Exeter-based Goodwin Family Management has grown over the past 27 years into a multifaceted platform that blends hospitality, recruiting, investment, and philanthropy under one umbrella. Founded in 1999 by Eric Goodwin as a hospitality-focused recruiting firm, the company today serves as a holding and management entity for its two primary businesses—Goodwin Recruiting and The Friendly Toast—while also functioning as a small family office investing in emerging ventures.
Goodwin Family Management now employs 613 people and remains firmly rooted in the state even as its reach expands nationally. Its mission centers on supporting its operating companies, investing in entrepreneurs, and giving back to the community.
“We started as a hospitality-exclusive recruiting company and expanded from New England outward,” says Eric Goodwin. That growth accelerated in 2014 with the acquisition of The Friendly Toast, which he describes as “a unique, differentiated concept”—an all-day brunch and bar experience built on [from] scratch cooking and broad appeal. “The beauty of The Friendly Toast is its variety of customers, from high school students to families to college students,” he says. Since the acquisition, The Friendly Toast has grown from one location in NH to 14 across New England.
Today, CEO Tyler Goodwin, Eric’s son, oversees day-to-day operations of the family business and helped to formalize the organization’s structure as it scaled. Goodwin Family Management operates with an 11-person central team that supports both businesses while also managing investments in real estate, startups, and local companies.
Despite that growth, Goodwin Family Management maintains a strong people-first culture. “You’re either growing on the vine or dying on the vine,” Eric Goodwin says. “We want to be world class in everything we do and create opportunities for our team.”
The company supports causes ranging from food security to the arts and education, including establishing the endowed Goodwin Family Scholarship at the University of NH, which provides annual scholarship awards to students studying hospitality management. Goodwin Family Management also encourages employee involvement and Tyler Goodwin serves as chair of the board for Prescott Park Arts Festival.
“Being great community stewards is essential to long-term success,” he says, noting employees help annually to select charities for company donations.
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