OAKLAND, Calif.--A youth-run gourmet coffee shop, Training Grounds, opens in at Oakland International Airport’s (OAK) Terminal 2, with a second shop opening in Terminal 1 in 2008. In partnership with the Port of Oakland, owner and operator of OAK, HMSHost will work with Youth Employment Partnership, Inc. (YEP) to help Oakland students and young adults develop job and vocational skills in a challenging, yet rewarding setting.

Designed, funded and built  at a cost of more than $298K, HMSHost partnered to create Training Grounds and offer management team skills by providing ongoing mentoring and support to the high school and young adult workers.  Procurement services, scheduling guidance and management training.

Training Grounds, the brainchild of the Oakland-based Youth Employment Partnership, Inc. (YEP), a non-profit organization that has been working with more than 30,000 Oakland teens and young adults, ages 14-24, since 1973,  The Port of Oakland provided the space for these youth-operated enterprises and will manage the leases with YEP. (www.yep.org)

“When you are a teenager or young adult running an airport business in Oakland, you get to show the world what you can do and why we are proud to call Oakland," said Steven J. Grossman, Director of Aviation for the Port of Oakland.

HMSHost, world-renowned for creating customized shopping and dining spaces in travel venues, operates in more than 100 airport locations around the globe, including 19 of the 20 busiest airports of North America. HMSHost has annual sales in excess of $2.3 billion and employs more than 28,000 sales associates worldwide.

A part of Autogrill S.p.A, HMSHost and the rest of the Autogrill Group have sales exceeding €3.9 billion. Autogrill is present in 33 countries with more than 4,800 points of sale in more than 1,050 locations (including 163 airports and 689 motorways) where 51,000 employees serve over 840 million customers every year. HMSHost.com

The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 19 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the 4th busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport offers more than 200 daily non-stop flights to 40 domestic and international destinations; and the Port’s commercial real estate includes Jack London Square, Oakland's premier entertainment spot along the waterfront. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Visit portofoakland.com for more information.