Andrea Gonzmart, 5th Generation Owner/Operator, Columbia Restaurant Group

Five Generations of Excellence in Restaurants

Please share a little bit about your background personally and professionally. 

I was blessed to be born into the hospitality industry. I began working in my family’s restaurants when I was 10 years old, and I continued working there every summer until I graduated from the University of South Florida. I joined the company full-time in 2001.

I was the first woman to work in the kitchen at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, learning all facets of the back of the house, from the dishwasher to the grill. I went on to be an assistant manager at our Columbia Restaurants in Sand Key, St. Petersburg, and Celebration. Then, I transitioned to our corporate offices in 2004 where I was able to work alongside my father, Richard, and learn another angle of our family business.

How did being a woman affect your professional path/path to leadership?

When I began my career in the restaurant industry at the age of 22, there were very few women in my company. I was fortunate to work underneath many wonderful people, including my father, that believed in me and guided me along the way. They have taught me to be confident in my decisions and compassionate with our employees. Every day there is something new to learn, and I am always excited to find out what it is!

How do women positively impact Florida’s hospitality industry?

In a once male-dominated industry, women have been able to push innovation and create experiences aimed at a broader and more inclusive audience.

What qualities make a great female leader?     

Confidence, compassion, commitment, determination

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

It is important to take time to honor those who paved the way so that we can set new goals to achieve.

Is there a woman from history who you admire? Why?

The woman I admire the most from MY history would be my grandmother, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, who is the third generation of our family’s company. She was truly a pioneer for women in the restaurant industry, so much so that she was named to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018. She loved our restaurants as though they were her second home and loved our employees as if they were all her family. I strive to be like her every day of my life.

Why is it important for more women to be recognized in leadership roles?

It inspires our next generation of young female leaders and recognizes those who set positive examples. Women who see leaders who look, act, and experience life like them in the industry make them feel included. It reinforces positive views of their gender and what they can achieve in the restaurant industry.

What piece of advice would you give to women coming up in hospitality?

Always have confidence in your decisions and trust your intuitions. It is also important to have compassion with your fellow employees; compassion is not a weakness, it is a quality of a strong leader.

What professional, personal or community service driven accomplishments are you proud of? 

In the fast-paced restaurant industry, it is important to find balance. I am proud of the work I do every day for our 14 restaurants, but I am also even more proud of being a mom to my 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, who represents the 6^th generation of our family business. I also think it is important to be involved in my community and give back through involvement in local boards, like the Florida Aquarium Board of Directors, Humane Society of Tampa Bay Advisory Council, University of South Florida Foundation Board of Directors, and the FRLA Board of Directors of Hillsborough County.

Nicole Chapman, FRLA Northeast Florida Regional Director and Florida Inns Director

SHOWING OTHER WOMEN – AND HER DAUGHTER – THAT IT CAN BE DONE!

Nicole Chapman has always known she wanted to work in events and hospitality. She majored in Tourism and Event Management at the University of Florida and has been in the industry ever since. She interned with the City of Jacksonville Beach, planning their summer events and was hooked. As she thought about her future, she loved engaging with others, public relations, and planning events. Sounds like the perfect fit for our industry!

Nicole worked first with her local Hotel Association and helped lead their merger with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) and became Regional Director for the Northeast Florida Chapter. Since taking on that role, she has also created the Florida Inns Chapter by merging Florida Bed & Breakfast Inns and the Superior Small Lodging Associations into FRLA to create the first statewide special interest chapter that represents small independent lodging business who have under 50 rooms.

As a young woman joining a male-heavy industry, she notes that confidence in her abilities and hard work were both key to her success. “You can’t be intimidated,” she says. She credits many professional leaders – both male and female – who believed in her, saw her talent, and helped her to grow.

She works tirelessly to promote her local FRLA members and connect them with the latest news, resources, and updates to keep their businesses thriving. COVID shuttered so many businesses in Florida – and across the nation – and Nicole was determined to advocate for Northeast Florida businesses.

