TPI I N N S I D E Winter 2018 - tpihospitality.com · approach, TPI’s balance sheet had a war chest of cash in the bank. This cash was designed to launch the ESOP in a way that

Winter 2018

TPII N NS I D

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We’re number 1!TPI Hospitality is recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul

Business Journal as Minnesota’s best place to work.

The TPI Family continues to experience changes as it evolves and matures as a 100%employee owned company. The journey started in the fall of 2013, so a little over four yearsnow. It started with current board members, Tom Torgerson and Don Haas, discussing whatthe future of TPI looked like and what we wanted it to look like. The two main priorities estab-lished were to evolve away from TPI’s dependency upon Tom, and for TPI to perpetuate longinto the future. We first looked at private, single wealth buyers that would buy TPI in its entire-ty and not in piecemeal fashion. We then looked into the possibility of an employee stock own-ership plan (ESOP), but sidelined that consideration due to the extreme difficulty of obtainingfinancing for a buyout. It was in the winter of 2014 that we circled back to reconsidering anESOP structure after meeting with a specialty ESOP financial planning company in downtownMinneapolis.

By the spring of 2014, we began chartering a course to restructure TPI as an ESOP, with thegoal of it closing the deal by Januray 1, 2015. We overcame the financing challenge by thesellers stepping up to finance the employee’s purchase. TPI is a complicated companybecause of the number of individual businesses, with some having joint venture partnerownership interests that have underlying mortgage loans and different franchises. All of theseinterests had to be aligned and supportive of the transaction. The process was challenging to

say the least, similar to herding cats across a swamp. In addition, an experienced trustee, Argent Trust, was appointed tonegotiate on behalf of you, the new buyers/owners. The trustee exists exclusively to assure that the ESOP acts in your bestinterests. Eventually, we got to the finish line and the transaction closed on January 1, 2015. Because of taking a proactiveapproach, TPI’s balance sheet had a war chest of cash in the bank. This cash was designed to launch the ESOP in a way thatwould promote growth in value and cash flow, independent of the obligation of the financing the sellers provided. As huge asit was, this milestone was only the first step in achieving the initial two priorities that Don and Tom established the fall of 2013.

In the Summer/Fall of 2015, much at the urging of Mitch Peterson, we started discussions about succession planning for TPI’sleadership team. Although nothing was formalized at that time, it did lead to creating the new corporate-level position of ChiefInvestment Officer and the on-boarding of Chris Flagg in June, 2016. Since then, Chris has been advancing his fingerprintupon TPI, and in doing so, taking a heavy day-to-day load off of me personally. Quite honestly, the current areas of Chris’responsibilities were becoming overwhelming, and I was challenged to keep all the balls in the air simultaneously with all theother leadership responsibilities at TPI.

Succession planning kicked into a formal process in the fall of 2016, with the establishment of a Succession PlanningCommittee, which included current board member Bob Thurston. By late February 2017 the Committee shares the succes-sion plan with TPI’s corporate team. The first challenge was to conduct a search for a new Chief Operating Officer who wouldeventually replace Mitch Peterson. That search was conducted in a very methodical and deliberate fashion over months, bothinternally and externally on a national basis. The outcome of this search resulted in the on-boarding of Jim Sega in Augustof 2017. Jim’s immersion into TPI will be completed by the end of 2017.

Throughout the first half of 2017, another initiative focused on ensuring TPI’s future, and it involved some restructuring of theinitial ESOP transaction. These changes became effective in October, 2017, and will assist in accelerating the ESOP’s growthrate. There is too much detail to include in this article, but none-the-less, it was another major milestone.

During TPI’s Leadership Conference in September, I and other TPI leaders spoke to the essential transition that must takeplace in our culture to ensure the ESOP’s success, and beyond that, to achieve the ESOP’s maximum potential. Our marketshares have slipped over the past year and a half, and it woke us up to the fact that you as owners of this company, need tothink and act like owners. This is the most important part of my story to you right now. The ESOP’s financial health is the epi-center of your annual ESOP statement and retirement funding! We must regain the lost revenue, market shares and profitabil-ity margins. This message is for you, as I no longer own the company. You are the only ones that stand to gain out of thistransformation to thinking like owners. As of this writing, there are signs that your efforts over the past six months, focusedupon restoring our historically famed operating performance, indicate we are on the mend. I believe this will be a life-long les-son for the ESOP to never take its eyes off of the accelerator, as it is a very competitive world out there!

