April 2005
Philadelphia Sunday Sun
Brooke's Steps to Success
ByAlecia L. Dean

The daughter of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson paves her own way to success with tried and true work ethics

For Brooke Jackson Edmond, Senior Vice President and Principal of Jackmont Hospitality; expectations of excellence and a strong work ethic were instilled early on in life. The daughter of the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, and mother of five, brings over ten years of professional managerial experience and her unique brand of Southem hospitality to the immensely popular T.G.I. Friday's Restaurants owned by Jackmont in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area: City Avenue and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. ''With over $70 million in annual managed volume and $28 million in revenue, her company, is poised for.. ..optimal growth within the hospitality industry."

Edmond earned her baccalaureate from Spelman College and continued her education at Comell University's School of Hotel Administration, where her business skills were honed. At Cornell, she encountered Daniel Halpem, her business partner for the last nine years. She demonstrared her business acumen with a combined background in hospitality and construction services; Jackmont's contracts include Atlanta Public
Schools, Grady Memorial Hospital, and it currently operates campus food services for Spelman, Emory, and Morehouse Colleges in the city of Atlanta and for Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. "Opening a restaurant wasn't my original intention , but I wanted to be in the hospitality industry because in Atlanta, franchising was not that accessible. My father lent me money to start my business. Although he wasn't active in day to day operations, he and my mother, Bunnie Ransom, were there to support me, along with my husband.. We came to Philadelphia in 2003 after TGI Friday's bundled a package of restaurants for us, two of them in Philadelphia. We did research on the restaurants locations and decided they were a great place to grow."

Despite her success, Edmond admits there were some roadblocks in her path. "It is as difficult for minorities to both get the monies to grow their businesses as it is to find the right acquisition opportunities. Also, locating the financing necessary to grow our business once we got into the position to finance it.. ..presented another issue. But part of the reward of being your own boss is overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles strewn in your path." Before coming to Philadelphia, Edmond cut her teeth on the $1.3 million TGI Friday's located at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the world's busiest airport. And Edmonds leadership of consrtuction related ventures before her Jackmont projects included the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and the Walt Disney Company among others.

Brooke also gained expertise on real estate and construction through course work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She offered that Jackmont's savvy was awarded the General Manager of the Year Award for 2004 and 2005 for franchise restuarants and two divisional awards for non-traditional franchises, including Highest Gross Revenue and Best Employee Retention."

Sage advice from her late father Maynard affords Brooke Jackson Edmond sensible decision-making. He cautioned her, "Always fully participate. ... be honest in every situation, run the business with integrity,
. . ..and treat your employees well; but she confesses " Finding and keeping the right people, from unit level management to hourly employees, is another challenge." Dedication and hard work are what separates Jackmont from its competitors. Whether in the boardroom or participating in civic activities like Big Sisters of Atlanta, Brooke Jackson Edmond is a young business leader poised for immense success.