Short Biography on Linda's Career

1. Linda Ghaffari is Founder and CEO of Affinity Strategic Partners, LLC and Affinity
Construction Services. Both companies (hand in hand) form a Minority-Owned
Business Advocacy Firm with a specialty in the field of Construction Services and
Program Management. Affinity Strategic Partners was born from the need to help
small women and minority owned businesses build capacity and be put in a position
to build revenue and grow profits. Linda’s passion lies in the Hospitality world and
the desire to serve others. In her role as CEO at Affinity Construction, her directive
is simple; listen to the clients’ needs and don’t stop until you get it right. She has
taken on both Commercial and Residential projects; in the Public and Private sector
– committed to understanding all of the nuances in Construction that can help her
help others better. In the end, Linda believes that good communication and
planning are the key to a successful project done on time and on budget. Her
experience in the hotel industry as General Manager and VP of Asset Management
gave her hands on Construction Management experience; allowing her to manage
crews and General Contractors alike. As a Construction professional coming from
the Owner’s Rep side, she is also in a unique position to understand the client’s needs better than most. Project Management
comes easy to her, so pulling it all together comes naturally.
Throughout her professional career of over 30 years, Linda’s core philosophy has always been customer centric. She has a
zeal for success that drives her to achieve optimal results for her clients. By leading teams of experienced professionals,
Linda has helped hundreds of businesses boast their sales and drastically improve ROI. Whether it be by improving sales,
materializing cost savings or implementing innovative processes, the customer’s needs always come first.
As a hospitality professional for over twenty-five years, Linda extended her calling by helping others achieve their dreams of
becoming successful business owners. Since 2015, when she had her first encounter with the world of Diversity and Inclusion,
she knew that as a Latina Woman she needed to take on a leadership role and show other women that they can be anything
they set their mind out to do. Linda’s favorite quote is “Where there is a will, there is a way; I have the will, I’ll find the way”;
she truly believes nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. Creativity and Passion have been the key to her successful
career and continue to be her daily mantra. Linda’s passion, energy, and drive are why clients hire her, employees love
working for her, and her peers get energized around her. She always gives it her all, never leaving a stone unturned. When
she is faced with a problem her first reaction is to ask “what is the solution?” and won’t rest until she finds the answer.
Tenacity is a word often used by her peers when describing her; she does not give up easily or walk away from a challenge.
Living in Dallas throughout her entire professional career she has had to privilege of working with some of the finest
professionals in the industry. As an employee, Linda worked for only one group of hotels; first owned by Bristol Hotels and
Resorts then later by FelCor Lodging Trust. She has always felt blessed to have started and ended her professional career
there; building relationships that have weathered the test of time. She is also grateful to have worked in an environment
that allowed her to flourish, becoming a General Manager at the young age of 26 in a male dominated industry. It was not
an easy decision to leave her hotel family to open her own business, but her young children at the time needed to be priority.
Linda believes that in order to stay relevant you have to reinvent yourself with the times, and that she has done. She is
currently enjoying her role within the world of Diversity and Inclusion with Construction as her “pet project”, but is always
open to other areas where she can grow and make a difference. Today, Linda thrives as an entrepreneur and a diversity
advocate. She is a “connector”, helping businesses connect to form fruitful relationships, forming an ecosystem of diverse
industries and backgrounds for winning combinations.
Linda Ghaffari: Professional Bio 2019