Continued on page 8...

Tom TorgersonChairman of the Board

TPI Hospitality

TPI’s ESOP...the journey continues Chairman Tom Torgerson provides a past, present and future view of the ESOP

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Each of us has at least some recollection of what it was like to grow up from a child, to anadolescent, and eventually into an adult. During each of these stages of life we face manychallenges, changes and unknowns. It’s rarely easy to transition from one stage of life toanother. The principle challenge during these times is the difficulty we have with letting go of“the familiar” and subsequently replacing it with that which is “unfamiliar”. For most of us, theunknown is, at times, intimidating and scary. One reality of life is that we cannot stay thesame, we must change and respond to the new demands at each different stage of life.Growing up as an ESOP has many of the same characteristics.

For years we (TPI) operated a certain way and it has become familiar and comfortable for allof us. Doing this didn’t require any wholesale change, and we learned to find comfort in thatwhich was familiar. As an ESOP, we are learning that it’s time to transition into a new stageof life, much as it was when each of us we went from a teen to an adult. As an ESOP owner,we all now have new responsibilities that we have never before had. We need to be moreaccountable, more committed, and we must all develop a much greater sense of personalownership in our roles. In essence, it’s not our parent’s role to manage our lives, it’s time forus to manage our own lives and control our own destinies. This means letting go of thefamiliar, and accepting change as a constant. Don’t fret though…a wise man once told me

“the good old days are gone, but the best of times are yet to come”! As you likely have learned through our quarterly ESOPupdates, 2017 has been a very challenging year from a financial performance standpoint. We have lost revenues to ourcompetition (share) and lost some of our edge with expense control management. The combination of the two has resulted insome painful shortfall in profits, which will unfortunately translate into a reduction in our ESOP valuation, share price and ourpersonal ESOP Accounts. We have no intention of repeating 2017’s performance. So, there are changes on the horizon…it’stime for us to toss out the old and embrace the new!

In this newsletter both Tom and Chris have identified some of the ways that TPI is evolving while also providing some sensefor where these changes will lead us. For the balance of this article I will touch on several additional changes that will beoccurring in 2018 to help us become more seasoned as an ESOP. In other words, transition from a teenager to an adult.

One of the first things to touch on is an extension of Tom’s message on the evolution of TPI’s leadership. As part of thisprocess, earlier this summer we completed an exhaustive search for our next Chief Operating Officer (COO) to succeed meas I move into a new role. The result of this process was the successful selection and onboarding of Jim Sega. Jim was mostrecently the Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations for Pillar Hotels. Jim has been on board since mid-summer and hasspent a great deal of time immersing himself with the team, learning TPI and getting to know our people and properties. Weare extremely excited about the depth of experience that Jim brings to the table and the leadership that he will lend to furtherthe growth of our operations. Please join us in welcoming Jim to the TPI family!

On another front, pertaining to the way we do business, we are undertaking a number of initiatives in 2018 by incorporatingsome new tools that we will leverage into higher levels of financial performance. Along these lines, we will measure TPI’soperational performance against four critical metrics. These four metrics are referred to as Key Performance Indicators, or,KPIs. The KPIs will become central to most every conversation about company performance. Many of the systems that wealready have in place are in the process of being modified to reflect this change. The four KPIs I am referring to are:

Revenues or “Share”. Share is simply “are we getting our slice of the pie” compared to our competitors. In hotel•language, this is referred to as the Revenue Generation Index, or RGI.

Profitability/Fiscal•

Quality/Service•

Leadership•

Although each of these KPIs is important, Revenues and Profitability will continue to be the lifeblood of our ESOP…it is simplythe gasoline that fuels the ESOP.

