The Power of Partnerships

Dale J. Venturini
President/CEO, RI Hospitality Association

It’s rare in today’s day and age that a business operates 100% on its own. Sure, the management of day-to-day operations is taken care of by our staffs. But, the competitive environment that we presently operate in results in many hurdles for the typical business owner to clear. Now, more than ever, partnerships are increasingly important as we try to weather what we hope is the final stage of a tumultuous economic climate.

Partnerships are powerful. They allow allies to work together toward a mutually beneficial goal. In an industry such as hospitality, partnerships haven’t just become necessary over the last several years, they’ve always existed.

In fact, the Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) has been in existence since 1982. Prior to that, we existed as two separate entities: the RI Restaurant Association and the RI Hotel Association. Restaurants and hotels in Rhode Island join the RIHA because we are committed to providing vision, leadership, legislative support and educational resources to our partners.

One partnership created by RIHA is our Green Certification Program with the RI Department of Environmental Management. This program was created several years ago, when going green started to emerge as the responsible way to conduct business. Now, every fall, hotels and restaurants voluntarily assess their own green performance standards in hopes of winning the Green Certification. As an added bonus, AAA of Southern New England has agreed to award its green eco icon to businesses who earn the Green Certification, making these businesses more appealing choices in today’s eco-conscious society.

Through our partnership with the RI Department of Health, we have been able to train one of our food safety instructors to conduct private food and kitchen audits. These audits match the stringent guidelines used by state inspectors, and allow our members to be proactive in ensuring that their kitchens meet proper standards. Sometimes, our audits are even more critical, but the ultimate goal remains the same: to provide the highest level of service possible to our customers.

In order to better fulfill the demands for learning and training opportunities, we formed the RI Hospitality Education Foundation (RIHEF) in 1994. Since the beginning of this endeavor, we have been able to form many more partnerships which have enhanced not only our ability to serve our members, and our member’s ability to serve their customers, but also everyone’s ability to serve the local community.

One of our favorite partnerships is with Dorcas Place. Dorcas Place is a non-profit adult learning center that strives to help low-income Rhode Islanders realize their full potential through literacy, advocacy, and employment. Through our classes, we have reached workers who otherwise would not have an opportunity to pursue an exciting career in hospitality. The generosity of RIHA members has provided a hands-on outlet for these new workers to learn and hone their skills. Dorcas Place is also a place where hospitality workers can learn new skills in order to further their careers.

RIHEF has also found partners with vocational schools and colleges around Rhode Island, allowing us to not only connect students with potential employers, but to also better promote an overall understanding of the hospitality industry.

The last several years have been an extremely difficult time to be responsible for any business. However, the recession has been especially hard on the hospitality industry. Occupancy rates have plunged, and families have reconsidered how best to use their discretionary spending, causing restaurant reservations to lag well behind what we’d like to see. This makes the power of partnerships that much more important.