School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update:
September 2008

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 & students.

Send us your news....it's a great way to connect.

Event Calendar

Mark your calendars for these upcoming School of Hospitality events in 2008:

September 15
Philadelphia Alumni Social
September 16
Baltimore/Washington DC Alumni Social
October 1-2
Alumni in the Classroom at Penn State
October 1
PSHRS Alumni Awards Reception at Penn State
October 6
Harrisburg Alumni Social
October 27
State College Alumni Social
November 9
PSHRS Hospitality Executive of the Year Award Gala at International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Show in New York City

Alumni in the Classroom 2008 and Alumni Awards Reception

Based on the overwhelming success of past Alumni in the Classroom events, the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) and School of Hospitality Management are excited to host Alumni in the Classroom 2008.

The objective of Alumni in the Classroom is to have seasoned alumni teach in their respective areas of expertise and to share experiences of life in the hospitality industry.

Alumni in the Classroom Days

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 1-2-3, 2008

Exciting, entertaining, educational!

Alumni Awards Reception

Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) hosts its annual Alumni Awards Reception

Where: Nittany Lion Inn

When: Wednesday, October 1

The Alumni Awards Reception, formerly held in NYC as part of the AH&LA international show, honors the Alumnus of the Year and the Emerging Professionals.

To register for Alumni in the Classroom 2008 and the Alumni Awards Reception contact Angelita Johnson at akb13@psu.edu.

image of participants in AITC 2007

Participants in Alumni in the Classroom 2007

New Faculty and Staff

The School of Hospitality welcomes three new faculty members and one new staff member to Mateer Building this fall.

Steve Durham begins his work as the lead person for the new Gaming and Casino Management emphasis.

George Ruth joins as instructor in the food and beverage area. He will teach in Café Laura.

Jim Korner teams up with a joint position as instructor and with the Hospitality Leadership Institute.

Amada Gallo joins the support staff in the School with a dual role. Amanda will assistant Anna Matilla who is the newly appointed editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. Amanda will also run the reception desk in the main office in the mornings.

Faculty visit internship sites

Jeff Heim and Rosemarie Hibbler have been making the rounds this summer visiting students and alumni at several internship locations. In June, they were hosted by Gary Budge(’72 FS HA), general manager at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan…always a pleasure!

While there they visited the Rare Bar and Grill managed by Eric Hammer (’06 HRIM). Rare Bar and Grill is a two-property company that operates small bistro-style restaurants with a casual atmosphere and beer/wine service, but with an upscale beef and steak menu. Eric runs the East Village location, and has written his own training manuals for every position.

They also visited Laura Mishkin (senior) who was an intern at the Waldorf=Astoria; Monika Schimek, manager at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant on Times Square; Chris Burkhardt (’94 HRIM), director of human resources, Jeff Poirot (’98 HRIM), director of group sales, and Alexis Totol is, intern at the New York Palace.

They also met Patricia Michaud-Moerlins, corporate director of talent acquisition of Denihan Hospitality Group (DHG). Patty is a former and protégé of Joanne Budge from Four Seasons New York. DHG owns properties in New York, Chicago, and Washington DC. Patty expressed her interest in interns seeking opportunities in hospitality real estate and asset management.

Heading south, Heim visited Tom Ruff (’77 HRIM), senior vice president at the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. The Biltmore is a National Historic Landmark and host to six Penn State School of Hospitality interns this summer.

“Interns at the Biltmore are getting a thorough rotation through several areas in their respective disciplines,” says Heim. “They all expressed considerable satisfaction with the program.”

Heim then traveled to Nashville, Tennessee where he stopped at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Heim met with Mike Reisinger, senior employment manager, Andy Burgbacher, recruiter, and Penn State’s interns Pete DiOrio (senior) and Christina McClelland (senior) before heading to J. Alexander’s Restaurant to check in on intern Megan Pisone (senior).

image of internship participants

Internship participants

New Twist on Swiss Program

Fourteen undergraduate students joined Bart Bartlett and Dan Mount this summer on the HRIM Switzerland Study Abroad program. This year, however, offered a new twist and the addition of a Dutch component.

Students began the five-week Study Abroad program with an International Culinary course in Maastricht, Holland and Bouveret, Switzerland.They finished the trip with an International Hotel Management course that started in Bouveret and finished in Maastricht.

The trip included a fine-dining visit to Paris, a full-day trip to the Banfi Winery in Italy and a one-day field trip to the Hotel Sofitel in Aachen, Germany, the Holland Casino, Dreilandenpunt (where the Belgium, Holland and German borders meet) and The American War Cemetery.