Continued on page 8...

Financial recovery, growth, surveys and education COO Mitch Peterson outlines a few key recent events at TPI Hospitality

Mitch PetersonChief Executive Officer

TPI Hospitality

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“For it is in giving that we receive.”

- Francis of Assisi

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Recently, members of the TPI Sales team partnered withTrinity Mission in donating money and then shopping forChristmas gifts for two families who were being supportedby Trinity Mission. Trinity Mission helps support localfamilies that are working poor. This means that they do notqualify for any assistance programs and many also have theadditional burden of a major family illness. These arefamilies in our local communities that have fallen throughthe cracks and this time of year is especially difficult forthem. It started out to be a great team building exercise, butsoon turned into so much more. While the group wasshopping for these families they encountered a woman whoasked if they were shopping for an adopted family, and thenproceeded to share with them that her family had beenrecipients of this in the past when both she and her husbandlost their jobs at the same time. She said, “Withoutprograms like this, our children would not have had aChristmas.”

Touched by their shopping experience and the heartfelttestimonial of a stranger, Daryl Gartner later posted onsocial media his own story of giving.

As a child, my mother Sharon would always tell methat if I didn't behave around Christmastime, thatshe would take the Christmas money and give to afamily in need.

Well today, my company, TPI Hospitality, sent thesales team out to make Christmas become a realityfor two families in the community who otherwisewould have been unable to do so.

In the process of shopping, a random strangerapproached us and asked us if we were doing justthat. After we said yes, her eyes welled up and shesaid, "A few years back my husband and I had lostour jobs around the same time. Thanks to thepeople who were doing the exact same thing asyou, we were able to give Christmas to ourchildren."

This is one of those moments that can easilyprovide you with such happiness. I just wish I couldsee their face on Christmas Day! Thinking back, Iwish I could go back and urge my mother to take mypresent money and do just that!

What a great and fulfilling day!

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Good debt and bad debt Chris Flagg identifies how types of debt impact the development of the company we own

“Good debt is a powerful tool, but bad debt can kill you.” – Robert Kiyosaki

This is my first contribution to TPI Innside. I have had the great pleasure of meeting many ofyou since I joined the company 18 months ago. During that short time, a lot has happened.We have added four new hotels (Hampton Inn Roseville, Home2 Suites Roseville, Holiday InnExpress Roseville and Hampton Inn Spicer) and we will be adding another new hotel (ACMarriott St. Louis Park) in just a few months. Let’s think about that for a second. From adots-on-the-map standpoint, that is over 15% rate of growth in just 18 months! From a grossrevenue standpoint, that is nearly 20% growth. Wow!

In addition to these five new additions, we also have more activity in the pipeline.Our vacant property in downtown Minneapolis is scheduled to be sold on December 22 for aprice over 35% greater than our acquisition costs. We did have significant carry costs duringthe hold period, including the production of full design drawings, so there will be a small netloss booked at the end of the day. However, this loss is far less than the loss we projectedhad we moved forward with this project.

Hampton Inn Eden Prairie (picture 1 below) is alive again. The plan calls for 105 rooms, witha targeted groundbreaking date sometime in mid-2018, with the opening in mid- to late 2019. Hilton is planning to announcetheir new Hampton prototype design, version 8.0, in early 2018. We are working with Hilton to be sure that we are incorporatingas much of the new design as possible, both inside and out.

Residence Inn & SpringHill Suites Arbor Lakes (picture 2 below) is a “dual brand” hotel, meaning they will share the samebuilding, pool, fitness, laundry, and breakfast. The Residence Inn will have 96 rooms and SpringHill Suites will have 84 rooms.Target groundbreaking is in mid-2018, with the opening in mid- to late 2019.

The Fort Myers Beach project (pictures 3 & 4 below) is still moving forward. We are hopeful to begin the public review processin January that will, fingers crossed, culminate with a town council vote in March or April. As you all know, this one has beena wild ride, but we really feel the momentum continuing to build in the right direction. If all goes as expected, which hasn’thappened yet, perhaps we could be under construction in 2019 and open in 2021.

