Centerplate launches integrated service division

US-based hospitality provider Centerplate, which bought and renamed UK caterer Lindley Group in 2013, has created a new multi-faceted division called the Hospitality Solutions Group (HSG).

HSG was created to meet the growing needs of clients for "a seamless, end-to-end strategy, design, build, and service delivery function", the caterer said.

"This is an exciting time for Centerplate, and for event hospitality, which is increasingly becoming a key component of the brand for a team or venue," commented Chris Verros, president and CEO of Centerplate, who claimed that the company was the first in the industry to have an in-house design group.

"This move is a natural next step in integrating the growing discipline and practice areas into our overall strategy to make hospitality design a central part of our core offerings and promise of making it better to be there at live gatherings," he added.

Centerplate said it has taken on larger capital projects in collaboration with its clients, ranging from major renovations to new building openings.

Recent major projects in the UK included ACC Liverpool and Echo Arena, Sunderland AFC's Stadium of Light, Liverpool Philharmonic, Sage Gateshead, the RAF Museum in Hendon and Twycross Zoo (pictured).

Eric Wooden has been appointed to the newly-created position of senior vice president, Hospitality Solutions. He has has been with Centerplate since 1989, and has more than 25 years of experience managing hospitality operations in professional sports and entertainment venues, as well as facility design and capital projects for Centerplate on behalf of its clients, overseeing all venue enhancements in the company's portfolio.

Steve Lelitka, Centerplate's UK-based director of projects, and manager of projects Gayle Ogilvie, will join the HSG team directing the company's new construction, renovation and service mobilisation projects in Europe. Lelitka has more than 20 years' experience in food service operations and project management gained whilst working with restaurants, caterers and hotels throughout the UK.

Ogilvie, who began her career in catering operations before moving into project management, has also assisted in shaping Centerplate's major renovation projects, including updates to several Premier League operations such as those at the Stadium of Light and White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham Hotspur.

Dennis Martinez, former chief operating officer of RevEquip, has joined Centerplate as the HSG's facility design director. Martinez has worked within the foodservice design and consulting industries for 20 years, bringing a wealth of international experience in design ranging from hotel projects in Mecca for Jabal Omar Development and restaurant design for Fifth Dining at Saks Fifth Avenue, to concepts for San Francisco's iconic AT&T Park.

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