Andrea Arena, President/CEO
2 Places At 1 Time, Inc.
Andrea Arena is the President and CEO of 2 Places At 1 Time, Inc., the nation’s first provider of employer-subsidized, corporate concierge services. Since founding the company in 1991, Andrea has expanded the Atlanta-based firm to locations throughout the US and Canada and has garnered the honor of being named to Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing privately held companies in the US for two consecutive years. In addition, she has been selected as one of Catalyst Magazine’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs for 2002 and top five for 2000, a regional finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year competition and nominated as a 2002 “Georgia Tech Woman of Distinction”. Andrea was also featured in the first issue of Catalyst Magazine as one the “5 Professionals Changing the Way We Do Business In Atlanta” and named “An Outstanding Georgia Citizen” by Secretary of State, Cathy Cox.
In addition to serving as the visionary and leader of 2 Places At 1 Time, Inc., Andrea served on the Advisory Board for Georgia Tech’s Business School, is an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization’s Atlanta Chapter and the Downtown Atlanta Rotary Club, a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC), has funded the Young Artists’ Scholarship for the Atlanta Lyric Theatre for three years and was an active member of the Atlanta Lyric Theatre’s Board of Directors. With a focus on education, she completed MIT and Inc. Magazine’s three-year Birthing of Giants Program for advanced entrepreneurial learning and was the 2004 keynote speaker at the Georgia Tech Women’s Leadership Conference, as well as a two-time Georgia Tech IMPACT speaker. Not shy of the spotlight, Andrea was featured on the jumbotron along with President Jimmy Carter during Ga. Tech orientation and is a frequent speaker at Ga. Tech’s School of Entrepreneurship and the College of Management and Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship and Emory University’s Business School. Some of Andrea’s other notable speaking engagements include: the Springboard Conference, Women in Business, the Tennessee Benefits Professionals, and the Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation (HOBY).
In addition to inspiring others through her speaking engagements, Andrea also mentors and coaches entrepreneurs. Known for her “tough love” approach, Andrea has worked with a wide range of startups in a variety of industries including social networking, mortgage brokerage, and custom clothiers to name just a few. She thrives on challenging others to reach limits they didn’t think possible and helps them grow professionally as they grow their businesses.
While working her way through school at Georgia Tech as a concierge at the Hyatt Regency, Andrea realized that busy executives and professionals would benefit most from their own concierge. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Management in 1989, Andrea knew she wanted to develop a company that made a positive impact on people’s everyday lives, and she has been able to do so for millions of people through her company. With her life savings of $5000 and a dream, she started 2 Places At 1 Time, running errands from her home. Even though she no longer has to run errands (she has an international team of concierges to do so), Andrea is very much a part of the day-to-day operations of her company.
A caring, witty individual with a knack for helping others, Andrea continues to make an impact in Atlanta and around the country. Andrea currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.