Our story began with trust and a typewriter.

In 1991, at the crossroads of a career already uniquely marked, Una Cote sat at her dining room table in North Plainfield, New Jersey, and pondered her next move. She had no savings, children underfoot — she had a rolodex, a stack of business cards and a typewriter. Una began to write letters, "If you remember me, if you trust me, if you like how I treated you and your business, would you give me the opportunity to work with you directly?" From those letters came our first clients. UC the Source was born.

In the decades since, UC the Source has grown from a humble hospitality consulting and site-sourcing company, to a multi-capable international resource providing complete meeting, event and hospitality services to individuals and businesses distinguished in their fields. Every year continues the learning process. Every day begins with the ideals Una brought to that dining room table — listening, asking questions, understanding what others do and what they want to achieve, and finding creative solutions to unique problems. And every name in our rolodex is valued just as much as those first few.

Our hospitality background

UC the Source takes pride in its insider knowledge of the hospitality industry, a handy tool when negotiating for clients' events, a necessity when consulting for hotels. Hospitality is essential to our story.

As a young woman, Una joined the convention services department of the Washington Hilton. Muhammad Ali was still Cassius Clay and the famed double-arched hotel reverberated in the historical atmosphere of the 60s. The civil rights movement was in full play, the Beatles were making teenagers scream, and masculine Mad Men still ruled DC's Connecticut Avenue. As a secretary in these men's shadows, Una asked questions, offered to take on their workload. She worked in quiet fashion, under the radar, and eventually became one of the first women to hold a sales position with Hilton Hotels.

UC the Source still works modestly today. We operate in the background, like Una did, satisfied to leave the accolades to our clients. We believe success does not require loudness or aggression, but a hunger for knowledge and willingness to seek opportunity in every situation.

Our experiences and motivation

After several years with Hilton in DC, Una went to Manhattan and her career path continued to broaden. She worked for several highly esteemed corporations, including Columbia University. She learned valuable lessons, which UC the Source remembers today. We still search for growth opportunities with every challenge. And we take special pride in applying our unique experiences and talents to our clients' projects.

After Manhattan, Una's path eventually led home, to family. She had seen clients with many challenges, but had never been in the position to implement her own strategies. Her desire to work directly with clients grew, until one day she sat down at the dining room table, a rolodex at her side, and started a business. As they say, the rest is history. We would be grateful to be part of your history.