Chris FlaggChief Investment Officer

TPI Hospitality

Rendering of the proposed Fort Myers Beach main hotel.

Hampton Inn Eden Prairie groundbreaking in mid-2018 Residence Inn/SpringHill Suites Arbor Lakes groundbreaking in mid-2018

Rendering of the overall Fort Myers Beach project.

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Maintaining this level of growth is neither easy nor cheap. It takes a lot of hard work and cash. Cash comes from one of twobuckets: (1) actual cash in the bank, which we commonly refer to as “equity”, and (2) debt, which is borrowed cash from anotherperson, bank, or other lending institution that will need to be repaid at some point in the future. Today, I would like to talk aboutdebt. As a young ESOP, we have a lot of debt. But there are different types of debt, and like the quote at the top of this article,there is “good debt” and “bad debt”. In our world, we have three general categories of debt: (1) property debt, (2) line of creditdebt, and (3) seller debt. Let’s dive into each of these individually.

Property DebtThink of property debt like a home mortgage. One would have a hard time buying a new home today without a mortgage. Inaddition, there are benefits that come from the mortgage such as ability to write off interest on a tax return. In our world,“property debt”, or debt that is placed on every property we own, is “good debt”. Now, just like a mortgage, “good debt”becomes “bad debt” if you have too much of it. For this reason, we monitor our level of property debt very closely by trackingour loan-to-value ratio (LTV), or the percentage calculated by dividing total debt by market value. Currently, we have a LTVratio between 70-75%. Candidly, this is higher than we want. Our target should be around the 65% level. We are higher thanour target because of the 5 new hotels that just opened. When a new hotel opens, it takes 2-3 years before it reaches itsstabilized market value. Until that happens, a new hotel could have a calculated LTV of 80-85% or higher. But rest assured,we will be down to our target 65% very soon, especially if we can hit our newly established RGI targets and 2018 budgets. So,the takeaway here is to think of “property debt” like a home mortgage.

Line of Credit DebtNow for a typical family, the opposite of mortgage debt is credit card debt or consumer debt. This type of debt is not entirelybad. Maybe it helped in an emergency, or was a way to take the family on that dream vacation while the kids still believed thatDisneyland characters were in fact movie stars (oh, the good old days). However, credit cards can quickly become a problem.Interest rates are high. Monthly payments feel like they will never end. Your credit score drops when balances are too high,so the next time you want to buy a car or a home, you don’t qualify for the lowest interest rate. Well, in our world, we also havedebt much like credit card or consumer debt. It is our line of credit. Currently, we have a $6 million line of credit that is maxedout. It didn’t happen overnight, it has been slowly heading in that direction. Frankly, a lot of that money was used to start theESOP and investment equity contributions in our recently opened properties. But it is time to address this debt. Our goal in2018 is to reduce it, if not eliminate it entirely. Once that happens, we can reassess our strategy for how we want to use a lineof credit in the future, just like a household would reassess how and when to use their credit card immediately following theirlast payment to zero on the outstanding balance.

Seller DebtPrior to the creation of our ESOP, the Torgerson family owned Torgerson Properties, Inc. (TPI), and sold the company to theESOP. However, although it had plenty of equity, the ESOP did not have enough cash to buy TPI outright. So, they financedthe entire transaction with seller financing (aka, seller debt). To better understand what this means, let’s revisit our homemortgage example from the Property Debt section. We have a young junior executive who just landed a big job, and they nowwant to buy a house. Unfortunately, they do not have enough cash for the down payment. So, they call up their parents wholend them enough money to meet the down payment requirement. Now, this money at some point needs to be paid back tothe parents. But repayment doesn’t need to happen immediately, and might not even need to happen until other debt is paiddown first. This is similar to TPI’s situation, as our ESOP seller debt needs to be repaid as well. Under our current agreement,the debt will be paid down little by little every year with a full pay off by or before 2045 (30 years after the ESOP was created).And like a personal loan from a family member, if unforeseen circumstances arise where the repayment terms of our seller debtneed to be revisited, we can have those discussions.