Included in the schedule were several travel periods in which students explored European travel. Cities visited included Venice, Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin and Prague.

Students who went on the trip:

"This was an incredible learning experience,” says Dan Mount. “In addition to gaining six credits in structured coursework, we also encouraged them to get out of their comfort zone as they traveled independently throughout Europe."

image of Switzerland participants

Merchandising Magic

Martha Conklin gave an invited presentation at the School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference in Philadelphia on July 21, 2008. The title of her speech was "Increasing Participation with Merchandising." Co-presenter was Vonda Fekete who is Chief of the Food and Nutrition Division, PA Department of Education.

Sharma receives grant award

image of Amit Sharma

Amit Sharma is the principal investigator on a $555,819 research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The three-year project is funded to develop a cost-benefit assessment model of HACCP Implementation in Commercial Foodservice Operations.

The sub-contractor on this project is Delaware State University represented by Drs. Cynthia R. Mayo and Clorice D. Thomas-Haysbert. Other Co-PIs are Drs. Anna Mattila and Arun Upneja from Penn State’s School of Hospitality, and Drs. Catherine Cutter and Rama Radhakrishna from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Jeannie Sneed from Oklahoma State University and Dr. Frode Alfnes from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences are external Co-PIs.

The Survey Research Center at Penn State University will also be a collaborator.

The project will conduct research in casual dining restaurants, and grocery store and gas station food outlets. A total of 12 organizations will participate through their various units in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The central outcome of the project will be to develop a model that would help management evaluate costs of investing in HACCP implementation versus its potential benefits. It will also lead to the development of training modules for management and consumers.

Dr. Sharma explains the project as “comprehensive in its approach that includes both foodservice management and consumer perspectives.”

“Given the importance of food safety and HACCP for foodservice organizations and the novel approach of this research, its outcomes will fill a critical gap in foodservice management and consumer decision-making,” says Sharma.

National Scholarship Winners

Danielle Tinari is a 2008 recipient of The Statler Foundation’s Scholarship of Excellence worth $20,000 toward her education. Danielle is working as an intern with Penn State instructor and alumnus Paul Kelley this summer on the opening of his new restaurant in Tennessee’s BBQ Levittown, Pennsylvania.

Jessie Welch (sophomore) and Rachael Cowie (sophomore) each won a $3,000 scholarship from the Travel Industry of America. Welch won the Destination Travel award and Cowie won the 2008 Shop America Alliance Undergraduate Scholarship.

Two students won scholarships from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF). Dana Katz (senior) was awarded the Cecil B. Day Scholarship for $3,000 and Jessie Welch was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Training for a new democracy

Dr. Vivienne Wildes conducted a workshop for the Kingdom of Bhutan in August.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom is the newest democracy in the world, having had their first democratically elected legislature in March, 2008. Bhutan, about the same size as Switzerland, is located between China and India just west of Tibet, and has a population of 700,000.

Dr. Wildes presented the workshop for the Ministry of Information and Media entitled Training of Government Spokespersons and Media Focal Persons. The workshop was an activity of Information Sharing Policy Guideline under the auspices of the United Nations.

“This was, by far, one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in my life,” said Wildes. “The Bhutanese are incredibly friendly, hospitable…and very handsome.” She claimed it a “pinch me” moment.

Bhutan was the featured country at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival on the Washington DC mall this past summer.

“It’s easy to understand why Bhutan is fast becoming one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world,” says Wildes. “It is exotic, safe and very, very green.”

Incidentally, the newly elected first prime minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Thinley (LA ’79), and the director of Media Information, Sonam Phuntsho (LA ’86) are Penn State graduates….just goes to show that no matter where you go in the world, you are bound to meet Penn State alum.

image of Vivienne Wildes in Bhutan image of Vivienne Wildes in Bhutan

Article of the Year

Congratualtions to authors Emily Goretsky(’06 HRIM) and David Cranage who won the Hosteur Article of the Year from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE). The award was presented to Dr. Cranage by Fred DeMicco, (Conti Professor) Professor & ARAMARK Chair of HRIM Global Strategy & Development at the University of Delaware during the annual I-CHRIE conference held July 30-August 2, 2008 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. The article, titled "Health and Fitness: How Does it Affect Hotel Choice?" appears in HOSTEUR™, Volume 16, Issue 2, 2007 and can be viewed online at: dev.chrie.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3912

image of Hostuer logo

Alumni in the News

image of Eric Rosenbaum

Eric Rosenbaum (’81 FSHA) has been promoted from General Manager at the Caribe Royale Orlando to Vice President of Florida Operations for Sierra Land Group. Rosenbaum was appointed General Manager at the Buena Vista Suites in 1995 and opened the Caribe Royale Orlando as General Manager in 1996. Prior to Sierra Land Group, he spent thirteen years with Holiday Inn Corporation, in various management capacities in both Orlando and Charleston, South Carolina. Rosenbaum will have responsibility for all Florida Hotel operations as well as future developments planned by Sierra Land, including a 300-unit Embassy Suites and a time-share resort.

