Ep 105: Meet the African-American Woman Dominating the Airport Retail Landscape
Side Hustle Pro
Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media
4.8 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2018
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Have you ever been in the airport, walked into a store or restaurant, and wondered who owns it or how that particular store got such prime real estate?
Well, today’s guest will shed light on an industry I personally knew very little about. And I promise you you will never look at an airport news, gift shop, or restaurant the same way again.
Her name is Mary Morgan and she is the President of Morgan Group Ventures, Inc.
Mary entered the airport arena initially as a consultant to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority which sparked an interest in airport concessions. After five years of management consulting, Mary decided she wanted to focus solely on concessions and obtained her first inline retail location (Pen & Prose Boutique), which she continues to operate today.
Following five years of retail operations, Mary entered a partnership with
HMSHost where she has been able to jointly bid, win and operate food and beverage and
news and gift locations within airports. Today, Mary operates independently and in conjunction with HMSHost multiple locations in National, Dulles and BWI Airports. Mary has also operated concessions in Philadelphia International Airport.
Prior to founding Morgan Group Ventures, Mary worked in Fortune 100 companies providing financial services, strategy, process redesign and information technology services. She is also a CPA and received her BS in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Today, Mary shares:
- The barriers to entry in airport retail
- The inside scoop on getting your business into an airport
- The keys to success in airport retailing
- And more!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Your people are your greatest asset in terms of running any type of business, not just an airport business, but any type of business, but in return for that, you've got to make sure your people are taking care of. |
| 0:17.1 | You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your |
| 0:22.1 | side hustle from passion project to profitable business and I'm your host |
| 0:26.9 | Nikala Matthew Zakome so let's get started |
| 0:31.5 | Hey hey guys welcome back to the show. Today in the guest chair, I have someone who is going to blow your mind. She has blown my mind. |
| 0:39.0 | So, have you ever been in the airport, walked into a store or restaurant, |
| 0:43.7 | and wondered who owns it, or how that particular store |
| 0:47.2 | got such prime real estate? |
| 0:49.1 | Well, today's guest will shed light on this industry, |
| 0:52.4 | which I personally knew very little about and I |
| 0:55.7 | promise you you will never look at an airport news gift shop or restaurant the same |
| 1:01.8 | way again. |
| 1:03.0 | Her name is Mary Morgan, |
| 1:05.0 | and she is the president of Morgan Group Ventures Incorporated. |
| 1:09.0 | Mary has over 25 years of experience |
| 1:12.0 | supporting airport infrastructure and traveler needs. |
| 1:16.2 | This expertise includes retail, food and beverage and news and gift operations. Mary entered the airport arena initially as a consultant to the |
| 1:26.4 | Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, which then sparked an interest in airport |
| 1:31.4 | concessions. So, after five years of management consulting, Mary decided that she wanted to focus solely on concessions and obtained her first in-line retail location, |
| 1:44.1 | Pan and Pro's boutique, which she continues to operate today. |
| 1:48.8 | Following five years of retail operations, |
| 1:51.7 | Mary entered into a partnership with |
... |
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