Boutique Design - Fall 2022 - 36

JOAN CARDY
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
THE CARDY GROUP, TORONTO
How did you get started in the industry? In 1984,
shortly after moving to Toronto, I landed a job in
sales and marketing with a design fi rm that also
employed a person to handle their project-related
purchasing requirements. Within six months
the buyer left abruptly in the middle of a project
and they needed someone to step in to complete
the job. As I was the only person at the fi rm who
wasn't a designer and I was known to be a stickler
for details, they nominated me to the role of
buyer, thus ending my very brief career in sales
and marketing. This unexpected event was the
start of my career in hospitality procurement-a
role I quickly came to love and turned into my
professional career.
Did you have a big break? My 'big break' came
in 1985 when I was at a dinner party with some
industry people where Gerry Brown, who at the
time was the head of the procurement department
for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, announced that
he was leaving his position to start Gerry Brown
& Associates. I was looking for a new opportunity
and thought this would be a great fi t. The next day
I reached out to Gerry and suggested that with my
meager six months of experience, I would be a great
fi rst employee. Unsurprisingly, his response was
that he needed to secure work before he was in the
position to hire anyone, and that even then, he'd
likely want someone with more experience. I went
home disappointed but overnight came up with an
idea that I thought might work for both Gerry and
me. I offered to work for him unpaid for a year with
the condition that if I helped land any projects or if
I performed beyond his expectations that he would
make me his fi rst paid employee. I received my fi rst
paycheck well under a year from my start date.
The real break was not just that Gerry was a man
of integrity who always kept his word, it was that
I went to work for a wonderful mentor who taught
me to always lead by example, along with teaching
me the fundamentals of hospitality procurement
and running a business-many lessons that I still
use to this day.
Advice for up-and-comers? The fi rst thing we tell
newcomers is that although there is an expectation
that things should move quickly, nothing happens
as fast as anyone wants (especially at the speed
that our clients would like). This has become more
evident in recent years, where technology has made
instant gratifi cation possible in so many other
aspects of one's life. When it comes to our industry,
the best way to understand the challenges that
a procurement agent deals with is to experience
fi rsthand the full cycle of a project. The other
advice I can give is to be a keen observer and learn
via osmosis. There is great value to appreciating
the lessons learned by others who've not only made
mistakes but also learned how to resolve them.
36
FALL 2 0 2 2
HOTEL BARR I ÈRE FOUQUE T 'S NEW YORK BY MART IN BRUDN I ZKI DES I GN STUD IO
THE GOODT IME HOTEL MI AMI , DES I GNED BY KEN FULK
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE CARDY GROUP
Boutique Design - Fall 2022

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