The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has launched its “40 Under Forty” for 2020. The chamber is now calling for nominations.
This is the Kelowna chamber’s sixth year of searching for the city’s high achievers and bringing their stories to the public.
BDO Canada LLP will make up the independent panel of judges.
There will be a wrap-up celebration for recipients once the program has concluded.
Jillian Haller considers herself as one of those rare individuals who was born and raised in Kelowna.
After completing her BBA at Okanagan College, she fell in love with the hospitality industry while working at the iconic Fairmont Empress in Victoria and Fairmont Palliser in Calgary before returning home to Kelowna.
Jillian then spent seven years working at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort in event management, sales and marketing before starting her entrepreneurial journey.
In 2017 her (now husband) Chad and their best friends, Jon and Jessica De Bruyne, founded Kelowna Concierge Ltd., the Okanagan Valley’s premier provider of local experiences, corporate event planning and transportation services.
Kelowna Concierge operates the official hotel airport shuttle, wine and beer tours as well as destination management services.
Jillian’s first major managerial role was the food and beverage administrative manager at the Fairmont Empress. She was part of a leadership team that oversaw six food and beverage outlets with over 200 unionized employees. Over the past three years of developing and growing Kelowna Concierge, Jillian has learned the importance of leading by example and demonstrating to her staff the exceptional level of guest service that they expect daily at Kelowna Concierge.
Jillian’s next big project was set to be the event manager for the May 2020 Memorial Cup, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jillian was extremely honoured to be the Event Manager, she became part of the Bid Committee in September 2018 and worked closely with the City of Kelowna, Tourism Kelowna, Festivals Kelowna and the many other incredible companies and organizations that were supporting the 2020 Memorial Cup.
Jillian has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Okanagan College.
She and her team at Kelowna Concierge were honoured to receive the first ever “Excellence in Tourism Award” presented by Tourism Kelowna at the 2019 Business Excellence Awards by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.
During her career in hotels, Jillian successfully planned and managed high profile groups and events such as the Canadian Culinary Championships, Skate Canada, WestJet VIP client events, and B.C. Nature Trust’s annual Earth Wind Fire event. Jillian was also recognized as one of the top 20 conference services managers in Delta Hotels for achieving 185 per cent of her room revenue goals.
She also achieved a prestigious “Star of the Month Award” at the Fairmont Palliser.
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