# Andrew Freeman

> Andrew Freeman is the San Francisco-based founder and CEO of hospitality marketing and public relations agency af&co. and co-founder of Carbonate. A former aspiring actor and waiter, he worked at the French Culinary Institute, Russian Tea Room, Rainbow Room, Windows on the World, and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants before starting af&co. in 2005. His work spans restaurant and hotel marketing, hospitality trends research, culinary events, and community organizations.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at af&co.; Co-Founder at Carbonate
- **Organizations:** af&co., Carbonate, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, French Culinary Institute, Russian Tea Room, Rainbow Room, Windows on the World, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, Dress for Success San Francisco, Oakland Restaurant Collective, Savor Oakland, Sprouts Chef Training
- **Education:** Marketing degree; exact credential title not specified, Montclair State University
- **Known for:** Recognized by HSMAI among its Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing., PRNEWS CEO of the Year honoree in 2023., San Francisco Business Times Business of Pride Outstanding Voice in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **1984** — Graduated from Montclair State University with a marketing degree.
- **—** — Worked as an aspiring actor, waiter and singing waiter; later worked in advertising and became Director of Marketing at the French Culinary Institute.
- **—** — Held public relations and marketing roles at the Russian Tea Room, Rainbow Room and Windows on the World; spent six years at the Rainbow Room working with Joe Baum.
- **1997** — Moved to San Francisco in March to join Kimpton, following an invitation from Niki Leondakis.
- **—** — Spent approximately a decade at Kimpton, ultimately as VP of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships, helping launch more than 40 hotels and restaurants and leading its LGBTQ+ travel program.
- **2005** — Founded af&co. from his San Francisco living room.
- **2019-2020** — Co-founded Carbonate with Candace MacDonald; public company biographies differ on the founding year.
- **2023** — Named a PRNEWS CEO of the Year honoree.
- **2025** — Recognized among the San Francisco Business Times Business of Pride Outstanding Voices; af&co. marked its twentieth anniversary and expanded into Southern California.
- **2026** — Received a Certificate of Honor at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting on March 3.

## Achievements

- Recognized by HSMAI among its Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing.
- PRNEWS CEO of the Year honoree in 2023.
- San Francisco Business Times Business of Pride Outstanding Voice in 2025.
- Led Kimpton public relations and strategic partnerships work that included more than 40 property launches and its LGBTQ+ travel program.
- Founded af&co. in 2005 and co-founded Carbonate with Candace MacDonald.
- af&co. ranked No. 3992 on the 2025 Inc. 5000, according to its founder biography.
- Co-publishes the annual af&co. + Carbonate Hospitality Trends Report; the 2026 edition was the eighteenth.
- Co-founded Dress for Success San Francisco and the Oakland Restaurant Collective.
- Honored by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 3, 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Discussed twenty years of af&co., restaurant marketing, trend research, and succession hopes in Modern Restaurant Management on March 24.
- **2026-03** — San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey presented Freeman with a Certificate of Honor on March 3.
- **2025-12** — af&co. celebrated twenty years on December 3.
- **2025-11** — af&co. and Carbonate released their eighteenth annual hospitality trends report, for 2026, on November 6.
- **2025-03** — Publicly announced af&co.’s Southern California expansion on LinkedIn.

## Links

- Website: https://www.afandco.com/andrew-freeman
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freemanandrew
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bossmanafco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewatafco

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andrew-freeman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22