SSP America

Earlier this year, the SSP America PASSION Cup flew to the three PASSION Cup-winning airports: Colorado Springs Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Recently, the directors of those airports, Susan O'Neil, Cecil Dulaney, and Michael Diraddo, did some flying of their own while celebrating together. The three partook in the ultimate thrill ride, flying in jet planes at Sky Combat Ace in Las Vegas! Chief Operating Officer Amanda Busby said, "I'm thrilled to bring our top three leaders and company role models together to celebrate their incredible accomplishments, listen to their insights, and inspire greatness within our entire team. Here's to learning from the best and striving for excellence together!"

SSP America was thrilled to spend a few days at the Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) Annual Conference and Exhibition! We hosted a Board dinner on Monday, and on Tuesday Senior Vice President of Business Development Bob Stanton congratulated this year’s Reclaiming the Sky essay contest winners: Tampa International Airport Sustainability and Resilience Program Director, Eric Caplan; Connico Analyst Fabian Guevara; and Departure Media Administrative Assistant Megan Adair. Reclaiming the Sky is an essay competition through the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham University. The essays tell the stories of aviation workers who rose up to meet the challenges of the September 11 attacks: those who went back to work as soon as they were able and the many who created charity projects and memorials to honor their fallen friends and colleagues. The effort the aviation industry put into restoring safety and confidence in air travel is commendable. SSP America is proud to sponsor Reclaiming the Sky with ACI-NA. To learn more about the competition and read the winning entries, visit https://lnkd.in/gpCP5fdJ.

On this Patriot Day, we remember the men and women who lost their lives in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We will never forget.

It’s Chef Appreciation Week and we’d like to thank our partner chefs! All over the U.S. and Canada, partner chefs help us craft a culinary experience that’s true to the character of the local community—we couldn’t do it without them! We wish we could highlight every one of the amazing chefs that help us bring a taste of place to every airport we serve but we’re lucky enough to have too many to list them all! Some of our partner chefs are david lawrence, Marc Forgione, Paul Wahlberg, Nicole Gomes, Tory Miller, Jim Stump, Massimo Capra, Mark Tarbell, Guy Fieri, and Matthew Carter.

The attention to detail, the flourish, the extra care that goes into every meal—we have our chefs to thank for the finishing touches that change every dining experience with SSP America from ‘a quick bite while traveling’ to a true taste of place. This Chef Appreciation Week, we’re honoring the men and women who brighten travelers’ days by delighting their palates. Just take it from Executive Chef & Vice President of Culinary Chuck Hatfield, "At SSP America our chefs are the heart and soul of our kitchens. Their dedication to crafting cool authentic recipes that reflect a taste of place ensures every dish we serve is a true reflection of quality and PASSION. This Chef Appreciation Week, we honor their artistry and commitment to delivering unforgettable dining experiences. Thank you for making every meal a celebration of flavor and excellence!"

What’s all that ‘racket’? It’s tournament time at LaGuardia Airport (LGA)! We ‘love’ playing ‘doubles’ with supplier partners like evian who helped us bring the city’s latest sports event to life right in the terminal while our superstar team ‘served’ up tennis-themed specials! Thanks, SSP America team and evian, for making this week a real ‘ace’! That’s ‘game-set-match’ for LGA!

Think you know good restaurants? Make your voice heard! USA Today readers know we bring a taste of place and three of our restaurants are up for this year’s 10Best! You can vote early and often—once a day in each category in fact! Polls close at 6 AM ET on September 23. At the top of the ticket we have The Palm Bar & Grille at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), running for Best Airport Sit-Down Restaurant. The down-ballot races are just as—if not more—important! You’ve got two great candidates for Best Airport Grab-and-Go Food: Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria at Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Beecher's Handmade Cheese (multiple locations). Vote for one or switch off every day! https://lnkd.in/dKeQkU8S https://lnkd.in/devJTKw3 https://lnkd.in/dcKtcaak

Our team at JFK International Air Terminal (JFK IAT) kicked it into high gear this week as we served a BBQ lunch to the thousands of employees who work in the Terminal. Director of Operations Greg Taylor weighed in by sharing, “The all-employee BBQ is my favorite day of the year. It allows us to showcase what we do for everyone in the Terminal. The team loves to work outside for the day and interact with the employees from all the different companies while we collectively thank them for their hard work. We have a lot of fun cooking for everyone, but we take it very seriously as well. Each year it keeps getting better and better, and we are passionate about making this year the best one yet.” Our valued partnership with JFK IAT is on full display during this event and we’d like to thank JFKIAT CEO Roel Huinink and his team for the opportunity!

This Labor Day, we want to thank the people all over the U.S. and Canada who make up our team. We couldn’t do it without YOU!

Do you know who’s gotten into the #BurningMan spirit? The SSP America team at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport! Not only did they dress up for the occasion, they opened a 'Burning Man Provisions' shop at the pre-security Peet's Coffee. Director of Operations Will Cooke said, “The entire RNO team pulled together to make Burning Man special for attendees right from the moment they deplaned. This past weekend we had the busiest day on record for RNO and I couldn’t be prouder of the job we did.”