So, if we maintain a healthy loan-to-value ratio with our property debt, pay off our line of credit, and continue to pay down ourseller debt…will our ESOP share value go up? Yes, it should. Some years will feel like we hit a homerun. Other years, suchas our 2016 valuation, and very likely how our 2017 valuation will shake out, will feel more like a fielder’s choice single (yes, Iam a baseball fan…go Twins!). For those of you who have not heard of a fielder’s choice single before, suffice it to say, it isnot a very exciting way to get on base…but it is not a strike out. Rest assured, today we are taking the right steps at the righttime to maximize our ESOP valuation going forward. I can’t promise anything, but I can optimistically say that we are headedin the right direction.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Innside TPI, when we hope to tackle the complicated subject of how assets are valued, whathappens when assets are bought or sold, and how we as an ESOP process the inevitable buy/sell/hold/renovate decisions.Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I may not have all the answers, but I know how to use Google, whichdoes seem to know everything.

Have a great holiday season, and cheers to a very happy and prosperous 2018 for everyone!

Chris Flagg 7

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...continued from page 2 Tom Torgerson

Moving forward into 2018 with the succession plan, Jim’s immersion is nearing completion, and simultaneously, Mitch hasbeen more and more involved with additional aspects of running our business. At this time, Jim is our Chief Operating Officerand Mitch is our Chief Executive Officer. This changes my title to Chairman of the Board. I will remain very active in supportingthe success of our leadership. In our succession plan, this stage is what we have labeled as Generation IA, with our previousstructure labeled as Generation I. Again, a huge milestone in TPI’s evolution. We don’t have a definitive time line, but thereis a Generation II in the strategic plan, whereby the likelihood is that Mitch will join me on the Board of Directors. The fact isthat some of us are getting older, and we don’t want TPI to be in a reactive position with its leadership due to the occurrenceof some unforeseen or untimely event. With you as the owners, we have what is called a fiduciary responsibility. Thatresponsibility is to all do our part to ensure the ESOP is successful and achieves its potential. We are all in this together, butsuccess will only be achieved if we think like owners!

The best to you and yours this holiday season,

Tom Torgerson, Chairman

...continued from page 3 Mitch Peterson

In addition to these changes, we will also be employing some valuable new tools to create greater efficiencies and productivity,both of which play heavily into our quest for higher profits! The first of these new tools is called PDQ. PDQ is a system thatchanges the way we clean our hotel rooms and will involve everyone who works within the housekeeping department. Whatthe PDQ system provides is a unique way of approaching one of the most important daily challenges we face. It will equip allof our Housekeeping associates with new ways to approach their work. Once we adapt to the initial change, I am confidentthat our Housekeeping teams will embrace this new way of approaching their work and will experience the benefits of thechange, as will our guests and the entire ESOP!

Another initiative that is currently being implemented is in the area of time and attendance management. We have contractedwith third party firms, Hotel Effectiveness, Hot Schedules and FOCUS to provide a platform that will assist us in creatingsignificant efficiencies in labor cost management. These platforms will also serve to increase levels of productivity in areasthat currently have an opportunity for improvement. Many of you have likely already seen the first signs of this change withthe new fingerprint-reading timeclocks. In addition to improving our reporting capabilities, this new technology will provide anefficient and accurate mechanism to track labor expenses and also reduce the number of manual errors that can occur duringthe payroll process, which is good for everyone!

In addition to the previous two initiatives, we continue to investigate additional technology options that will support our essentialKPI expectations. Another technology change that we are considering is referred to as business analytics. Simply put, it issoftware that captures and processes all of the information we need, in a consumable and real-time manner, to allow us tomake the best possible real-time decisions for our operations. With over 1,700 associates taking care of thousands of guestsevery day, we produce and consume a mindboggling amount of data during the ordinary course of our daily operations. Somuch so, that we simply cannot process it fast enough to keep us ahead our competition. After completing our businessanalytics research, if we determine that this technology provides an appropriate return on our investment, we will endeavor intoyet another change. Employing this software will most assuredly eliminate a number of manual processes that we currentlyemploy and increase our overall productivity and effectiveness.

