Airport Experience® News - ACDBE Issue 2025

AT A GLANCE NAME OF COMPANY: Concord Collective Partners/ Enjoy Repeat HEADQUARTERS: Los Angeles, California OWNER(S): Gregory Plummer YEAR OF ENTRY INTO AIRPORTS: 2016 AIRPORTS: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

CONCEPTS OPERATED: Currently at LAX: Panda Express (T1), Einstein’s Bagels (T1), Chick-fil-A (T1), Betcha Burger + Bar (T1), Ace Cerveceria & Tacos (T1), Qwench/Wetzel’s Pretzels (T1), Alfred Coffee (T3), Peet’s Coffee (T6), California Pizza Kitchen (T6), PF Chang’s (TBIT), Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (TBIT), Santa Monica Brew Works (TBIT) NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 250+ FUTURE PLANS: Concord Collective Partners / Enjoy Repeat plans to expand its operation at LAX later this year through new partnerships with Wolfgang Puck, Black Tap Singles & Doubles, and Tender Crush.

“We are dedicated to empowering individuals from underserved communities by providing comprehensive skills training, fostering emotional intelligence, and cultivating a passion for excellence,” says Plummer, noting that the company will launch a meal subscription service offering affordable, healthy options designed to boost productivity and enhance employee retention. “Beyond our immediate growth at LAX,” says Plummer, “we are enthusiastic about pending long-term concessions opportunities outside of Los Angeles and several new joint venture partnerships where our larger prime counterparts recognize our unique value proposition.” Plummer’s steady rise has been noticed across the industry, too. “Greg Plummer is an ACDBE trailblazer who has redefined industry norms by leading a 100% ACDBE collaborative in the major acquisition of eight restaurants from a prime operator, an uncommon reversal in traditional concessionaire practices,” says Richard Schneider, chief development officer for Areas USA. “Leveraging his experience as a former LAX concession manager and his sharp business acumen, Greg has emerged as a prime concessionaire and a powerful example of the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of the ACDBE program.” Outside his work with Concord Collective and Enjoy Repeat, Plummer stays busy on both the boards of the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA), and on the executive committee for the Alliance for Economic Fairness . Giving back through such organizations is a “responsibility for us,” adds Plummer. “We have to show up, we have to give something greater than trying to just help ourselves.”

now known as Concord Collective and became the first 100% minority-owned small business to take over eight locations at LAX from a prime concessionaire. After closing the deal in late April 2021, Concord Collective reopened its first store, Chick fil-A, in May 2021, activating three of SSP’s concepts and eventually reinventing five of SSP’s eight LAX concepts to operate Panda Express, Betcha Burger + Bar, Ace Cerveceria & Tacos, Qwench/Wetzel’s Pretzels and California Pizza Kitchen. “It was a large undertaking, with a lot of work and coordination, [but] I felt like my whole career was building up to this moment,” says Plummer, noting that he was determined to make the venture work as a way of proving that airports could consider ACDBE partners as “real operators,” and adding that the experience of being able to bring employees back to work after the initial Covid-19 shutdown was the “fondest moment in my career.” And while Concord Collective has continued to expand its offerings at LAX, operations have not been without challenges amid the country’s ongoing financial uncertainty post-Covid-19. As they navigate layoffs and ongoing change in the airport market, Plummer notes that his priority is always to “be respectful and fair, and to approach with an emphasis on lasting relationships” in his operations within the industry. Plummer also has plans for Concord Collective Partners / Enjoy Repeat to expand, with eyes on widening their scope at LAX through new partnerships with Wolfgang Puck, Black Tap Singles & Doubles, and Tender Crush as well as developing the company’s capacities in both workforce development and logistics.

Einstein Bagels, a local burger concept called Cassell’s, a Trejo’s tacos as well as a smoothie and juice cafe called The Bean opened in partnership with SSP in 2018. In working with SSP America, Plummer got an even more granular experience managing the ups and downs of concessions at one of the world’s busiest airports and found his time at CMS had served him well. “I worked for a guy who gave me a lot of autonomy to learn, so I knew I had what it takes to go for it. I believed I could actually be a partner who added tremendous value,” says Plummer. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent travel shutdown tested his meddle. Plummer found himself consulting with various concessions companies, “hustling and doing anything I could to make ends meet” amid the devastating period for the industry when he got another unexpected opportunity. “I got a call from the same friend who worked at SSP who said, ‘We’re interested in selling [SSP’s LAX business].’ I immediately started thinking about it and said: ‘Sell it to me — I’m already here,’” says Plummer. SSP agreed, but Plummer had another challenge ahead: raising funds. “Imagine raising money to buy an airport contract in the midst of the devastation caused by Covid,” laughs Plummer. “It was a very difficult lift.” To do so, Plummer gathered a group of fellow ACDBE concessionaires across the country to form an investor partnership

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AX NEWS JUNE 2025