School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update:
November 2009
This Monthly Update from the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State serves to keep you informed and interested in the news as it happens—for alumni, industry, faculty, and students.
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PSHRS names Kimpton’s Niki Leondakis 2009 Hospitality Executive of the Year
Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, has been named the 2009 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS). Leondakis received the award during the forty-eighth Hospitality Executive of the Year Award Reception on Sunday, November 8, 2009.
Leondakis oversees operations, marketing, human resources, IT, sustainability, and social responsibility initiatives for Kimpton’s forty-seven hotels and restaurants throughout the United States. She joined Kimpton in 1993 as director of restaurant operations and advanced through the restaurant division to an eventual role of senior vice president of restaurants. In 2001, Leondakis was promoted to executive vice president of hotels and restaurants. She became chief operating officer in 2003.
“It is my sincere honor to accept this award from the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society,” said Leondakis. “I have long admired Penn State’s commitment to educating and shaping some of the best and brightest within the hospitality industry. Kimpton, along with many other hotel and restaurant companies, has benefited from the talent that is nurtured as part of the university’s curriculum.”
Read more about Leondakis and the Hospitality Executive of the Year award.
Alumna to serve as chair of 2010 Holiday Inn Committee
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania–based Milestone Hospitality Management announced that Lea Ann Kish ’87 HRIM was elected chair of the International Association of Holiday Inns (IAHI) Holiday Inn Committee. The group works closely with InterContinental Hotels’ (IHG) brand leaders to create operating standards and guidelines that serve to improve the return on investment for all member hotels.
Kish also serves as a board member of the IAHI, the 3,000-member group consisting of InterContinental Hotels Group owners around the globe. Kish is the chief operating officer of Milestone Hospitality Management, an owner operator of hotels located primarily on the East Coast.
As vice chair, Kish was involved with Holiday Inn Relaunch, the repositioning of Holiday Inn to create a more contemporary brand image including a new logo, and driving consistency in all 3,296 Holiday Inn brand family hotels around the world. With over 1,000 hotels already relaunched worldwide, the completion of the relaunch of the global estate is expected to be completed in 2010.
Symposium offers advice on staying ahead in food industry
The fourth Conti Symposium in the Conti Educational Series was held October 25-26 at The Nittany Lion Inn, University Park. Dr. Pete Bordi, director of the Center for Food Innovation (CFI), and current Conti Professor, Franco Harris ’72 FS HA, co-chaired the event. CFI partners Sheetz, Corn Products, Hershey and Superbakery provided support.
“Stay One Step Ahead: Creation of Sustainable and Profitable Healthy Food Innovations” offered presentations related to food and health in food manufacturing by food scientists, nutritionists, market researchers, and industry representatives. Discussions focused on food safety, organic foods, trends, sustainability, new product development, market research, and preventive health.
Dr. Martha Conklin, associate professor of hospitality management and registered dietitian, found the conference particularly valuable for those on the food side of the equation.
Dr. Bert van Hoof, director of the School of Hospitality Management, said that the symposium offered discussions that showed the overlap between academia and industry. “Academics and industry executives definitely do not live in two separate worlds,” he said. “The amount of discussion, dialogue, and laughter showed how industry and academia rally around the same scientific cause.”
The Conti Educational Series is made possible, in part, by the endowed Conti Professorship named in honor of Walter J. Conti, a distinguished alumnus of the School of Hospitality Management, past chairman of the board of the National Restaurant Association, and past president and member of the Penn State Board of Trustees.
Alumni return to campus for PSHRS events
Dozens of alumni returned to Penn State on October 7 and 8 to participate in the fourth annual Alumni in the Classroom event, which coincided with the PSHRS Alumni Awards reception. For two days, alumni from several decades passed on words of wisdom and advice to students.
Alumni in the Classroom is co-sponsored by the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society and the School of Hospitality Management.
As in previous years, Alumni in the Classroom coincided with the alumni awards reception on October 8.
View photos of the 2009 alumni reception.
Technology Advisory Board meets
The School of Hospitality Management Technology Advisory Board meeting was held on October 9, 2009. Attendees included:
- Toby Malbec, director of POS systems, IPC/Subway
- Mark Hamilton, senior vice president operations, RealTime Intelligence
- Rich Liebscher ’97 FINIB, vice president of IT, Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group
- Don Kneisel, vice president of IT, The Cordish Companies
- Paul Howard ’96 HRIM, ’03 MBA, director of hospitality industry relations, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
- Jerry Leeman, CEO, POS Strategies
- Kathy Misunas, principal, Essential Ideas
- Karen Sammon, president of Software Solutions, ParTech
- Elizabeth King ’79 PL SC, vice president of Business Systems, Starbucks Coffee Company
- Rob Grimes ’80 FS HA, chairman, Accuvia
- Peter Nyheim, instructor, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
- Jim Wenner, vice president of IT, Sheetz
- Joel Weidner ’82 FS HA, director of Information Systems, Penn State Housing and Food Services
- Tim Colligan ’86 HRIM, director of Hotel Sales, MICROS Systems Inc.
- Dominic Boffa, vice president of Technology Solutions, ARAMARK Corporation
- Bert Van Hoof, director, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
Featured speakers provide industry insights
What do Bob Hermany, senior vice president of operations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Andrew Kerin, executive vice president for ARAMARK, have in common?