Becoming a mother helped her to see her work from another important perspective – her children. Women in the workforce often struggle with the appropriate balance between family, work, and self. The hours in hospitality not being the typical 9-5 job can present significant challenges. Nicole shares a saying she once heard that is her daily motto: “There are days you will be an amazing employee, an amazing mother, and an amazing wife, but you won’t be all three in one day.” This helps her to show grace to herself as she continues to push hard to do her very best. On being a female leader in hospitality, she says, “You have to take initiative, own projects, have that entrepreneurial spirit. You have to push hard, and you have to really want it.”

Her goal is to show other women that it can be done. Hospitality is the top industry in Florida – responsible for so much economic health for the state and millions of jobs. And while she loves her work, she tells us, “At the end of the day, I want to show my daughter and future generations that there is opportunity out there if you work hard. You can have a successful job and be a mother and make a difference in the community.”

CLOSING QUESTION: What piece of advice would you give to women coming up in hospitality?

“Do your job and do it well. Apply your values to your work life as well. There is room for all of us at the table, and if you work hard and do the right thing, good things will come.”

Sara Malmstrom – Owner/General Manager, Sage Bistro

Don’t be afraid to try!

Tell me a little bit about your background personally and professionally.

I am a retired graduate school dean who had no aspirations to own a business, let alone a restaurant. I worked in the field of education my entire professional life, the last 23 in higher education.

How did you get into hospitality?  

I bought a restaurant to give my son, who graduated from a culinary program I had a hand in starting at Keiser University’s Melbourne campus, an opportunity to be an executive chef. Jordan had been a sous chef for two executive chefs with ownership interest in their restaurants. He had seven years in the field when I told him I was purchasing a restaurant that we could run together. He told me I was crazy and asked if I had any idea how hard it was to own a restaurant. I told him honestly that I didn’t!

How do women positively impact Florida’s hospitality industry?

There are a multitude of strong women restaurateurs, owners, GMs, chefs, and many, many hoteliers. The creative energy that women bring to the field is pretty awesome.

What qualities make a great female leader?     

A female leader has to be smart, tough, and a good people person. A sense of humor and political savvy doesn’t hurt either. Men have a handle on networking and the ‘good old boy’ thing. Can we develop the ‘good old girl’ thing?!?

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

Women’s History Month is an opportunity to showcase what women have accomplished and cement role models for the younger generation.

Is there a woman from history who you admire? Why?

My grandmother, Ruth LeMaster. She earned a master’s degree from University of Oregon while raising two young children. That was at a time when women didn’t go to college, let alone earn graduate degrees.

Why is it important for more women to be recognized in leadership roles?

Women need to be recognized in leadership roles to create role models for girls and to narrow the gender gap, especially in pay. The glass ceiling is real. We need to celebrate those who have cracked it so others will be able to do so even more.

What piece of advice would you give to women coming up in hospitality?

Don’t be afraid to try. It takes long hours and mental toughness, but if you aren’t afraid of hard work and risk, and if you believe in yourself, you can go far.

What professional, personal, or community service driven accomplishments are you proud of?

I am proud of creating, with my son, a successful restaurant and surviving through the crazy pandemic. I am also proud of my career in higher education and the many degree programs I was able to start and get through the accreditation process, most with perfect accreditation records. To name a few, I was responsible for starting a Master of Science in Physician Assistant, a Master of Nursing Practice, a PhD in Education, an MBA, a DBA, oh, and an AS in Culinary Arts!

Dannette Lynch, FRLA Regional Director and Director of Membership

“Appreciation is Key”

Dannette Lynch, FRLA Regional Director and Director of Membership, likes to say that she was born into the hospitality industry. Her grandparents had a restaurant in Illinois that served breakfast and lunch daily, and Dannette, all of four years old, appointed herself the greeter. If you know her at all, that shouldn’t surprise you. Dannette is one of the most welcoming people you will ever meet, and she always rolls up her sleeves to get to work.

Dannette’s path to hospitality is as extensive as it is diverse. She actually planned to go to medical school but got involved in a big community event as a volunteer. Through that engagement, she received a call to join Nike and the world of professional sports – specifically the North American Soccer League (NASL), the first professional soccer league in many U.S. cities. Through this job, she got to travel the country and the world, deepening her love of travel. And it wasn’t her only sports gig – she worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and remains a very active sports fan!

