The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has presented a 2018 Exemplary Employer Award to The Marcus Corporation in honor of the company’s commitment to recruit and hire individuals with disabilities. The honor is awarded annually during National Disability Employment Awareness Month to selected companies in each of the 11 workforce development areas of the state. DWD Assistant Deputy Secretary BJ Dernbach presented the award at an event in October at the Marcus South Shore Cinema in Oak Creek, WI. Accepting the award was Rolando B. Rodriguez, EVP of The Marcus Corporation and chairman, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres. He is pictured third from right.
Graves Hospitality has broken ground on the Moxy Portland (OR), located on the edge of the city’s Pearl District. The 12-story, 197-room hotel, targeted to open in the summer of 2020, is developed, owned and operated by Graves Hospitality in partnership with KCB Real Estate, and with funding by clients of Washington Capital Management, a local company. A groundbreaking event was held this fall as the project team gathered to celebrate the construction commencement.
Sunny Tolani, founder/CEO, Prince Organization, was awarded an Honorary Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service. The award was presented by the California Lodging Industry Association (CLIA) at an evening reception at the California Lodging Expo and Conference on December 3 at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles – Commerce Casino. In his acceptance speech, Tolani said, “I’ve always looked to leaders who lead by example and who are nice people, kind and compassionate people and try to incorporate their best qualities into my life.”
Hotelier and Hospitality Development of America CEO Steven J. Martens, CPM, CCIM, SIOR, has been named the 2018 recipient of the Kansas CCIM Chapter/Wichita State University Center for Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award. CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) is a national designation for commercial real estate brokers signifying their advanced expertise in market analysis and commercial real estate investments. With more than 40 years in commercial real estate and 25-plus years in the hospitality industry, Martens has held his CCIM designation for more than 30 years.
Construction has commenced on The Chatwal Lodge with a ceremonial groundbreaking in Bethel, NY. On hand were (left to right): Nunzio DeSantis, Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects; Siddhartha Pahwa, Yo1 Luxury Nature Cure; Ashish Verma, Dream Hotel Group; Steve Dubrovsky, Chapin Estate; Sant Singh Chatwal, Dream Hotel Group; Jay Stein, Dream Hotel Group; Roberta Byron-Lockwood, Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association; Dan Sturm, Bethel Town Supervisor; Aileen M. Gunther, New York State Assembly Member; Nancy Buck, Sullivan County Treasurer; Adam Cassidy, Dream Hotel Group; and Rabinder Pal Singh, Dream Hotel Group.
