Patrice Rice, CEO and founder of Patrice & Associates Hospitality Recruiting—which helps thousands of managerial candidates find rewarding jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry—announced that Patrice & Associates has earned accreditation from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
The WBENC is dedicated to advancing careers and honoring the achievements of successful businesswomen. As the nation’s largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, this endorsement comes as a great honor for the Patrice & Associates family of 40-plus offices nationwide.
The WBENC seeks to shine a light on the many influential women in business by recognizing their excellence in the community, business, and beyond.
As the sole woman-owned business in the hospitality industry to be given this accreditation, the endorsement reaffirms Patrice & Associates as a frontrunner in the hospitality industry and a leader for other industry-related businesses to aspire to become.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have the WBENC’s stamp of approval,” Rice says. “This could not have been done without the help of my qualified team of recruiters, who go above and beyond to place and retain top industry talent.”
Patrice & Associates lives by the mission that “recruiting is not about making money, it’s about helping people.” This statement has been the company’s guiding light since launching more than 20 years ago.
Rice started the business out of her basement, and since then it has grown to become the largest privately held search firm in the country. At any given time, the company has 400–600 positions to fill, and that number is continuing to grow due to the booming hospitality industry.
The $625 billion hospitality industry, employing 12 million people in the United States, has proven resistant to the recent forces of the recession.
Rice began franchising her hospitality industry–recruiting business three years ago in the midst of the Great Recession. It has continued to grow rapidly with more than 40 regional franchise offices spread across the entire nation.