In closing, I would like to personally thank each of you for your commitment, contributions and certainly for your willingnessand ability to embrace change. Moving from one stage of life to another is often awkward, but with a collective commitmentto change and improvement, we can quickly work through this stage and create “the best of times” for each of us as ESOPowners!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Mitch

Remember our new vision statement...

Whatever it takes, YOU have the power!

DefeatingIrma

Hurricane Irma hit Naples on September 10, 2017, causingStaybridge Suites Naples to be without power for eight days.The power went out at 10:34 am Sunday, September 10, anddid not come back on until the following Sunday, September17 at 8:34pm. The Naples team worked diligently before,during and after the Hurricane. Once the power came backon, they all shifted into another gear and opened the doorson Monday morning at 6am and immediately filled the hotel.They had several guests visiting during and after theHurricane because they had nowhere to go. All emergencyshelters were full, and a mandatory curfew was in place forthe entire area.

The day Irma was to hit, General Manager Tracy Neumeyerhad a coffee station setup on the 2nd floor for her guests andteam. Chief Maintenance Engineer Chad Williams broughthis motor home to the hotel and made hot coffee when thehotel didn’t have any power. This is true to the nature of realhospitality!

Flashlights were hung at the entrance of every occupiedroom. Director of Sales Sue Agostinelli drove two guests tothree different shelters to try to find space. After drivingnearly 100 miles, they had to return to the hotel as therewasn’t any room at any of the emergency shelters.

There was a total of 11 guests that had to ride out thehurricane with the Staybridge staff and five dogs. A couplefrom Germany, a couple from England, a couple fromSwitzerland and five local guests were all living at the hotel.The group had to stay in the hall on the 2nd floor and not gointo their rooms. The sheer pressure from opening andclosing doors could cause the window to blow out! Thecouple from Switzerland are regulars at the hotel, and thehusband helped us break down all our computer equipmentand take it to an upper floor, and he even hooked everythingback up after the storm. After the storm passed, the guestsall helped the Naples team clean up the pool area of debrisand put back all the furniture. On September 13, everyonewas grilling and celebrating a guest’s 36th weddinganniversary. Tracy said, “There was a true feeling ofteamwork for both the Staybridge team as well as our guestswho experienced the storm”. The couples from England andSwitzerland both said it was their best trip ever because ofthe relationships they formed.

Hurricane Irma was a harrowing experience for both theNaples and Fort Myers Beach teams, but their incredibledetermination to support each other and their guests createdmore than just a memory, it created a bond that will be hardto break. The entire TPI team is awed by your ability toendure these challenges and create win-win outcomes.Kudos to both the Naples and Fort Myers Beach teams fortheir ability to overcome Hurricane Irma!

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A guest comment received at Best Western Plus Shoreview...I was extremely impressed with the hospitality of Alyssa Rae at Shoreview Best Western last night. It's rare to find such kindcustomer service representatives like Alyssa. She welcomed me with a smile and a friendly attitude. I had a rough day andwas just looking for a cozy place to unwind and relax. She made sure I was well taken care of and explained room serviceaccommodations along with other hotel amenities. She pointed out many locations on the hotel map to give me an overview.I'm sure your staff explain the same items over and over throughout their day, which can be monotonous. Yet, Alyssa had abubbly attitude and made me feel very at home and welcomed. Alyssa certainly has leadership potential in your company andshould strongly be considered for a pay raise.

A guest comment received at Courtyard Rochester...We are Florida residents who have come to Rochester four times for medical testing at the Mayo Clinic. Each time, we havechosen to stay at the Courtyard by Marriott. The hotel is modern, clean and homey, but the biggest reason why we keepcoming back to your hotel is because of the way we are treated by the front desk manager, Dan Knoke. Staying at theCourtyard has always been a wonderful experience. The food is always excellent. The cleaning ladies are very diligent. Thewaiters are responsive and professional. There is nothing that we have found to be mediocre. Everything about your propertyis great. One person who stands out is Dan Knoke. He’s always greeting people with a smile. Dan is constantly asking, “Isthere anything else I can do for you?” He’s always so helpful. Dan clearly enjoys his job. Dan is a valuable asset to yourhotel. You should have him training other employees on hospitality. We recommend your hotel to everyone.

