Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul D. Radu.
Paul, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It’s tough to tell where and when the story of my professional career started, but it sure started early on. I am being reminded by my mother every now and then, how I always used to say as a 6 or 7 year old that my dream job was to be a ‘Manager’ one day (little did I know what that entailed). My aspiration to build a meaningful business, with a product and service display that people will refer to as a game-changer, has always been a catalyst for me; more so, my impact should always challenge people’s daily problems to help maximize their performance and become more successful all-together.
I grew up in Romania, a magnificent yet ‘limited’ country in Eastern Europe, and moved to Germany at age 11. I believe the combination of both backgrounds gave me a certain foundation that is important when pursuing a path in the hospitality business. The people-oriented mindset (hence the Latin heritage) I was exposed to in Romania and the structure and professionalism that Germany is naturally known for, this took me on the right path early on. I was luckily denied my application to go into law enforcement education at age 14, at that stage, I was already joggling 3 restaurant/bar jobs (server, bartender and helping my brother with his own restaurant), all while attending school.
It was apparent that I was not doing it for the money at that stage, as all my income was collecting dust with little to no time for anything; and so, at age 15, I decided to move away from my parents ‘nest’ and start my professional hospitality path in Munich. After my hospitality educational preparation I set out to take on my 12 year tenure with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in different capacities within Food and Beverage operations. I was always inclined towards the bar/beverage operation and spend my first two years working through the ranks at one of the top Hotel bars in the country (Ducktails Bar at the Westin Grand Munich).
With some international ‘gigs’ under my belt and successful national mixology championships, I was ready to make the big jump over the Atlantic and relocate to South Florida. I have ever since been part of industry leading projects in the hospitality landscape, primarily as opening operations team (The Atlantic Fort Lauderdale, W South Beach, St Regis Bal Harbour etc.) and executive positions, business development and asset management.
With a substantial library of industry experiences, I decided about two years ago it was the right time to dedicate full time to what today is considered a ‘game-changer’ in the beverage service industry – Glimpse. A hospitality technology company delivering actionable management support tools to hospitality owners and managers, its sole aim is to help every bar and restaurant reach its full financial potential by uncovering ‘lost’ sales and employee under-performance all with camera identification.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In my personal experience, relocating to the US was at times one of the biggest challenges; let alone being away for long periods of time from family (in the hospitality industry you don’t get much free time as we all know, and in my first 10 years here, I was always on to the next big project), but also the ‘way of things’ here in South Florida put me with the back on a wall in the early stages.
One of the reasons I chose this career path is due to my inclination to learn and adapt to new cultures and accept diverse backgrounds; I quickly learned that the clock ticks a little different here in South Florida when it comes to managing people in this industry, which helped me grow as a person and flex my style accordingly in order to find success and advancement. Diversity and culture embracement is what this country is known for – more of a reason for me to have found a permanent second home here.
Struggles there are many, but I always believed that with the right healthy mindset one can overcome anything and reach new heights almost every day. No issue is unsolvable until you put your head to it, no matter how much you know about a particular topic. In today’s world, we have access to infinite knowledge and resources at our fingertips.
Glimpse | Performance Insights – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Since it’s inception, Glimpse developed a well-deserved reputation for a unique technology solution and service that helped our hospitality clients efficiently grow their business.
Our video-auditing bar management software monitors every food and beverage service transaction through video cameras, and then matches captured data to the client’s existing standards of service and point of sale records, variances are identified and reported back to management and ownership for immediate improvement. Think of it as your digital mystery shopper or the clients ‘eyes in the sky’.
Our reporting challenges employee behavior with indisputable employee evaluations, instantly improving work process efficiency and the ability to generate higher sales, leading to an immediate increase in profit.
I am most proud to consistently see the success stories and our clients experience an instant revenue increase within the first month of our program implementation, in many instances, this represents the imbalance between making it as an operator or having to close down the business.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is unquestionably measured in various units. To me, it means creating a business and lifestyle that empowers customers, employees, and the community in equal measure, and not having to describe what has been accomplished.. others will do it for you. I strive to add positive value to people’s lives, from a personal and professional standpoint.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6815 Biscayne Blvd
Suite 103-221 Miami, FL 33138 - Website: www.glimpsecorp.com
- Phone: 786-292-2373
- Email: insights@glimpsecorp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glimpsecorp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlimpseCorp/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlimpseCorp
- Yelp: n/a
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/glimpse-corporation/
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