Another passion of hers is performing arts. In Pinellas County, she opened a performing arts center, Ruth Eckerd Hall, as Marketing Director and was able to get involved with bringing more culture to the region. She coordinated partnership marketing for Busch Gardens and then moved to work at the local Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she worked in hospitality education. She conducted all the trainings and hospitality certifications and served on the Pinellas Hotel Association and the Pinellas Restaurant Association, which led her to FRLA. One of many notable accomplishments was creating one of the first Super Bowl Trainings in Tampa to help educate local businesses and the NFL on how to greet visitors and excel at customer service for the influx of visitors the big game brings to town. The NFL replicated her training the next year in New Orleans because of its success – one Dannette calls a team effort.

Throughout more than 40 years working professionally in Florida’s hospitality industry, she has accomplished a great deal. In addition to her NFL training, she is incredibly proud of her work to start three Hospitality/Culinary Programs at local colleges, technical schools, and high schools. To attract students into the programs, they had to be innovative and also created scholarships to help get youth into the programs and onto the hospitality career path.  Along the way for all of her efforts, Dannette has received numerous honors, including the Key to the City of Clearwater and Tourism Person of the Year from both the City of Clearwater and Tampa Bay Beaches.

Dannette credits her dad for her achievements across male-dominated industries. “My dad always put me on equal level and insisted I did things outside of my comfort zone, whether it was learning a new skill or sport or speaking to others…I feel very fortunate that he did that,’ she says. Because of that perspective of equality and inclusiveness, she never thought about work and her professional path as women versus men. She feels incredibly lucky that it was never an obstacle for her. She says she had a tremendous amount of opportunity, proved herself, and had wonderful supervisors who helped encourage her. She adds, “When you have someone who has that kind of confidence in you, you want to perform and succeed even more for them. Through my work ethic and work quality, I definitely earned it, but having that support makes all the difference.”

And she truly believes that women make a positive impact on Florida’s hospitality industry each and every day. Hospitality comes naturally for women, she says. Being welcoming and showing sincere consideration for others are traits that make a great female leader. “Do the work,” she says. “Be strong, be flexible, and be compassionate. Appreciation is key.”

Dannette says that the trailblazing women who came before her are directly responsible for her having the opportunities she has had and she believes in paying that forward. She loves to share her knowledge and wisdom with women coming up in hospitality and gives them this advice: “Enjoy your time! There are plenty of amazing opportunities. Take advantage of them and learn as much as you can. Be kind to the wonderful people you meet along the way. The friends and colleagues you will enjoy are like no other in the hospitality industry.”

With so much to be proud of at work, she is even more proud of her family. She married her high school sweetheart and has two sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.

Closing question: Is there a woman from history or your life that you admire and why?

“My grandmother. She had the most inspirational work ethic. She came to America ALONE at 9 years old from Sweden. Her mother had passed away and her father had six sons and did not feel he could care well enough for her alone. She came to the U.S. to an aunt she had never met. She spoke no English and left the only world she ever knew. Despite facing those challenges, she worked hard and achieved so much. She taught herself English and became one of the first women telegraph operators. She also worked alongside my grandfather. She was one of the most independent, compassionate, and loving woman I have ever known and she inspires me every day.”

Sonny Flynn, Owner/CEO of Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center, John’s Pass Rescue, and BITE Trolley

Please share a little bit about your background personally and professionally.

I was raised in the hospitality industry. My parents owned a little pizza parlor, and I started helping there once I was tall enough to reach the tables. I also found my love for cooking.

Today, I am Owner of the Historic John’s Pass Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center that has been a staple Attraction in Pinellas County for a decade, drawing thousands of excited visitors annually. Our mission focuses on wildlife preservation, animal rescue, and education.

I have dedicated myself to saving thousands of animal lives by adopting them or assisting in the relocation of unwanted pets. By educating the public through my Wildlife Education Center, my staff and I help visitors to understand the needs of certain species and what it takes to have them as pets. I believe by educating the public about the needs of certain species and which ones are good household pets and the ones that are not, will help eliminate the numbers of neglected and unwanted pets in society. Before this, I had more than 30 years of success in the tourism and hospitality industry.

