Sahar Sander and Elan Burger established Naf Naf Grill in 2009, in Naperville, Illinois. Although the building that first hosted many hungry customers had no air conditioning and was run down, it didn’t stop the kitchen from doing what they loved. Not long after Naf Naf Grill was founded, lines started forming. Their award-winning falafels…
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Lori Ann Lange
Partner Development Coordinator & Senior Recruiting Partner
Andrea Oden
Internal Recruiter
Briana Miller
Internal Recruiter
Briana has been with Goodwin Recruiting since 2021. She has a degree in Human Resources and over 20 years of hospitality, education, and human resources experience. The Internal Recruiter role allows her to match all of those experiences and change candidates’s lives on a daily basis. Briana focuses on tenacity, truly listening to candidates, and building strong relationships as the keys to successful recruiting.
Charilynn McKennedy
Assistant Trainer & Senior Recruiting Partner
Charilynn joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2016. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Niagara University. She’s been in the hospitality industry since she was 16 and has always loved meeting new people on a day-to-day basis. Over the years, Charilynn gained experience in F&B Management, FOH Operations, BOH Operations, and Bar Management. This has made her extraordinarily successful in recruiting - finding the right fit for candidates and clients, and building congruent relationships along the way.
Ling LaFrambois
Senior Accountant
Ling has been a part of the Goodwin Recruiting team since 2011. She holds a degree in Computer Science and has over 25 years of experience in administration, HR, sales, teaching, and accounting. Ling is detail-oriented, efficient, and a wonderful representation of our Core Value, Be the Best.
David Highsmith
Data Analyst
David joined the Goodwin Recruiting team in 2021. He holds degrees in Arts, Spanish Language and Literature as well as History and Latin American Studies. As a System Administrator at Goodwin Recruiting, he assists with keeping all tools and resources updated and brand compliant. He enjoys finding efficiencies and creating processes that save time and provide improved results.
Sara Cauvin
Internal Recruiter
Sara joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2021. She has a background of over 15 years of hospitality operations experience, from fast food to fine dining. Over her career, she has established professional skills and peer relationships that make her uniquely qualified for the recruiting sphere. At the core of her drive is the desire to help teach, train, and equip others to find success.
Kristi Preston
Internal Recruiter
Kristi joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2021. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. From a young age, was always passionate about the hospitality industry, and after graduating found herself drawn back to it. Kristi has over 20 years experience in a variety of hospitality roles - project manager, investor, guest relations, and ultimately, talent acquisition. In her role as an Internal Recruiter, she brings a tenacious work ethic into all she sets out to accomplish.
Kaitlyn Wisser
Social Media Manager
Kaitlyn joined the Goodwin Recruiting marketing team in 2022. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design from Rowan University, and has a background in design, healthcare, hospitality, and recruiting. She has a drive and passion to help others reach their goals, and has been a big part of taking our social media presence to the next level.
Stacey Balzer
Trainer & Senior Recruiting Partner
Stacey Balzer joined Goodwin Recruiting in September 2016.
She spent over seven years as a TGI Friday's trainer and over five years in Beverage Sales with National Distributing. Stacey is also the Owner of Cruiting.com.
Stacey holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Florida Atlantic University.
Ben Irwin
Trainer & Senior Recruiting Partner
Ben Irwin joined Goodwin Recruiting in March 2014. Ben has a wide range of experience in the hospitality industry. Before joining Goodwin, his career included 10-plus years in Beverage Operations and 7 years in Beverage Sales Consulting.
Ben has an AS in Culinary Arts from Sullivan University and a BS in Criminal Justice from theUniversity of Louisville.
Vincent Frankowski
Regional Director of Recruiting
Vince Frankowski joined Goodwin in 2018. He attended Temple University for business management, but his true training occurred in the real world, on the job. Prior to joining Goodwin, Vince was a Director of Operations for an eight-location restaurant group in Atlanta, and the bulk of his experience came with his 14 years of owning six restaurants in the Philadelphia market, as well as five years as a managing partner with Bloomin' Brands, Bonefish Grill division. He loves the recruiting industry, and the successes of others bring him true happiness. It is an awesome feeling to tell someone that they got the job.
