Linda Chen etc…
Keith Tolbert brings to Gioworks 20 years of hands-on experience in the customer service industry, and 10 years of experience in sales. Keith is intimately familiar with every aspect of conferences and retreat planning, including hotel site negotiation/selection and on-site event organizing. He also manages our Hotel Partner Program. Given his history in the sales environment, combined with his networking resources, Keith can help make your next event a success! He also enjoys his role as Pastor and family man.
Introducing Marie Koury! Marie offers a wealth of experience stemming from over 25 years in the lodging industry. Marie’s background includes hotel operations, sales & catering, and Worldwide/Global Sales for a major hotel brand. She is well-traveled, having lived in Australia and Italy. She understands that service, venue choice, and negotiation details are key to a successful event/meeting.
“I want to build strong relationships and always strive to earn your business, long term”.
Russell Edmond serves the Gioworks team as Director of Operations aka “CPO” —Chief Possibilities Officer. He has spent over 20 successful years in the hospitality industry and draws from his valuable experience which began as a Marriott housekeeping manager and continued to evolve through working front office, food & beverage operations. Eventually he discovered his passion for sales. Russell believes in true relationship building & putting his client first which is driven by a positive, “can-do” attitude and out-of-the-box approach. Russell has served as the Director of Sales & Marketing for several large hotel brands as well as General Manager. As a Meetings Professional, Russell owned a Meeting Planning/Site Selection business for many years working with Sports Teams, Association, Non-Profit and Corporate groups. Russell graduated from Cal Poly Pomona and is currently attending UCLA pursuing a Certificate in Brand Management.
Meredith Barlow has a strong understanding of her client’s needs and is committed to developing long-standing relationships built upon trust and integrity. Her talents include meticulous attention to details during every step of the site selection and negotiation process, both domestic and international. Based on her experience as an association meeting planner, she anticipates the needs of her client’s program requirements with a smile and utmost professionalism. Animal welfare is very important to Meredith. She has fostered horses for the Equine Rescue League, White Bird Appaloosa Horse Rescue as well as Traveler’s Rest Equine Elder’s Sanctuary. She recently traveled to Nigeria, Africa to provide dentistry for abandoned horses. As a certified/licensed Equine Dentist, she attends the IAED, and IGFP Conventions annually, as well as workshops in Germany and the US run by the industry’s best.
Sondra Zepeda has served religious, military, fraternal and multi-cultural organizations for the last 12 ½ years while she was employed with a major hotel/resort brand. Over the last 2 years she has also enjoyed working closely with Corporate and Association groups. She is well known within the religious market in the California Desert and surrounding areas and is eager to continue working with organizations that wish to propel their programs to the highest level possible. She has also been recognized by the Palm Springs Convention Visitors Bureau as hospitality leader of the year in 2009!
Julie Guaderrama compliments our growing team with over 10 years of marketing and event management experience. Julie successfully managed events ranging from small meetings, conferences & trade shows, to large city-wide events. Gioworks embraces Julie’s ‘client-side perspective’ and dedication to service! Julie is based in Orange County, California.