Danielle Phillips
Danielle Phillips
General Manager
Location: Columbia
I started with Southern Way Catering as the Director of Hospitality, Athletics Division for over three years, but transitioned into the General Manager role in January of 2021.
I am originally from Knoxville, Tennessee where I attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and majored in public relations! In college, I interned with a premium seating and sport event management company that landed me my first full-time position in the fall of 2014. I stayed with that company working across several universities including UT, UofSC and Duke before transitioning into the food and beverage industry.
There is just something about making someone’s vision come to life. Being able to work with clients to help make their ideas come to fruition is so rewarding! Every event, every client is so different, and the industry is constantly changing/evolving, so you are always kept on your toes. Give me all the chaos! I love tackling big events with lots of moving pieces like game days for a few thousand people, sold out concerts, festivals, etc.
My favorite Southern Way Catering memory has to be when we were finishing our suite and special event catering for three back-to-back Hootie and the Blowfish shows. I was able to step back once the chaos had died down and I remember the immense sense of pride I had in our team at that point.
This company was built on creating an unparalleled hospitality experience for our clients, and each team member shows a strong dedication to that philosophy daily. I love the family dynamic this company has. Because we have a small team, we are able to work directly with one another day in and day out, which is invaluable when it comes to executing events.
I love making people happy. Whether it’s our internal team or one of our many clients my work satisfaction is always based on the ability to utilize my heart for service. This company has taught me such valuable traits such as patience, humility, confidence, the ability to delegate…the list could go on and on!
Although I find myself completely diving into my work most days, I love spending time with my many pups, my amazing husband and our son, Elias. I am a big fan of anything outdoors (as long as it isn’t cold out) and eating/drinking my way through Columbia and surrounding cities!