Rico Villavicencio
Area Developer & Senior Recruiting Partner
Rico joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2021 after 20 years in the Entertainment industry. He started in the music business as a Royalty Manager, then moved to Disney in 2006 as a Finance/Accounting analyst. In 2009, Rico moved to Technicolor Home Entertainment Services as an Account Finance Manager, where he managed the relationship between Disney and Technicolor as it relates to the physical media business of Disney. He was later on involved in Logistics, Supply Chain, and Operations as he got promoted to Account Director. Rico shifted gears into recruiting where he has found great success. He is relentless while having the ability to understand your needs and requirements, whether you are a client or candidate.
Miko Lukas
Director of Client Relations & Area Developer
Miko joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2021. She has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is also a Court of Masters Sommelier. Her background is in entrepreneurial leadership, sales, marketing, and recruiting. Miko owned a Sales, Marketing, and Recruiting firm for seven years, opening offices across the country. Her company motto was "Promote Altruistically," which means to help people achieve success without wanting anything in return. She has spoken at Leadership Conferences about mutual respect, developing positive environments in the workplace, and business ethics. After changing careers, she was a Managing Partner for an upscale restaurant group, where she spent ten years providing leadership for multiple teams across the country.
Kevin Kusinski
Regional Director of Recruiting
Passionate. Motivated. Professional. Creative. Trustworthy. These words describe me the best. My ultimate goal is to provide exceptional customer service.
Kevin Kusinski joined Goodwin Recruiting in September 2020. As a self-starter, Kevin values hard workers and leaders with a passion for helping others achieve their fullest potential. His "No Quit" and "Never Satisfied" attitude drives his work and personal life, and he loves to align himself with like-minded individuals.
Troy Bartee
Regional Director of Recruiting
Troy joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2014. He has a background of 30 years experience in hospitality operations, starting in Charleston, SC, where he was born and raised, and moving into management and corporate roles traveling across the U.S. He quickly fell in love with recruiting, finding that the ability to fill roles for clients and assist clients with their job searches was a perfect fit.
Susan Lumb
Regional Director of Recruiting
Susan joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2019 after a career in hospitality. She always appreciated how no two days were the same, and that still rings true in the recruiting world! Susan has worked for some amazing hotel and restaurant brands in a variety of roles, including VP of Training & Development, F&B and Rooms, New Restaurant Openings, and VP of Operations. Recruiting allows her to stay connected to the industry she loves while helping to provide exceptional clients and candidates opportunities for brand and career growth.
Steve Farrahi
Regional Director of Recruiting
Steve joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2017. The son of a chef, he spent more than 25 years in restaurant operations in Chicago - primarily in upscale dining, hotel, casino, and private club operations. Recruiting the best talent was always top of mind in creating the right culture for Steve's establishments. He has taken that experience into the recruiting sector, where he enjoys getting to find the right talent for many of the country's top companies.
Marcel Kuenzler
Regional Director of Recruiting
Marcel joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2009. He has a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, and extensive experience as a Corporate Restaurant GM, F&B Manager, and Executive Chef for restaurants and hotels internationally. Whether your company is seeking the next top-notch management member or you are seeking your own career opportunity of a lifetime, Marcel and his team are here to assist with energy, attentiveness, and compassion.
Joy Schneiderman
Regional Director of Recruiting
Joy joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2011, coming from a background in full-service, upper-polished dining. She is a Level 1 Sommelier. According to Joy, her career choice has truly changed her life, as recruiting provides a unique and exciting opportunity to create an impact for all parties—her team, clients, and candidates. Working with passionate, caring individuals as they help candidates advance their careers and support business growth at both a local and national level is so rewarding.
James Schreck
Regional Director of Recruiting
Jamie joined the Goodwin Recruiting team in 2018. He has over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including Multi-Unit, Director of Operations, and General Manager/Managing Partner experience. Jamie enjoys helping his team find the right talent for our clients job needs, and building strong relationships with our clients, candidates, and recruiting partners.
Chuck Jaloski
Area Developer & Senior Recruiting Partner
Chuck started with Goodwin Recruiting in 2018. He attended the Florida Culinary Institute and has over 20 years experience in hospitality, including VP of Culinary, Executive Chef, General Manager, Regional, Corporate, and Ownership roles. He enjoys helping his team match great candidates with great clients, and to have the opportunity to make life-changing, positive impacts for candidates and their families.
