Fast 15: Jordan Garcia

Jordan Garcia was bitten by the hospitality bug early in life. Starting out on the setup crew at the Embassy Suites in Rogers when he was 16, Garcia knew even before he’d graduated from Bentonville High School that he could make a career out of event planning.

The former drum major and trombonist considered a degree in music but instead opted for one in human and environmental sciences with an emphasis on hospitality and restaurant management. Since graduating from the University of Arkansas in 2010, Garcia has been promoted a few times and is now the catering sales manager at the Embassy Suites.

His specialty is nonprofit fundraisers, social galas and weddings, but he also books short-term corporate events and, in the process, fields calls from across the United States and the world. What clients hear on the other end of the line is a courteous, seasoned professional with a passion for hospitality.

“That’s what my job is: to invite people into my home, which is the Embassy Suites,” Garcia said.

In his decade with John Q. Hammons, Garcia has polished his personal tastes — he likes grilled filets and Pinot Noir — and developed a Rolodex of contacts that includes the American Heart Association, Dancing with the Stars, Mercy Northwest Arkansas, Tyson Foods Inc., and a variety of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.-related groups. While he enjoys all of his events, some mean just a bit more than the others for the community-minded Garcia.

“My work with nonprofits is where I get my greatest sense of accomplishment,” he said.

While serving as assistant director of event services from 2011 to 2013, Garcia implemented “Raising the Bar,” a system that resulted in an 11.6-percent increase in customer service scores to nearly 90 percent, well above the worldwide customer service score for all Embassy properties.

Over the years, Garcia watched as the Pinnacle Hills area exploded with growth, giving him a ground-level understanding of the historic economic development that fed his career. When he first started working at Embassy Suites, Garcia recalls that the only buildings along Pinnacle Hills Parkway were the hotel and the JB Hunt Tower. The corridor is now crowded with office space and retail and is known as “The Golden Mile.” The latest addition, the Walmart AMP, is currently under construction.

“A bulldozer has not stopped moving since I started working here,” Garcia said. “For a while, it seemed like every month something new was opening up.”