Birthplace
Kansas City, Missouri
Education
Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, New York
Earliest hospitality job
Washing dishes in a Kansas City country club
First job after college
GM of Jack’s Cake and Steak House, a 24-hour diner in Key West, Florida
First mentor
Phil Pistilli, manager of the Alameda Plaza Hotel in Kansas City
Pistilli’s wisdom
Pistilli asked me to meet him in his office at 5:30 a.m. (very early for any 19 year old). When I arrived, he told me we were going to go talk to the night auditor (who would be off shift around 7 a.m.). He said, ‘We are in a 24/7, 365 day per year business and every associate working in our hotels is important. They need to see you, know you, and know you care about them and what they do.’ He taught me a lifelong lesson that I try to live by daily: Know all your people, treat them with respect, and show them you care and appreciate everything they do, every day.
Sage Hospitality
Since 1984, the portfolio includes hotel ownership, management, real estate investment, and unique restaurant concepts.
Hotel brand affiliations
Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton
Proprietary independents
Hotel Commonwealth, Boston; and the Crawford Hotel at Union Station, the Maven Hotel at Dairy Block, the Oxford Hotel, and the Halcyon, all in Denver
Sage Restaurant Group
Unique, design-driven properties in 14 U.S. cities, including Portland, Oregon; Denver; Chicago; Pittsburgh; and Philadelphia
Challenges of a diverse portfolio
The key is having the right leadership at each of these businesses. We view our hotels and restaurants as individual business units and, as such, look at how to manage and support them individually.
Greatest career achievement
I wake up every day and continue to love what I do and love who I do it with.
Giving back
We believe in giving back to the communities in which we live, work, and play. Community citizenship is a core value we hope to encourage in every Sage associate. We want to leave the world better than we find it.
Community outreach
Amp the Cause, Downtown Denver Partnership, Children’s Hospital Foundation, Metropolitan State University Denver Board of Trustees
Chilling out
Skiing in the winter, ocean kayaking in the summer.