Carl Koebel
Area Developer & Senior Recruiter
Carl joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2019. He comes from a background working with large corporate brands and independently owned concepts. As a first-generation college graduate who paid his way along the journey, he knows hard work and has been in positions from hourly to owner throughout his career. Carl works hard to add value to candidates' lives and clients' lives through his earnest and genuine approach to building long-term relationships.
Alan McArthur
Regional Director of Recruiting
Alan joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2014. He has a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan, and over 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry - including as a Managing Partner for Outback Steakhouse. Alan loves supporting his team as they work with all types of organizations. His goal is to help companies grow by bringing in the right people at the right time.
Dylan Minton
Director of IT
Dylan came on board with Goodwin Recruiting in 2020. He is a self-proclaimed ‘IT Junkie’, who fell in love with technology at a young age. What started as video games turned into programming, and what was once programming turned into system management. Dylan received his BA in Economics from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is Salesforce Certified.
Eric Goodwin
President & CEO
Eric’s career began as an entrepreneurial restauranteur, where he quickly learned the importance of finding the right talent. He founded Goodwin Recruiting in 1999 with a focus on prioritizing relationships and integrity. Over two decades later, Eric remains an active entrepreneur, owning several concepts throughout the New England area. He continues to find success by staying true to the core values he passionately penned for his business: integrity, dedication to diversity and inclusion, congruent relationships, extensive support, transparent communication, simplicity, and excellence.
Scott Gaba
Chief Operating Officer
Scott brings over 25 years of hospitality experience to the Goodwin Recruiting team, including over 6 years as a district manager and 12 years as a general manager for corporate concepts. He started with Goodwin Recruiting in 2006 and has had a tremendous impact on the growth and success of the company. Scott oversees our Operations, Marketing, and Training teams and makes sure our recruiting partners have the tools and support they need to find success for our valued clients.
Brandon Laverriere
Chief Financial Officer
Brandon comes from a background in finance and economics in a wide variety of industries - including non-profit, telecom, manufacturing, technology, and retail. He holds degrees in Finance and Economics, and is a licensed CPA and Certified Equity Professional. Brandon joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2021 with a passion to provide strategic financial guidance to attract business and grow market share in new, innovative, and profitable ways.
Jessica Diamond
Vice President of Training & Partner Support
Jessica began her career with the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia before transitioning to the recruiting industry. She joined the Goodwin Recruiting team in 2006 and has since become our VP of Training & Partner Support as well as a Certified Diversity & Inclusion Recruiter. She believes that with passion, persistence, and a plan, you can achieve anything you set your mind to, and helps our support team and recruiting partners as they work to achieve their individual goals.
Gary Rumpp
Vice President of Recruiting
Gary joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2018, bringing with him 40 years of business operations experience. He entered the business world at age 14, as his family owned a leather goods company for 125 years. From manufacturing to hospitality, owning restaurants, a catamaran charter business, a construction business, and more, Gary is a wealth of knowledge in endless areas. He passes that knowledge along to our recruiting partners, clients, and candidates on a daily basis and has been an integral part of our growth and success.
Jenny Battershell
Director of Marketing
Jenny has been with Goodwin Recruiting since 2008. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University, majoring in Hospitality Management and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Her background is in boutique and upscale hotels. Here at Goodwin Recruiting, she has built extensive experience in sales, client relations, and marketing - supporting our team across the nation and working to build brand awareness through SEO, videos, blogs, and more.
Phil Spies
Director of Internal Recruiting
Phil joined Goodwin Recruiting in 2018. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rider University and has a background in recruiting and business development. He works alongside our Internal Recruiting team to grow our team of Recruiting Partners nationwide. Phil’s passion is in building relationships, and he enjoys helping candidates become recruiters themselves - to have the opportunity to work remotely, build their earnings, and create the work-life balance they’re looking for.
Allegra Highsmith
Vice President of Recruiting
Allegra comes from a background in hospitality management and started with Goodwin Recruiting in 2013. She found quick success, moving from a recruiting partner to the Director of Team Development, further leadership roles, and now a VP. Her passion for helping people reach their full potential has been evident throughout her career - helping candidates find new jobs, driving clients to bring on the best talent to propel their businesses forward, and supporting and developing the team at Goodwin. Her energy and expertise have shown through every stage of her career.