Services EMG Consulting provides include community and resident research; visitor-, market- and consumer research; economic impact studies; marketing and advertising profiles as well as demographic analysis and profiles.
Dr. John Salazar and Anton Abraham were deeply entrenched in the Lowcountry research before they left the community due to professional reasons. Between 2005 and 2020 they were running a research institute at a local university, completing up to 130,000 usable surveys, collected and analyzed data for over 210 projects, and have spent approximately 215 days in the field conducting survey research.
“Every project with EMG Consulting starts with a comprehensive investigation of our client’s needs and goals, which includes budgetary and time constraints. Subsequently we propose a project scope, on target, on time and on budget.”
John Salazar, President, EMG Consulting
John Salazar
President & CEO
John Salazar, PhD, CHE is the Coordinator of the University of Georgia Hospitality and Food Industry Management Major, an Associate Professor and CEO of EMG Consulting, LLC. Prior to this he was a Professor in the Department of Hospitality Management at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and Director of the University’s Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Institute (LRITI). He has also been a hospitality management faculty member and tourism research director for the University of Tennessee and held faculty positions at Southern Illinois University and University of South Alabama. He earned his PhD from Auburn University, MS from University of South Alabama, and BS from Northeastern University.
Dr. Salazar’s research focuses on hospitality human resource management, destination management and marketing, and festival and event management. He has conducted research for companies such as Marriott Hotels and Resorts, The Sea Pines Resort, Point Clear Holdings Hotels and Resorts, Radisson Hotels, Country Club of Detroit, and Philadelphia Country Club. He has also conducted research for local, state, and regional tourism agencies throughout the US as well as the US Department of Transportation.
He is the author of over 80 peer-reviewed publications, proceedings and presentations, has been awarded more than 180 grants and contracts totaling over $1.2 million in funding. Prior to joining academe, he held leadership positions for various premier hotel and resort companies throughout the US.
Nancy Hritz
Dr. Nancy Hritz, has been a faculty member and researcher at the University of South Carolina Beaufort since 2015. Since 2019 she joined EMG Consulting as a freelance consultant. She holds a PhD in Tourism Management, a Master in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Parks, Recreation and Tourism and a Bachelor degree in Communication.
In her role as the Assistant Director of the Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Institute (LRITI) at USCB, she has completed multiple research projects in the professional sphere that include visitor profiles, conversion studies, and impact studies. She has worked with historical and beach communities and organizations such as the Hilton Head- Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Sea Pines Resort, Island Rec of Hilton Head, Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitor Bureau, Town of Wrightsville Beach, NC, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, Moore’s Creek National Battlefield (US National Park Service) and United States Masters Swimming.
She has 15+ years of professional travel and tourism industry experience with past positions with Royal Caribbean, Inc., Hilton Hotels and Divi Resorts.
Senior Project Manager
Anton Abraham
Senior Research Analyst
Dipl.-Soz. Anton Abraham is currently a research analyst for EMG Consulting. Prior to that he was associated with the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Institute (LRITI), Beaufort County’s Together for Beaufort County's Community Indicator Project, and the Students Connected Initiative at USCB. His primary role was to facilitate the partnership between stakeholders of the community and USCB, in addition to his role as a researcher. He graduated with a diploma in Sociology, from the University of Technology Dresden, Germany and additionally studied in Bordeaux, France. He has a widespread experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, which led him through Europe and eventually to the US.
Since January 2016, he is involved in a variety of research projects conducted by LRITI and include tourism economic impact analyses, visitor profile studies, for profit and non-profit community research projects, as well as county and state demographics projects. That research has been conducted for regional and national clients and organizations, including Beaufort County, RBC Heritage Tournament Presented by Boeing, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Visit Detroit, The Landings Association, Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, Town of Bluffton, SC, Del Webb Sun City in Hilton Head and Rock Hill, the Sea Pines Resort and more.
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