We had the good fortune of connecting with Kendra Plummer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kendra, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” ― Shirley Chisholm In an industry that typically lacks diversity at the ownership and executive levels, I had to learn to be my own advocate. Going against the grain often comes with obstacles, however this quote is my constant reminder that the mission to empower women and minorities into levels of ownership is worth fighting for. This quote reminds me that Shirley Chisholm’s advocacy for her seat was the catalyst for many women in politics to follow. As a shaker creating my own path, I won’t always be invited to the table…but I will always show up.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the Founding Partner of Elise Capital, a hotel real estate investment firm purposed to educate and empower more women and minorities to reach levels of hotel ownership. As the saying goes, the road to entrepreneurship is not a straight route and in a male dominated industry this path came with more hurdles than I imagined.

I grew up making many trips to visit my family in Jamaica and Barbados. It was these trips that inspired me to embark on a career in hospitality leading me to have a goal of owning a hotel in the Caribbean from a young age. Fast forward a few years I began my first job in the industry as front desk agent at a hotel in Philadelphia while I earned my degree. Diving into the industry was eye-opening and exciting! I enjoyed being able to meet guests from all across the world, and still be able to relate through the kindness of hospitality. I made it my mission to become a hotel expert taking on roles in front office, housekeeping and sales and marketing. Having a successful career in operations I knew hotel ownership would be next.

I was wrong.

Hotels are both an operating business and a real estate investment. To succeed in ownership, I needed to have a strong finance background which was not my strong suit. Coming face to face with my fear of numbers as another hurdle, I chose not to get discouraged and hit the books earning another degree, this time a master’s in business administration. I applied the same mantra as before and became an expert in hotel asset management, acquisitions and development. My career flourished working for top companies in cities across the country, but as I matriculated through my career, it became clear the ultimate position I was vying for was not well represented with people who looked like me. It’s been reported only 1 in 22 hotel executives are women and only about 2% of owners are Black. I quickly learned that in order to reach the levels of ownership I was pursuing I would have to learn to take risks and advocate for myself.

I established Elise Capital out of recognition that there are many women and Black people who have potential to become hotel owners, but do not know where to begin. This issue mainly stems from scarcity of inclusion in ownership opportunities and lack of education on the ownership process. I equip and educate novice hotel owners in understanding how to become an owner as well as seek and evaluate hotel opportunities to invest in. With Elise Capital I aim to shake up the current image of what a hotel owner looks like and fuse diversity into the industry creating new pathways for generational wealth.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
As a native of Boston, the last few years in Atlanta have allowed me to truly explore a new city. Atlanta is rich in both history and great food! One of my favorite spots is Ponce City Market. I love the historic architecture of the building, but my favorite part is Nine Mile Station on the rooftop for unmatched views of the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to culture. As a first generation American with parents from the Caribbean my family helped to ignite my passion for the hotel industry. The numerous trips back home showed me the importance of the tourism and hospitality industry in my own community and inspired me to work within it to be able to make a long-standing impact on others.

Website: www.elisecap.com
Instagram: @EliseCap
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendraplummer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EliseHotelCapital
Other: kendra@elisecap.com

Nominate someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.