With decades of experience,
Susan Reilly Salgado, Ph.D., understands the impact leaders have on organizational outcomes.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER, ADVISOR, THOUGHT LEADER, AND ONE OF FAST COMPANY’S MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
In 1992, Susan fell in love, twice: with the man she now calls her husband, and with New York’s Union Square Cafe.
While they were dating, Susan and her husband, Jason, shared many meals at the bar of Union Square Cafe in NYC. Susan was fascinated by the dependably caring service and the staff’s ability to provide authentic, memorable experiences for guests.
Years later, while pursuing a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from NYU’s Stern School of Business, Susan wanted to decipher the correlation between engaging work environments and outstanding business results. Her marvelous experiences at Union Square Cafe immediately came to mind.
In 1998, she had a chance meeting with famed restaurateur—and owner of Union Square Cafe—Danny Meyer. Soon thereafter, Susan had convinced Danny to let her study his organization’s culture for her dissertation research.
When Susan earned her doctorate, she had developed a unique model of organizational culture that decoded Union Square’s remarkable success and, in the process, had fallen in love a third time: with the culture of Danny Meyer’s company.
In 2003, Danny named Susan the first-ever Director of Culture & Learning of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). In this role, Susan was responsible for building infrastructure to support the company’s culture and creating a blueprint for scaling it. The leadership development programs she created during this time were a fundamental component of the company’s success in growing its culture throughout significant growth, including the creation and scaling of the Shake Shack brand.
Throughout her time at USHG, Susan noticed the similarities between family and business. Not only were the restaurants like siblings in a family, but the culture was most effective when actively managed by leaders, much like the role parents ideally play to create a thriving household. She found that the key to sustaining culture at home and in organizations was intense accountability to high standards of behavior, while simultaneously maintaining mutual care and respect.
In 2010, in response to significant demand from external stakeholders, Susan partnered with USHG to create a consultancy, Hospitality Quotient (HQ), to share these practices with other companies. In 2017, she spun the business off to create Grason Consulting, her firm that provides consulting and training services inspired by the achievements at USHG and HQ. Her mission: to make the world a better place, one workplace at a time.
Susan has been a contributor to Inc., co-founded the NYC chapter of Conscious Capitalism, and was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. Susan’s work is profiled in numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Business Insider. Susan and her family live in Manhattan.
Susan has engaged with teams across more than 20 industries.
HOSPITALITY
BJ’s Restaurants & Brewhouse
Chick-Fil-A
Common House
Compeat
Grill Concepts
The Indigo Road
The Marine Hotel Association
Long Island Wine Council
LM Restaurants
Shafer Vineyards
Union Square Hospitality Group
Shake Shack
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association
World of Hyatt
MEDIA
Allure
Barron’s
Crain’s
Comcast
Condé Nast
Fast Company Innovation Festival
TRANSPORTATION
CLEAR
Delta
EDUCATION
The Department of Education, NYC
The Glenholme School
GLG
New York University
NYU Law School
NYU Wagner School of Public Service
The Practising Law Institute
School of Visual Arts
Stanford in New York
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
University of Pittsburgh, IEE
Yale University, School of Management
Entertainment & EVENTS
Jujamcyn Theaters
ProductionGlue
Roundabout Theater Company
ShowCanada
TedX Broadway
FINANCE
Alpine Investors
Cary Street Partners
Citibank
Conscious Venture Lab
Edward Jones
FirstMark Capital
Goldman Sachs
Investment News
JP Morgan
Merrill Lynch
Northwest Credit Union Association
FASHION & BEAUTY
The Accessories Council
Chanel
Ermenegildo Zegna
Kiehl's Since 1851
Healthcare
The American Board of Pediatrics
The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
Beth Israel Hospital
Cedars-Sinai Hospital System
Chesapeake Pediatric Dental Group
Community Veterinary Partners
DDS Ventures
Emblem Health
Health Connect Partners
InTown Veterinary Group
North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Novartis
Patients as Partners
Primrose Retirement Communities
Westchester Medical Group
HR
American Benefits Association
bswift
Hireology
MidAtlantic Employers Association
COMMUNITY & NonProfit
Conscious Capitalism
Darien Library
Greyston Social Enterprise
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Share Our Strength
Small Business Services of New York
Union for Reform Judaism
The YMCA
SALES & INSURANCE
Denver Agency
Global Insurance Symposium
NFP
Pure Insurance
The Richman Group
Sotheby’s
Construction & security
Assa Abloy Door Security Systems
Gardner Builders
High Concrete
StructureTone
consumer products & retail
Avalon Flooring
Coca Cola
Ford Motor Company
H-E-B
Scott’s Miracle-Gro
Spinx
Stella Connect
