About Al da Costa

 

Albert da Costa has been a trainer, coach and consultant for forty years. Al’s focus has been people and process, primarily in the hospitality field, as well as work with other industry boards and staff development.

Albert holds a post graduate certification in Organization and Systems Development from the Gestalt Institute in Cleveland and a Master’s degree in Management and Organizational Development from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.

Albert is an Extension Professor at UCLA and has taught at both Arizona and California colleges, as well as for the California Restaurant Association.

As a trainer, Al has consistently emphasized the importance of group dynamics in solving critical challenges at core staff, mid management and board level.

Al’s first large scale community building took place in 1994 with a group of 400 participants. The success of the program was measured by 60% retention of the original participants after a 5 year period.

The introduction in 1998 of diversity – community building into a collaborative learning model was singular in design and was recognize by UCLA as key to Al’s repeated success in teaching culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

A large scale project in 2000 allowed for the introduction of the Community Building through Diversity design. The ongoing success of this model is measured by 35% to 50% reduction rates in turnover both in line staff and at multi - management levels on an annualized basis.

Al has been recognized by UCLA, Foodservice Consultant's Society International, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy for exceptional service and has been recognized in industry publications for his work in diversity, coaching and staff retention.

His clients include national and international restaurant chains, non profit and for profit boards, hotels, casinos and quick service restaurant concepts.