Patrick Goddard joins as Executive Vice President, Operations and Kevin Vaughan as Chief Revenue Officer.
MIAMI –October 5, 2016 – In preparation for its service launch in mid-2017, Brightline has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Patrick Goddard as Executive Vice President, Operations and Kevin Vaughan as Chief Revenue Officer. Both are seasoned executives, each with more than 20 years experience, in hospitality and transportation. Goddard is responsible for all Brightline operations, which includes station operations, transportation, safety and security and mechanical operations. Vaughan is leading product and pricing strategy, revenue generation from direct sales and e-commerce, as well as sponsorship development.
“As we move closer to our opening date, we are continuing to prepare for the major activities to come, and to build the management capabilities for the long term success of our service,” said Michael Reininger, Brightline president. “Both Patrick and Kevin have the expertise and experience in entrepreneurial ventures such as ours, as well as a great depth of knowledge in hospitality and transportation. We are pleased to welcome them to the Brightline team.”
Goddard joins Brightline from Trust Hospitality, where he was the Chief Operating Officer in charge of all aspects of the business for a portfolio of more than 35 properties around the world and has extensive experience with opening new hotels, many of which have been entrepreneurial and start-up ventures successfully launched in South Florida. Prior to that, he was the President and Managing Director of Ocean Blue Hospitality, a consultancy firm that specialized in hotel openings and sales, marketing and revenue management for independent hotels. While there, he successfully repositioned the Clevelander Hotel and also worked on the Grand Beach Hotel, Savoy Hotel and the Raleigh, among others. Goddard also held management positions with Rosewood Hotels and Loews Hotels, as well as Hilton Hotels, Jurys Hotels and other independent hotels and restaurants in Europe.
Vaughan has a strong background in driving topline revenues and delivering an exceptional customer experience. Prior to joining Brightline, he served as President and COO of One Sky Flight, a private jet holding company comprised of the Flexjet, Flight Options, Sentient Jet, and Skyjet brands, where he focused on the acquisition of Flexjet and then integrating that operation into the business. He previously served as both President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Sentient Jet Card business. Prior to his work in private jet operations, Vaughan spent five years at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide as Senior Vice President Customer Marketing, focusing on building capabilities in customer relationship management (CRM), direct marketing and customer data capabilities. Vaughan has also previously worked at McKinsey & Company and The Procter & Gamble Company.
About Brightline
Brightline will redefine what it means to travel by train in America with express inter-city passenger rail service arriving 2017, providing an important transportation alternative to connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with future service to Orlando. The service will ease the stress of traffic, provide a simple and intuitive experience from door to destination, and foster new opportunities to explore more of Southeast Florida. Brightline is the only privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail system in the United States. For more information, visit our website: www.gobrightline.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.