Casey Riley has been promoted to chief operating officer at Newport Harbor Corp. Riley will oversee all of the company’s dining and hotel operations, including culinary, beverage and hospitality programming at the company’s hospitality venues. Riley, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, served as executive chef at Agora in Providence.
PBN: Previously you served as Newport Harbor Corp.’s director of culinary operations. How has that role expanded?
RILEY: The fundamental difference is in widening the lens. In the previous director role, my focus was on all aspects of food production across our company and the asset management and operational oversight of Castle Hill Inn. As the COO of our company, I am now tasked with leading the majority of our hospitality operations: culturally, philosophically, strategically and tactically. This challenge offers a tremendous opportunity to expand my depth of broader business dynamics, management process and leadership influence.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
PBN: Which of your assets will help you bridge the role’s wide range of responsibilities?
RILEY: The scope is larger, but I have already walked that bridge through 27 years of work in high-end restaurants, hotels, inns and corporate environments. As a chef, I never left my influence at the kitchen door. Great service delivery is essential to lasting culinary success. Without driving excellence throughout the guest experience, the meal will not be complete and the amount of love, passion and energy it takes to make one dish special is often lost. It isn’t “front of house” or “back of house,” it is “one house.”
PBN: Is there a common element that underlies the restaurants associated with Newport Harbor ?
RILEY: We are an [employee stock ownership] company. Most of the staff that cooks your food, makes your drink and delivers your service are employee owners. The values of ownership are central in our approach to service and hospitality. In support of that, we have four guiding … core values, which are: the customers guide us, employees rule, do the right thing, and profits matter. The great dynamic with these principles is that to fulfill our full potential, each of these values is a balancing point and feeder to the other. •