“Looking ahead at the growth potential for our Florida-based operations, I am privileged to take the lead and drive our operations to a new phase in our industry,” said Rosenbaum.

The company enjoys an outstanding retention rate among their employees. Many have been with the property for several years and for some, since the properties opened in 1996 and 1994 respectively. “We’re really like family here,” said Rosenbaum. “You can see that the camaraderie among the staff results in a comfortable and enjoyable experience for our customers.”

Rob Scypinski (’82 FS HA) was recently promoted to vice president of sales – The Americas. Rob is a 30-year veteran of the hotel business and joined Hilton Hotels as a convention sales manager at the Hilton Atlanta in 1984. He later spent 15 years as director of sales and marketing at the Hilton San Francisco. In 2004, Rob was named Hilton’s regional vice president of sales & marketing-West, overseeing 40 hotels from Alaska to Mexico. Ian Carter, president-Global Operations of Hilton Hotels Corporation said, “We are pleased to promote Rob from within our organization in recognition of the tremendous contribution he has made to Hilton throughout his career.”

Alum creates foundation

Lisa Kaminsky-Millar ('89 HRIM) began the Brad Kaminsky Foundation for Brain Tumor Research, after losing her brother to a malignant brain tumor in 2001. She is seeking participants for the First Annual Heroes of Hope Race for Research at Dockweiler State Beach, in Los Angeles, California on Nov 23, 2008, to raise funds for this devastating illness. “Volunteers from Los Angeles and vicinity hotels, restaurants and other institutions would be welcomed and greatly appreciated, says Lisa. “I’d really like to get a group together to represent the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society Alumni.”

Lisa also seeks recipes for Cooking up a CURE for Brain Tumors, a fundraising cookbook for brain tumor research. Please include name, city, state, year of graduation, major, ingredients and method along with a 300 character or less dedication to anyone battling cancer. Books have raised over $40,000 for research to date.

Contact Lisa at DNL1231@aol.comor visit www.tbkf.org.

Enduring Friendships

Joe Reese (’68 FS HA) and Steve McClune (’67 FS HA) are celebrating the 20th anniversary of BareBones Grill. The two owners met as Penn State students. “Each went his own way with Joe going into restaurants and Steve going into hotel management,” says Steve’s wife Diana Resse. “About 20 years ago they got back together and opened up a restaurant in Ellicott City, Maryland.”

The rest is history. Joe and Steve have also opened up or been involved in several other projects. The friendship has endured over all this time. You can look them up at BareBonesGrill.com.

PSU Access

Mark Zisek (’85 BUS, SP COM), owner of Access Marketing, Inc. has a special offer for Penn Staters in the hotel business. Access specializes in customized key cards and key folders/sleeves for hotels across the US.The company’s focus is to assist hotels with designs that enhance the look of these two front desk items.

“Our goal is to enhance the overall look of both products by offering free design services to ensure a lasting impression,” says Zisek. Access recently began supplying the Atherton Hotel in State College with key cards for their hotel rooms. Mention your affiliation with Penn State and Access Marketing will provide a special discount! The Web site is: www.access-mktg.com

Alum buys first hotel

Alex Kramer (’02 HRIM) just bought his first hotel! Alex is the new owner and operator of a 100-room Super 8 hotel next to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

You might recall Alex as the vice president of PSHRS and president of Eta Sigma Delta while he was at Penn State.

“I am in my career thanks to my degree and work experience at PSU,” says Alex. “After I graduated PSU in 2002, I went to San Diego, CA to work for Hyatt Hotels as a management trainee and was then promoted to assistant housekeeping manager.” He then moved back to his hometown, Dallas, Texas to open as assistant general manager for a Hilton Garden Inn. After two and a half years he decided to go out on his own and bought his first hotel.

You can reach Alex at: alexkram@aol.com

Wedding Bells

Amanda Williams (’05 HRIM) is engaged to Nicholas Chrin (’05 Landscape and Horticulture). The couple plan to be wed in New Jersey in the summer of 2009.

