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BOCA RATON AND ORLANDO, FL – Athan "Tom" Prakas, president/broker of The Prakas Group, Inc., a full service real estate brokerage firm with offices in Boca Raton, FL and Orlando, FL specializing in commercial transactions, restaurants and hospitality properties, has expanded with the addition of a new personnel recruitment arm for the restaurant, food service, and hospitality industries.

            The division, called Restaurant Placement Group ("RPG"), will help place restaurant professionals, including chefs, managers, and corporate personnel in the restaurant and hospitality field. RPG represents restaurants and related organizations (hotels, country clubs, assisted living facilities, etc.) seeking to fill key positions. RPG also assists restaurant industry professionals to help explore new career opportunities. Tom Prakas comments, "The recruitment company adds another dimension to The Prakas Group, and helps us continue toward a goal of providing full service to the restaurant and hospitality industry."

            Heading Restaurant Placement Group is Kenneth E. Spahn, Esq., president. According to Tom Prakas, "Ken is a natural to lead Restaurant Placement Group. His extensive connections with restaurant owners, managers, chefs, and executives give him an intimate knowledge of the requirements for restaurant personnel. Ken's contacts and experience, combined with the restaurant brokerage business conducted by The Prakas Group, make this extension of the firm a natural and complementary growth path."

            Ken Spahn brings a wealth of restaurant experience to Restaurant Placement Group, including key management positions with General Mills Restaurants, Inc. (n/k/a Darden Restaurants), American Restaurant Marketing Group, and Young & Rubicam.  Mr. Spahn has served pivotal roles with major chains including York Steakhouse, Skyline Chili (the premier chain of Cincinnati-style chili parlors), and Western Steer Steakhouse, as well as many local and regional concepts. He has worked closely with restaurant owners and developers, corporate executives, managers, and franchisees to help attract, train, and retain qualified personnel.       Ken Spahn is also a renowned writer in the food and restaurant arena, having authored nearly 300 articles over the past 20 years. Mr. Spahn's restaurant and food columns currently appear in Today's Restaurant News, Simply The Best, and Boca Raton Observer magazines. He was also the food columnist for Las Olas, Boca Life, and Enlightened Practice magazines; plus Boca Raton News and Happy Times Monthly newspapers.

            In addition, Mr. Spahn boasts a distinguished career in real estate and business law, having served as counsel for several commercial developers, along with national, regional, and local restaurant and retail establishments.  He has also published four national Law Review articles.

            Mr. Spahn has been intricately involved in numerous culinary events over the years, and has had the honor of being selected as a celebrity Judge in several food and wine events, including the prestigious Taste of The Nation, plus the Best of Boca, Venetian Carnivale, and Chocolate Decadence Festivals.

            "We're all looking forward to serving the restaurant industry with personnel placement services," says Mr. Spahn. "Through our restaurant and food service activities over the years, we have developed hundreds of personal contacts with restaurateurs, managers, chefs, marketing personnel, and corporate executives. We certainly look forward to filling their personnel recruitment needs. Combined with our Prakas Group affiliation, Restaurant Placement Group is positioned to be "The Restaurant Personnel Matchmaker" – especially in Florida." He further notes, "We always maintain absolute strict confidentiality."

            Mr. Spahn holds a B.S. degree with Honors in Business Marketing from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and a J.D. degree with Honors from Florida State University College of Law. He is a member of the Florida Bar, and is active in various civic organizations including Share our Strength, March of Dimes, Hospice Foundation, Boca Raton Historical Society, Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, and Kids in Distress. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Mr. Spahn now resides in Boca Raton, Florida.

            Tom Prakas says, "In addition to the new recruitment division, we are planning to make additional enhancements to The Prakas Group's menu of services for the restaurant and hospitality markets, hopefully by year end. Plans are underway for a restaurant operations consulting division, as well as an insurance division for providing restaurant and hospitality clients with hospitality insurance products, including property/casualty and Worker's Comp."

            Restaurant Placement Group is located at 705 East Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL.  For more information, contact Restaurant Placement Group at (561) 368-0003 (ext. 17), or by e-mail to: ken@restaurantplacement.com. Or, visit the company's website at www.restaurantplacement.com.

The Prakas Group, Inc., established in 2000, provides brokerage services for restaurant, nightclub and commercial properties throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties, and recently expanded into Orlando with an office at 7380 Sand Lake Center. For more information, contact The Prakas Group at (561) 368-0003, or visit the company's website at www.prakasgroup.com.

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