51: Building Partnerships in Trying Times with Jill Garcia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today we are thrilled to be speaking with the poster-child of entrepreneurship, Jill Garcia. Jill is the President and Owner of The Hutton Group. She bought the company just before the pandemic and is optimistically looking to the future. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jill has been in the industry for the last thirty years, and she has a fabulously inspiring story to share with us today. We know that you will enjoy listening to Jill's story of resilience!</span></p> <p><strong>Jill Garcia’s bio:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jill Garcia is the President and Owner of The Hutton Group - Inspired Meetings & Events, a twenty-five-year-old, woman-owned-and-operated full-service meeting planning company headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. From large-scale events to focused incentive programs, she has planned meetings for groups ranging from 10 to 10,000 attendees. Her meeting planning expertise encompasses all major markets globally to include association, corporate, and SMERF clientele. She can provide solutions as diverse as the clients and industries she serves. With over thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry, Jill has worked for hotels, theme parks, destination management companies, and as a long-time independent meeting planner. Most recently, as a Senior Director of Global Accounts for HelmsBriscoe. In that role, Jill was a top producer. She was earning the President’s Club Award for eleven years running. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jill holds a degree in Communications from Central Connecticut State University. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband John, a teacher, and her children, both human and furry.</span></p> <p><strong>Jill Garcia shares her journey</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jill Carcia moved to Orlando, Florida, with high hopes of meeting some famous people by joining the hospitality industry. She started her career working as an assistant at a hotel and then worked her way