Kim Russell
Executive Recruiter
Division: Restaurant
Location: North Carolina
Kim Russell
Executive Recruiter, Gecko Hospitality
Restaurant Division | North Carolina
Phone: 704-780-1045 (shared line) | Email: kim@geckohospitality.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-sanford-73571810/
About Kim
Kim Russell is an Executive Recruiter and Business Development Director with Gecko Hospitality, specializing in restaurant and hospitality recruitment throughout North Carolina. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in hospitality, beverage sales, business development, and team management, Kim brings a practical operator’s perspective to every search. She is passionate about connecting talented hospitality professionals with organizations where they can thrive, helping both clients and candidates build long-term success.
Background & Experience
Before joining Gecko Hospitality, Kim founded and served as President of Fine Wine Trading Company, a boutique wine distribution business she successfully owned and operated for more than 20 years. During that time, she built and led a team of professionals across North Carolina, managed sales operations, developed market growth strategies, negotiated supplier partnerships, and maintained full operational and financial oversight of the company.
Kim’s career also includes progressive leadership roles with prominent beverage distributors, where she consistently exceeded sales goals, expanded market territories, developed key client relationships, and increased market share throughout North Carolina. Her early hospitality experience as a Front of House Manager provided firsthand insight into restaurant operations and the challenges hospitality leaders face every day.
As a recruiter, Kim leverages her extensive industry network, business ownership experience, and behavioral interviewing techniques to identify top-performing restaurant, culinary, and hospitality professionals. She is known for her consultative approach, commitment to relationship building, and dedication to helping organizations strengthen their leadership teams while supporting candidates in achieving their career goals.
Areas of Focus
Positions: General Manager and Assistant General Manager; Kitchen Manager and Executive Chef; Multi-unit, area, and district leaders; Director and senior operations roles
Markets served: North Carolina.
How Kim Evaluates Talent
Evaluating talent completely depends on what the client is looking for. Sometimes tenure or progression is most important to the client. Other times P&L mastery or thriving in a high-volume setting is key for the role. Listening to the client’s expectations and knowing their business is key to customizing how I evaluate.
Kim’s Market Perspective
Many clients are in need of key leadership but may not be pursuing filling these roles due to economic constraints. We are closing in on the busiest time of year for many markets, and now is the time to launch searches to find top talent, fill the roles, and properly train to ensure the candidate’s success.
Advice
For employers: We work hard to put the best folks in front of you, but your timely communication on setting up interviews and giving us feedback will ensure we can get the cream of the crop on your team before they are snapped up elsewhere.
For candidates: Getting your resume and cover letters to the key decision makers is our job, but your timely communication on availability for interviews, supplying references, and so on is key to keeping the process moving toward an offer. There are too many choices for employers out there, and a candidate who is not responsive will get passed up every time.
In Kim’s Words
“Make every interview a fun, learning experience. Whether you are being interviewed or are the interviewer, let your personality shine. Hospitality is about human connection.”
Testimonials
“Kim was amazing. She was considerate she made sure I got all that I deserve and she kept in touch.”
Yolanda B. (Successfully Placed Candidate, November 25)
“Gecko’s Team is a great business partner”
Alan C. (Satisfied Client, February 26)
“Had a fantastic overall experience with this company.”
Christopher T. (Successfully Placed Candidate, October 25)
Kim Russell
Executive Recruiter
Division: Restaurant
Location: North Carolina
Kim Russell
Executive Recruiter, Gecko Hospitality
Restaurant Division | North Carolina
Phone: 704-780-1045 (shared line) | Email: kim@geckohospitality.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-sanford-73571810/
About Kim
Kim Russell is an Executive Recruiter and Business Development Director with Gecko Hospitality, specializing in restaurant and hospitality recruitment throughout North Carolina. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in hospitality, beverage sales, business development, and team management, Kim brings a practical operator’s perspective to every search. She is passionate about connecting talented hospitality professionals with organizations where they can thrive, helping both clients and candidates build long-term success.
Background & Experience
Before joining Gecko Hospitality, Kim founded and served as President of Fine Wine Trading Company, a boutique wine distribution business she successfully owned and operated for more than 20 years. During that time, she built and led a team of professionals across North Carolina, managed sales operations, developed market growth strategies, negotiated supplier partnerships, and maintained full operational and financial oversight of the company.
Kim’s career also includes progressive leadership roles with prominent beverage distributors, where she consistently exceeded sales goals, expanded market territories, developed key client relationships, and increased market share throughout North Carolina. Her early hospitality experience as a Front of House Manager provided firsthand insight into restaurant operations and the challenges hospitality leaders face every day.
As a recruiter, Kim leverages her extensive industry network, business ownership experience, and behavioral interviewing techniques to identify top-performing restaurant, culinary, and hospitality professionals. She is known for her consultative approach, commitment to relationship building, and dedication to helping organizations strengthen their leadership teams while supporting candidates in achieving their career goals.
Areas of Focus
Positions: General Manager and Assistant General Manager; Kitchen Manager and Executive Chef; Multi-unit, area, and district leaders; Director and senior operations roles
Markets served: North Carolina.
How Kim Evaluates Talent
Evaluating talent completely depends on what the client is looking for. Sometimes tenure or progression is most important to the client. Other times P&L mastery or thriving in a high-volume setting is key for the role. Listening to the client’s expectations and knowing their business is key to customizing how I evaluate.
Kim’s Market Perspective
Many clients are in need of key leadership but may not be pursuing filling these roles due to economic constraints. We are closing in on the busiest time of year for many markets, and now is the time to launch searches to find top talent, fill the roles, and properly train to ensure the candidate’s success.
Advice
For employers: We work hard to put the best folks in front of you, but your timely communication on setting up interviews and giving us feedback will ensure we can get the cream of the crop on your team before they are snapped up elsewhere.
For candidates: Getting your resume and cover letters to the key decision makers is our job, but your timely communication on availability for interviews, supplying references, and so on is key to keeping the process moving toward an offer. There are too many choices for employers out there, and a candidate who is not responsive will get passed up every time.
In Kim’s Words
“Make every interview a fun, learning experience. Whether you are being interviewed or are the interviewer, let your personality shine. Hospitality is about human connection.”
Testimonials
“Kim was amazing. She was considerate she made sure I got all that I deserve and she kept in touch.”
Yolanda B. (Successfully Placed Candidate, November 25)
“Gecko’s Team is a great business partner”
Alan C. (Satisfied Client, February 26)
“Had a fantastic overall experience with this company.”
Christopher T. (Successfully Placed Candidate, October 25)