My most recent adventure is BITE Trolley. More than just a transportation company, we are adding an entertainment factor, with animal ambassadors, music with students from School of Rock, and the occasional guest brewery.

How did being a woman affect your professional path/path to leadership?

Being a woman in business, I met some challenges along the way, but it was those challenges that created even more drive and determination for me to accomplish any goal I set for myself. Without those hurdles, I would not be the strong, compassionate leader I am today or have the success.

How do women positively impact Florida’s hospitality industry?

There are several women I have met along the way that have had a huge impact on the hospitality industry. They are restaurant/bar owners, general managers of large hotels, and leaders in our trade association and local chambers, to name a few. Although the hospitality industry is very competitive, women are more likely to support each other and help each other grow. They recognize strength in numbers and maintain compassion. In my opinion, the successful women dare to dream and multitask well to get it done.

What qualities make a great female leader?

Self awareness, connection, compassion, resilience, and persistence

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

Women’s History Month is important. We have overcome a great deal, but we have some more work to do for equality. To see the women of past and present recognized for accomplishments is amazing and long overdue!

Is there a woman from history who you admire? Why?

Queen Elizabeth. Under her rule, England became a major European power in politics, commerce and the arts.

Why is it important for more women to be recognized in leadership roles?

Female leaders create a more diverse workforce, generate broader societal impacts, and serve as role models. Recognizing them will benefit both men and women in career advancement, pay equity, and will aid in changing workplace policies.

What piece of advice would you give to women coming up in hospitality?

Dare to dream! In unity we all succeed! With patience and perseverance anything is possible.

What professional, personal or community service driven accomplishments are you proud of?

Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center & John’s Pass Rescue are my proudest accomplishments. It is an honor to save animals, share conservation efforts, continue education programs, and now with the farm go back to my beginning and support culinary programs.

Olivia Hoblit, Regional Manager of Innisfree Hotels and FRLA Board of Directors Chair

Mentoring the Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders

FRLA Board of Director Chair Olivia Hoblit always knew she wanted to be a leader. Coming to the U.S. with her family from the Philippines at the age of 15, she was in a new place but had the drive to overcome any challenges to succeed. She began her career in hospitality in food service at the age of 17, and it was at that restaurant where her life changed. She met a regular customer – actually in the legal profession – who began to mentor her and brought her under her wing in the legal field.

As Olivia worked her way up to paralegal and set her sights on law school, something happened that changed her path entirely. She started working part-time at a luxury beachfront boutique hotel – Elizabeth Pointe Lodge – and fell in love with hospitality and began to focus full time her passion for this industry. The hotel owners invested in her and guided her on this new path, and she attributes these important mentors for her love of teaching others.

Her hotel experience beyond the Lodge includes GM of the Seaside Amelia Inn – owned by Innisfree hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, and now Regional Manager of Innisfree Hotels. She has been honored with awards for her performance and achievements and was selected as one of the Top Women in Lodging by FRLA.

Like women across business, Olivia feels that she sometimes has to work harder in this industry as a woman, but she credits the people who have mentored her and shown her the way as providers of hope and positivity to know that her dedication and hard work pays off.

She says that women positively impact Florida’s hospitality industry because they do their job from the heart and take care of the people around them. Being empathetic and caring are important qualities for great female leaders. “Caring for people, helping them to be successful, and investing in others is so important to me,” she says. Helping find talent and helping them propel to the next part of their career is something she is laser focused on as FRLA Board Chair.

When asked what piece of advice she has for women coming up in hospitality, she said, “Find someone to mentor you – someone you could learn from. It will be the best thing you ever did. And then do the same for others. Giving people the opportunity to grow and a perspective of hope is important alongside hard work and drive. Always work to make things better.”

Closing Question: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

“Women’s History Month is an opportunity to recognize women’s strength and accomplishments – our many contributions to history, society, and culture. We owe so much to those who came before us; we owe it to them to pay it forward.”