Meet the Team
Andrew Rigie
Advisor to the miami hospitality alliance
Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance
Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association representing restaurants and nightlife venues throughout the five boroughs.
Andrew was born into the hospitality business, working at his family’s third-generation bakery in Queens, NY. He later “got his apron dirty” by working multiple positions within the industry before joining the New York State Restaurant Association in 2004. There he recruited members, was a grassroots organizer, and provided resources and consulting services to restaurant operators, including its Nightlife Association chapter that represented bars and nightclubs. In 2009, Andrew took the helm of the 80+ year old Association’s New York City operations as its Executive Vice President.
Rigie utilized the knowledge he gained working inside the industry and on its behalf, to become the founding Executive Director who launched the independent New York City Hospitality Alliance in 2012. Since then, The Alliance has grown into a premier organization delivering information, education, services, and representing thousands of restaurants and nightlife venues in the halls of government and in the media.
Zoe Darmon
membership manager
Zoe Darmon is the Membership Manager for the Miami Hospitality Alliance. She spent her youth growing up in kitchens as her parents worked in the industry everywhere from New York to Los Angeles to Miami. Over the past 7 years, she has worked hard to familiarize herself with each facet of what hospitality has to offer. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Government and a concentration in International Politics and Relations, she successfully bridged her interests in the law and hospitality fields with an opportunity to write about relevant legislative and regulatory issues affecting foodservice operators. Now, Zoe is dedicated to fighting for, and facilitating, all those in the MIA industry—and humbly appreciates the opportunity to do so by way of the MIA Alliance.
Andreas Koutsoudakis
general counsel
Andreas serves as General Council to the Miami Hospitality Alliance. Having graduated top of his class at the rigorous academic program at St. Thomas University College of Law, as well as St. Thomas University School of Business in Miami, Koutsoudakis’ knowledge and understanding of the law and the American legal system has been essential to his success in his legal profession.
As a founding partner at Koutsoudakis & Iakovou Law Group, he represents and advises businesses in litigation matters primarily involving employment-related issues, as well as shareholder and commercial disputes, governmental investigations and audits, and contractual relationships. His clients count on him to provide reliable preventive general counseling, which includes federal, state, and local compliance, internal audits and investigations, and handbook/employee policy development and implementation.
His civil rights and employment law defense experience includes the representation of individuals and businesses subject to government audits or investigations by the U.S. Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to name a few. Andreas provides quality guidance to these clients, helping them navigate the investigation process from start to conclusion, and defending against such investigations with creative out-of-the-box solutions. Andreas was also named to the 2019 SuperLawyers New York Metro Rising Stars list for Employment Litigation Defense, an honor awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys in New York.
As a restaurant owner himself, Andreas serves his Florida and New York-based restaurant clients with a unique perspective, appreciation, and understanding of the intricacies of their businesses. From top-tier establishments and quick service restaurants to national and regional chains, as well as single-location businesses, Andreas provides high-quality representation for the full spectrum of restaurant types.
Michael Iakovou
general counsel
Michael serves as General Counsel to the Miami Hospitality Alliance with a valuable combination of legal and business experience as a founding partner at Koutsoudakis & Iakovou Law Group. This allows him to provide clients with the quality advice and guidance they need to make effective decisions for growing and supporting their business investments. Michael has the knowledge and expertise to effectively represent companies in every aspect of their business lives, from real estate and labor-related issues to business formation and asset protection throughout the state of New York and Florida.
With vast commercial real estate and business transaction experience, Michael has represented sellers, purchasers, and landlords in numerous transactions, including those related to development sites, multi-family properties, commercial parcels, commercial leases, ground leases, cooperatives, condominiums, and private residences. His experience also includes substantial residential and commercial lending representation, providing counsel to numerous national and local lenders.
Michael’s extensive business and legal skills were refined throughout his experience as a business owner in various unrelated business ventures. First-hand experience as both an investor and in-house counsel has allowed Michael to acquire a keen sense of any business owners’ concerns regarding asset protection, day-to-day operations, partnership issues, and all matters related to company expansion. Michael has handled such business-related matters as negotiation of commercial leases, investor terms, incorporation, by-laws, and vendor negotiations, as well as the routine review of all marketing and day-to-day procedures of the company. This experience gave him the skills and knowledge to provide effective general counsel to a variety of businesses.