(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 02, 2002 ) Linda Moore, HMSHost's Vice President of Government Affairs, served as moderator for an issue forum sponsored by the Congressman Wm. Macy Clay (D-Missouri) and the Congressional Black Caucus.

Entitled "Economic Development Opportunities for Minorities in Our Nation's Airports," the forum, convened on September 13, 2002, consisted of two speaker panels covering a wide variety of topics of interest to aviation and business leaders. Notable speakers included Fanny Rivera, Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights of the FAA; Col. Leonard L. Griggs, Jr., Director, Lambert St. Louis International Airport; Kansas City Councilman Terry M. Riley; and Sonya Thorpe Braithwaite, Director, Diversity and Emerging Markets International Franchise Association.

"I am so very honored to participate in such prestigious panels," Ms. Moore said. "To hear the thoughts of key leaders from so many areas was truly illuminating. Although it has been a challenging year for airports and the aviation industry, it's important to stress that there are still substantial opportunities for minority-owned businesses in airports. Sharing viewpoints from a variety of professions and organizations generated extremely productive discussions that raised the awareness level of all participants and attendees."

The panel discussions covered many topics including: franchising opportunities in the airport environment; restructuring incentives to promote enterprise growth while diversifying risk; and the value of a strong prime concessionaire operators to the growth and development of minority-owned businesses.

"We are so happy that Linda could serve as our moderator this morning," Congressman Clay said. "Her knowledge of the aviation sector was an important element in our discussions. Linda drew out key observations and insights from our distinguished panelists that helped us to explore some very productive and compelling lines of inquiry.

About HMSHost

HMSHost, formerly known as Host Marriott Services, is world-renowned for creating innovative concession plans in travel venues. HMSHost has revenues of $1.6 billion and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Autogrill S.p.A. Together, HMSHost and the rest of the Autogrill Group are recognized leaders in retail, food and beverage concessions serving people on the move. With operations in nineteen countries around the globe, the combined Company has annual revenues of over $2.6 billion.

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