A reputation built on excellence in hospitality
[ ABOUT US ]
Janus International is a leader in international recruitment and major resource for companies to transform their business with international talent. Each year we recruit thousands of J-1 visa program participants for hotels, stores, restaurants, resorts, amusement parks and lifeguard employers all across the U.S. Our team has extensive experience working with immigration, visas and embassies to implement international work experience, training and cultural exchange programs. We have built relationships with an established network of partners in over 15 countries and we are a designated Work/Travel visa sponsor by the U.S. Department of State.
We have extensive experience serving the seasonal J-1 needs of the hospitality industry. As a U.S. State Department Designated J-1 Sponsor Agency, we offer our clients a specialized solution to meeting the winter, spring and summer seasonal staffing requirement of their hospitality business.
This solution is the J-1 Work and Travel Program visa, which allows international college students to visit and work legally in the U.S. for a period of up to 4 months. Through hiring J-1 participants for their seasonal business needs, host employers serve a key role in fulfilling the public diplomacy and mutual understanding goals of the program and promoting cultural exchange between the United States and other parts of the world. In turn, host employers benefit from having access to a more diverse workforce to fill peak and/or intermittent recruitment needs not met by local hiring efforts, and the ability to operate for a lengthier season.
Our J-1 host employer clients are reporting high levels of satisfaction with their participation in the program, due to the addition of qualified J-1s to their team that create a more robust and diverse group of seasonal employees and add an international dimension to their work place. Our rigorous selection process and our focus only on employers in the hospitality industry helps our clients achieve their seasonal operational goals, while contributing to the cross-cultural exchange mission of the Work and Travel program through providing J-1 participants the opportunity to experience American culture firsthand.
We visit over 15 countries annually and conduct major international Job Fairs to locate the best candidates that have selected Janus International as their U.S. Sponsor Agency to participate in the U.S. “Work and Travel” visa Program. Our focus is limited to applicants that meet or exceed the English fluency, experience, skills, presentation and positive attitude standards that are required by the hospitality industry.
The Janus International Team
Louis Beck
Chairman of the Board
Louis S. Beck is a graduate/alumnus of the University of Cincinnati, Salmon P. Chase/Northern Kentucky Law School and the Harvard Business School. Mr. Beck started a real estate company with $3,000.00 after graduating from law school. He began in the hotel business, building roadside hotels and subsequently turning Janus Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (“Janus”) into one of the nation’s largest hotel ownership/ management companies. Today, he serves as Chairman of Janus, although his holdings are far more diversified.
Mr. Beck has been married for 45 years to his wife, Patty, and they have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
Michael Nanosky
President
Mr. Nanosky has over thirty years’ experience in all aspects of the hospitality industry. After joining Beck Hospitality as a partner and President of Hotel Operations in 1989, he quickly developed the company into a top 20 hotel management company, successfully managing over 200 properties for the RTC and various lending institutions and servicers. Later, he was instrumental in the successful reverse merger of Beck Hospitality and Janus Hotels & Resorts, Inc. He has, either personally or as president of Janus, served as a court-appointed receiver in over fifty cases and has served as an expert witness for many institutional investors and lending institutions. Mr. Nanosky also leads Janus's development team on all new hotel construction.
Mr. Nanosky attended Youngstown State University and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.
Sonny Taylor
Vice President of Operations / Responsible Officer
Sonny Taylor is the Vice President of Operations, and Responsible Officer, for both program categories for Janus International (Summer Work Travel and Internships). He originally started with Janus in 1998 and spent over 9 years in the Hotel Management company in full-service property management, before joining the International division to work with Exchange Visitors in 2007.
In his role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of both program categories and is involved in all areas including liaising with Host Companies, Overseas Partners, and Exchange Visitors. Sonny is also responsible for ensuring compliance to government regulations, financial reporting, and resource planning. He travels to several countries each year, along with his colleagues, to assist in the screening and expectation setting for the incoming participants.
Sonny is a graduate of West Virginia University, in Morgantown, WV. He is married with four beautiful children, and in his spare time enjoys sports and reading on current topics.
Dax Masterson
VP of Business Development
Dax began his hospitality career in 1992 at the Conrad Hilton, in London U.K. and spent 5 years at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. He joined Janus International in 2008 and is responsible for new business development and providing support to host employers, overseas partner agencies, and international students. Dax has lived in several countries, travelled the world extensively, and has a passion for international cultural exchange. Dax is also responsible for the procurement of third-party management contracts and receiverships as the Director of Development for Janus Hotels & Resorts. During his spare time, Dax enjoys going to the gym, the beach, personal development seminars, and reading.
Eric Suhomlynov
Recruitment and Database Support Manager
Eric is responsible for coordinating the workflow between overseas agencies, U.S. employers, and international exchange visitors. He’s been with Janus International since the very start of the company’s J1 BridgeUSA Summer Work and Travel program journey in 2007. Eric is a two-time Work and Travel participant and J-1 trainee himself. His educational background is in history, political science, and languages. During his free time, Eric enjoys going to the YMCA, doing yard work, and reading books, and currently resides in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area.
Katie Sukhomlynova
Director of Operations
Katie has been a part of the Janus team since 2008 and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Summer Work & Travel program at the Virginia office. Her responsibilities include developing program materials and policies, ensuring regulation compliance, managing host employer and overseas partner agency agreements and organizing overseas recruitment events. Her passion for cultural exchange programs began when she participated in a study abroad program in Europe as a university student, and she has been working in the international exchange field ever since. Katie has a B.A in Psychology and Spanish from Clark University in Massachusetts and an MA in International Education from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, reading, and trying to keep up with her two young boys.
Veronika Grigorova
European Program Coordinator / Program Assistant
Veronika joined Janus International in 2010. She finished her bachelors degree in Human Resources Management at the University of Richmond, in Richmond, Virginia. She is currently based in Sofia, Bulgaria and her responsibilities include administrative work, processing applications, communicating with overseas partners, support for J1 participants, and the organization of pre-departure in-person orientations. As a former J1 participant, she enjoys helping young people have a great experience while in the USA. In her free time, she would grab a backpack and go hiking or visit a new place anytime she has a chance.
Ryan Cruz
Asia Program Coordinator
Ryan has been with Janus International since 2007. As an alum of the J1 Program, he shares his expertise as a Program Coordinator for the Asian Region. His responsibilities include supporting recruitment, knowledge base sharing, and administrative processing. He is based in the Philippines and has a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from De La Salle University. His interests include motorcycles, books, and the arts.
Rachel Lewis
Program Assistant
Rachel’s responsibilities include administrative support, application processing, and providing assistance to J-1 participants during their time in the United States. She earned a B.S. in Psychology from Radford University in Virginia, where she developed a strong interest in intercultural communication. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring new places.
Leticia Caetano de Brito
Program Assistant
Leticia has a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Human Rights, Governance and Law from Western Carolina University. Before enrolling in a university in the United States, Leticia participated in a high school exchange program in Germany for a year, which sparked her interest in the study of international relations. Both her experience with cultural exchange, as well as her degree in International Studies, led her to work with Janus International in 2023. During her free time, Leticia enjoys reading, cooking new recipes, and painting.
