Justin Gurski

General Manager at Eurest - Small Business Owner

Columbus, Georgia, United States

About

An experienced operations manager with an extensive background in everything food service, from catering to accounting to HR. Nonprofit volunteer. Amateur horticulturist and small business owner.

Experience

  • Board Member at International Aroid Plant Society
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Volunteer board member for the International Aroid Plant Society, Inc. Assisting research and conservation-based non profit in operations to promote, research and protect plants in family Araceae and by extension all wild places.

  • Small Business Owner at Fuzzy Petioles llc
    Mar 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 4 mos

    I started a business growing and selling plants. Mostly tropical species including many genera in family Araceae, Moraceae, Cactaceae, etc. I work from home in my free time, growing in my back yard and selling at local farmer's markets and a local retail space as well as online, shipping around the country. Specialty is breeding Anthurium species to create interesting hybrids from seed. Goal is to break even in year 3 and potentially convert to non-profit, donating proceeds to organizations like The Rainforest Trust, International Aroid Society, etc. to help protect the forests these plants originate in to help push back the tide of climate change.

  • General Manager at Eurest USA
    Mar 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 4 mos

    General Manager for Corporate Dining at TSYS in Columbus, GA. Responsible for multiple unit operations, P&L, hiring, client retention, training and development, sometimes the grill cook and delivery guy.

  • Aramark (6 yrs 9 mos)
    • General Manager
      Dec 2015 - Mar 2018 · 2 yrs 4 mos

      Primary manager of accountability for campus dining, responsible for the successful operation of two all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities, four convenience stores, three national brand locations and campus catering serving 4500 guests daily. Primary on-site point of contact for client

    • Director of Retail dining
      Sep 2015 - Nov 2015 · 3 mos

      Managed and directed retail departments composed of 9 individual locations, including national brands such as Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Einstein's Brothers, as well as proprietary quick service restaurant and retail locations. Department consisted of seven operational and administrative supervisors as well as over 90 hourly employees.

    • Catering Director
      Feb 2013 - Sep 2015 · 2 yrs 8 mos

      Primary manager of accountability for campus catering department executing over 1,000 events annually and totaling over $500k in revenue