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Serious About Hospitality

Hall of Fame winner eyes national stage

Marsha Gordon has the annual task of making congratulatory phone calls to five inductees to the Westchester County Business Hall of Fame.

Although reactions vary, screaming doesn’t usually ensue.

But it did this year when Robert Sanders Jr. got the call that his company, White Plains-based Hospitality Resource Group Inc. (HRG), won the 2009 Business Hall of Fame award for entrepreneurial success.

Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, held the phone at arm’s length as HRG’s three partners expressed their excitement – loudly – and popped a bottle of champagne.

“That was one of the best reactions we’ve had,” said Patricia Nicolais, director of membership and special events at The Business Council of Westchester. “Most people are very excited, but no group screaming.”

Sanders founded HRG as an event planning company in 1997 from an office in his Mahopac garage. Since then, the company has grown and split into four divisions including event planning (Event Solutions) corporate training (Strategic Training Solutions) marketing, brand management and public relations (Allegis Communications) and event design and décor (iQuest Designs).

“The Entrepreneurial Success Award singles out a business that has shown exceptional innovation and growth over time,” Gordon said. “Hospitality Resource Group has grown sales consistently year-after-year by 30 percent. Starting as a single company back in 1997, HRG has become a market leader by providing innovative services to their clients and staying ahead of the curve. This is the kind of success that other Westchester companies can aspire to.” 

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