Katrina Schmidt (’07 HRIM) and John Pickett (’07 HRIM) are getting married on September 27, 2008. The “430 Couple” explored their chef talents at the Culinary Institute in Napa Valley following their graduation from Penn State. Next stop: wedding vows.

Berkey’s Blog

Bart Berkey (’89 HRIM) director of Talent Acquisition-Sales & Marketing/Finance for Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Chevy Chase, Maryland has created a blog for Hotels Magazine.

The blog is part of his work with Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), a special interest group for sales and marketing.

“It's a great way to share sales and marketing tips for our industry!” says Berkey. The link for Berkey’s Blog is:

www.hotelsmag.com/blog/370000637/post/1760030576.html?nid=3457&

Master John

John Herington (’02 HRIM) just graduated with a Masters Degree in Human Resources from Robert Morris Universityin 2008.

John is currently director of sales at Hampton Inn - Pittsburgh Airport. He is also on the board of directors for the Greater Pittsburgh chapter of thePenn State Alumni Association.

John will be marching in the 2008 Homecoming Parade.

Onward and Upward

Adam Spark (’93 HRIM) is now area director of sales for La Quinta Inn & Suites in New Haven and Stamford CT. Contact Info is Tel: 203-562-1111 x1909 adam.spark@laquinta.com.

Vince Lau (’07 HRIM) recently returned to Caesars in Las Vegas as assistant beverage manager with 260 staff under him: bartenders, cocktail servers, bar apprentices, and bar porters. Lau is busy managing 12 beverage outlets that gross 200K in revenue on the weekends and 100K during the work week. “I walk over 85 sq acres of casino floor countless of times per day making sure things are business as usual,” he says. He is looking forward to the opening of Octavius Tower, the latest $1.2 billion investment for the company.

Lau is taking his Introduction Sommelier Certification this August, and he just bought a newly built home in March.

Patrick Thornton (’07 HRIM) was promoted to general manager of Potbelly Sandwich Works in Moorestown, NJ in May. Patrick has been with the company since January ’07, working at the Philadelphia location.

“It was a great experience opening a store opening,” says Thornton. “We opened our doors on Friday, July 18.”

Alumni to open new restuarant in State College

Jennifer Zangrilli Hoag (’90 HRIM), director of operations for food & beverage at Dante's Restaurants, Inc. is in the final building phase of a new restaurant concept called Inferno Brick Oven & Bar to open in September in State College. “We will feature individual gourmet pizzas and Merende (Italian tapas) with full service and a full bar,” say Jennifer. The atmosphere will be "polished casual" with a mid range price point.

Inferno is the newest concept for Dante's Restaurants, Inc., owner and operator of six other full service restaurants and bars in State College.

Alumni owns award winning restaurant

Nick Weinstein (’99 HRIM), owner of Dune Restaurant in Margate, NJ recently saw his seafood restaurant hailed one of the Top 25 Restaurants in the state of New Jersey by New Jersey Monthly Magazine.

Dune is a BYOB seasonal restaurant in its 5th season.

“The more important news and bigger accomplishment,” he says, “ is that my wife, another PSU graduate, and I have a 4 1/2 month old son, Davis!”

The Dune Restaurant Web site is: www.dunerestaurant.com

New digs

Michael Wurm (’05 HRIM) recently purchased a Bed & Breakfast, Basket Company, and Gift Shoppe. After graduation Michael worked for Four Seasons Philadelphia. You might recall Michael as active in the School of Hospitality Management, vice president of Eta Sigma Delta, PSHRS and many other events and activities.

News from across the globe

After working as the membership manager for Emirates Golf Club, Sean Shanor (’05 HRIM) switched over to Golf in DUBAI running five professional golf tournaments. The company runs the Desert Classic and Ladies Masters in Dubai, two tournaments in India and one in Morocco.

Last January, Shanor spent seven weeks working in Delhi where he was in charge of the complete event set-up. “It involved anything from setting up grandstands, to toilets, to catering companies,” he says. “It was a great experience and amazing to complete a job like that in a completely different environment - you get things done, just not in the way you thought you would!

Sean is currently looking at opportunities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and back home in Norway.

Keep in touch

Send us your news – we’d love to hear from you! Send your news to: Vivienne Wildes: vjw100@psu.edu

Monthly Update Archive

Send us your news - we'll include it in the School of Hospitality Monthly Update. Contact Vivienne Wildes at vjw100@psu.edu