Hermany
First, both have sons in the HRIM program at Penn State. Second, both enjoyed an HRIM 430 theme dinner in Café Laura recently. Third, both were featured speakers in the 250-student HRIM course, Colloquium in Hospitality Management (HRIM 202).
Kerin, the 2008 PSHRS Hospitality Executive of the Year, discussed his role as group president for ARAMARK’s global food, hospitality, and facility businesses. Kerin told students how industry is re-tooling itself to meet up with global challenges, whether in human resources, management of the supply chain, or facilities. As a significant leader of 230,000 employees in twenty-two countries across the world, Kerin says the key to his success “is building the careers of the people working under you.”
Kerin
“Hearing Mr. Kerin’s remarks reminded all of us of the immediate need for expanded international and global-oriented programs within the curriculum,” said Dr. Karthik Namasivayam, professor in charge of international programs in the School of Hospitality Management.
Hermany, in his speech, “Hope is not a business strategy,” addressed the challenges he has seen over the past year or so—which have “rocked the hotel industry,” he says.
“Hope is a wonderful thing,” said Hermany. “Hope gives us our drive. Hope makes us get up in the morning and go about our business. But hope is not a strategy.”
“Strategy,” he said, requires a plan—with input from a variety of sources.” Furthermore, plans require rigor, constant tweaking, and reevaluation.
Both presenters provided insight on the state of the hospitality industry. “It was such a compliment to have such high-ranking hospitality leaders speak to our undergraduates in a classroom setting,” said Paul Howard, instructor in hospitality management.
Ulrich named Alumni Fellow
Debbie Ulrich ’77 FS HA received an Alumni Fellow award for 2009. This award, open to all Penn State graduates, is the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association.
Ulrich is currently the president and chief executive officer for Sysco Central Pennsylvania, LLC, and is the outgoing president of the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society. She was nominated by Dr. Nan Crouter, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development, Dr. Bert van Hoof, director of the School of Hospitality Management, and various SHM faculty members.
“Debbie's Alumni Fellow award recognizes her continued enthusiastic involvement with the School of Hospitality Management over many years. She is a role model for our students and an inspiration to us all," said van Hoof.
Since 1973, the Alumni Fellow Award has been given to select alumni who, as leaders in their professional fields, are nominated by an academic college and accept an invitation from the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators.
The selection committee includes the provost of the University, the vice president for development and university relations, the executive director of university relations, a member of Alumni Council, and the executive director of the Alumni Association.
Two alumni receive Health and Human Development awards
Two alumni from the School of Hospitality Management were recognized by the College of Health and Human Development for their professional excellence and exemplary voluntary community involvement in the health and human development professions.
Dr. John Williams ’75 FSHA, ’95 MHRIM, ’98g M E R, director of the Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at the University of New Orleans (UNO) received the Emerging Professional–Graduate Degree award from the College of Health and Human Development. Williams has been described as “the epitome of a forthright, dedicated leader”
and he has made a positive impact on many industries and communities in Louisiana. Read more about Williams.
William Yahr ’01 HRIM, rooms executive at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, received an Emerging Professional–Undergraduate Degree award from the College of Health and Human Development. Yahr has been described as “someone that is going places with his consistent results and accomplishments while keeping a commitment to helping those in his communities.” A “positive, innovative, and genuine” person, he has received five promotions at two renowned luxury hotel chains, Waldorf Astoria and Ritz-Carlton. Read more about Yahr.
Conti Professor speaks in Italy
Dr. Fred J. DeMicco, Penn State Conti Professor and ARAMARK professor of hotel, restaurant, and institutional management at the University of Delaware, presented an invited talk at the 7th Annual International Hotel Conference in Venice, Italy on October 23, 2009. The topic was hotel and travel developments in Asia.
DeMicco and two other speakers reviewed hotel and travel projects and brands gaining market share throughout the region, and they explored strategies that will help hotel portfolios sustain continued growth and prosperity across all sectors in Asia, especially China and India. The three-day conference was held at the Hilton Molino, Venice.
Alumni news
Janet Decker ’89 HRIM, assistant director for residential dining at Penn State, received her second National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) President’s Award at the organization’s annual conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The President’s Award is presented to individuals based on outstanding service to NACUFS at the regional level and exhibiting a high degree of professionalism in the university food service community. Decker is the vice president for the organization’s mid-Atlantic region. She has been involved with NACUFS for five years and has served as the regional education chair, as well as the 2008 national conference education chair. She also received the President’s Award in 2007.
Ted Farrand ’71 FS HA was named president and chief operating officer of Cini●Little International, Inc. Ted will assume his new duties effective March 29, 2010. The company provides consulting services in foodservice, laundry, solid waste and recycling to clients in more than sixty-six different countries. “Ted’s 25 years of dedication to the clients of Cini●Little and to the company has been recognized by the Board”, says Bill Eaton, chairman of the board of directors. Farrand is an active member of Society for Foodservice Management, where he has served on the board of directors and been involved in many committee positions. He also has served on the board of directors of the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society and as the Finance and Endowment Committee chairman.
Bill Kao ’98 HRIM recently purchased Countryside restaurant located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Countryside has been a mainstay in the Emmaus community for the past sixty years, serving ice cream and milkshakes. Kao plans to expand Countryside by opening year round and serving breakfast. He’s even added a Penn state theme. “We’d love to have you stop by,” he says.
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