% of our earnings to programs that assist children, veterans, and the hungry.

Brands We’ve Served

WE’re Here to help
Just tell us how

Thank you for your interest. Please tell us a little bit about you, how you heard about us, and what your needs are. Either Paul or Marti will get back to you.  

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