Mentoring Partnerships
We fundamentally believe that our strength as an organization is amplified through embracing diversity and fostering collaboration. Our journey from being a small, ACDBE-certified business to championing and mentoring other ACDBE businesses has truly been full circle. In all of our projects, we are thrilled to invite a small, minority-owned business to the table to give them more opportunities to grow and succeed in the same way that we have. We believe in collaborating with and fostering small businesses to help them reach their goals.
More voices at the table, representing a diverse set of experiences, enhance our operations and improve our business.
Farmerbrown + HFF
Empowering Our Partners
Since we seek out local innovators who share our values and vision, our partners are often small, chef-driven, minority-owned businesses who need guidance and support as they make their way in the fast-paced airport world. To that end, we do everything in our power to mentor our partners and to give them the necessary knowledge, experience, and tools to succeed in the industry.
At San Francisco International Airport, we share a percentage of ownership with our partners Chef Jay Foster and entrepreneur Deanna Sison of farmerbrown, when the industry standard is typically only a licensing fee. Holding a true stake in the success of the business empowers Jay and Deanna to have a strong voice in the business and allows HFF’s COO Kevin Westlye to continue his decades-long mentorship with the duo, which began when he first hired a then 19-year-old Jay as a server at The Franciscan in the mid 1990s.
Today, as manager of La Cocina (a non-profit working to solve problems of equity in business ownership for women, immigrants, and people of color), Jay passes on this knowledge to others, mentoring and cultivating low-income chefs and breaking down barriers towards a more diverse and equitable food industry.
