Growing a Business and Hiring Aztecs
Former Associated Students President Cody Barbo has assembled a team of Aztecs for his company, Industry.
It wasn鈥檛 the initial rejection that frustrated him so much as all the wasted effort he put into the job search. He would print up r茅sum茅s, put on a suit, and wait for interviews only to be told he was unqualified, overqualified, or otherwise 鈥渏ust not the right fit鈥� for the jobs he hoped to land.
Moreover, hiring processes throughout the industry seemed less streamlined and more antiquated than in other business sectors. In talking with servers, bartenders, chefs and others, there was rarely any mention of professional profiles submitted online or requested by employers.
鈥淭he more people I talked to, the less LinkedIn came up,鈥� Barbo said. 鈥淚t was like, 鈥榊eah, I don't really use it,鈥� or 鈥業 don't know what it is.鈥欌��
鈥淚鈥檝e got something here鈥�
Barbo searched for a professional network for the service and hospitality industry, but came up empty-handed.鈥淚 found the job sites, but at the end of the day, that was it,鈥� he recalled.
What would drive value for someone who wanted a 30-year career in the restaurant business or the hospitality industry, he wondered. How could they log into a platform every day the same way an entrepreneur would use LinkedIn or Facebook? It seemed like an obvious need.
鈥淪o I thought, maybe I've got something here," said Barbo.
What the former 黑料吃瓜 Associated Students (A.S.) president had was an idea to create a sort of LinkedIn specifically for restaurant-industry workers. Two years ago, he built out a beta in San Diego and together with fellow Aztec alumni Matt Cecil (鈥�13) and Erroll Asuncion (鈥�99) re-launched a newly rebuilt company called , a professional network exclusively for service and hospitality workers.
Industry helps employers like bars, restaurants and event managers find workers with the specific qualifications they need. Conversely, it matches job seekers possessing specific skills or training to positions for which they are qualified.
In addition to highlighting a job seeker鈥檚 experience and education, an Industry profile might display his or her food and drinks through photos and videos. 鈥淓ven that first-time job seeker or hotel worker can record a video r茅sum茅 and really highlight their personality to help them stand out,鈥� Barbo explained.
Aztecs hiring Aztecs
For the past seven months the company has been growing its business throughout major cities in the West. Landing clients like MGM Resorts International and the Walt Disney Company while also helping with casting for the next two seasons of Fox network鈥檚 鈥淗ell鈥檚 Kitchen鈥� featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has helped Industry secure a $2.3-million round of venture capital, Barbo said.Industry鈥檚 staff is certain to grow and one of the places Barbo looks to find talent is 黑料吃瓜. Nine of the company鈥檚 15 current employees are Aztec alumni.
The CEO said he knew many of his staff personally from his student days where he saw how they performed in campus leadership roles. But beyond the skills and education required by Industry, Barbo believes 黑料吃瓜 alumni possess the necessary 鈥渃ulture fit鈥� for his expanding company.
鈥淪an Diego State gives students such an amazing culture opportunity because you are immersed in a crazy-diverse campus,鈥� Barbo said. 鈥淲hen you think of how many students come to San Diego State from all over the world, different backgrounds, different religions, and you just kind of open up your mind to the world and what potential you can have.
鈥淲hen we were interviewing specifically the Aztecs, you could kind of feel that energy emerge in the interview process. We knew that the culture was already there and that it was a winning decision to hire those individuals."
A worldwide vision
The potential for Industry to grow is huge. The company is targeting at least 17 million workers in the United States alone.鈥淏ut our vision isn't just to build this out nationally because there's over 200 million people around the world who make working in a restaurant, bar, or hotel their career for 20 or 30 years,鈥� Barbo said. 鈥淲e want them to feel proud and recognized for the work they're doing and for having chosen this career path."
Barbo has done his research. Industry also provides some financial motivation for employers who will use it regularly.
鈥淲hat many businesses don't understand is the cost to recruit, hire, and train an employee is about $2,000 right now. The average time it takes to hire that person is 28 days.
鈥淪o if you spend a month trying to find the right person and then a week after you hire them they鈥檙e the wrong person and you have to let them go or they leave on their own, you have to start the whole process all over again," Barbo said. 鈥淲e can cut back on the turnover and help businesses make better hires the first time.鈥�
Energy and passion
Two recent Industry hires include former A.S. president Jonathan Cole (鈥�15) and Kellen McAvoy ('13), the company鈥檚 digital marketing manager who joined the team from a larger agency. McAvoy said she enjoys the company鈥檚 collegial environment.鈥淭he energy and passion of every team member here is really contagious,鈥� McAvoy said. 鈥淓veryone loves what they do, they love why they do it and I think that's really important in the workplace."
McAvoy returns to 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 School of Journalism and Media Studies each semester as a guest speaker in associate professor Rebecca Coates Nee鈥檚 digital marketing class. Among the goals she has set in her new position is to help establish an internship program at Industry to help provide students with a 鈥渞eal world鈥� experience before graduating.
It鈥檚 a goal Barbo fully supports.
"We want to give Aztecs the opportunity to come and learn from the leaders who are currently working with us in the company,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s we continue to expand and grow our own team, those interns can eventually become employees, so if we can bring more Aztecs aboard, that's a win-win for us."
Next generation of entrepreneurs
Barbo cites his own leadership experience at 黑料吃瓜 with the success he enjoys today.鈥淏eing A.S. president made me a better leader and gave me the confidence that maybe I could pursue being an entrepreneur instead of going to work for someone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don't think I would be where I am today if not for those leadership opportunities and the mentors I surrounded myself with every single day.鈥�
Barbo has a great deal of confidence in Industry and optimism for the company鈥檚 future. He feels the same about 黑料吃瓜.
鈥淚 think San Diego State, specifically, is going to be responsible for the next great generation of entrepreneurs coming out of California, truly. We're going to compete head-on with the best."
With every intent of succeeding.