A comment received at Staybridge Suites Naples...I cannot say enough about the service, friendliness of staff and quality of this hotel. AlI the staff make you feel like royalty.They go above and beyond to make your stay great. You are always greeted with a smile and asked how you are doing, andthe staff genuinely want to know! Each and every department, including General Manager, Tracy, Sales Director, Sue, frontdesk staff, Oliver, Mia, Kannika, Lindita, and Divina, bartenders Mike and Sarah, Laura in the kitchen, the housekeeping teamand the maintenance man that fixed my bicycle handlebars for me. Many of these people have become friends, and I will seethem again even when I don't need a room. I felt sad when it was time to go home because it felt like I was leaving family.

A comment received at the Willmar Conference Center...We were absolutely blown away by the excellent service throughout the conference. Laurie Varpness was top of the line.Joanne Marquardt could not have been better in any area, we asked and she responded. The IT service was second to none.The evening event was more than expected and beautiful. This staff made our first annual conference the greatest successpossible. We will absolutely be holding this event here next year, and have already booked the dates. I have worked manyevents and functions over the years, however, I have never experienced the excellent customer service that we received at theWillmar Conference Center. The food was outstanding. The hotel accommodations could not have been better. The staffmade us feel like we were the only customer they had. We cannot thank you enough. Everything was above and beyondexpectations.

A guest note left at Hampton Inn Arbor Lakes...I’m not sure if you’re going to be the same person that met our special request for a framed picture of the Queen, a Dr. Pepperand a bath bomb, but I had to let someone know how awesome that was! My husband and I travel a lot, and he is from theUK. You’re the first hotel to even acknowledge our special request, let alone fulfill it spot on! To the person who did this, you’reawesome and we love you. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure every employee we came within ten feet of greeted us and madeus feel super welcome (even when we went on a drunk, 3am Perkins adventure). Thanks for making our day!

A guest comment received at Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington...I was dining with family members at the bar and one of my family matters lost a very expensive personal item. The bartender,Sue Lawson, was extremely helpful and went above and beyond to find this item, but the front desk employee, Ali El-Ghandour,gave us the best Hilton customer service I have ever had, maybe the best customer service I have had anywhere. Thishappened around 9:00 pm on Saturday night, so the front desk was slow and Ali noticed we were looking for my mother's lostitem. Ali came over and started helping us look. No one was able to find the item, and we all gave up. About 15 minutes later,Ali was still looking for it, and found it! As we sat around talking about how great he was, another family member said theyhad come down to the front desk looking for a tool to fix a belt. Well, Ali did one better. He just took the belt and fixed it himself.In both situations, when he was thanked for his assistance, he just smiled and said, “it's no problem, I love my job”. What anamazing employee. He had a great attitude, was humble, wowed his customers, and made everyone feel important. I wouldstay at this hotel again just to have customer service like that!

Whatever it takes...

A guest comment received at Holiday Inn Arbor Lakes...I have never had the privilege or honor to write a letter for any property while traveling and I thought this experience iswarranted. From the moment I checked into Holiday Inn Arbor Lakes, the staff went above and beyond my expectations ofservice and excellence. The level of service is beyond impressive and it is very much appreciated. I am honored to be a guestat your location. Over the last few weeks of my stay I have seen unprofessional and unkind guests, and I see your staff riseabove this, which is beyond me how they do it. The level of professionalism and patience is unbelievable. I am humbled andvery appreciative to the front desk staff, dining area staff, and housekeeping. I would like to personally tell you that on eachand every Sunday, on the fourth floor I see how hard the employees in housekeeping are working and they are doing it withcare and a smile. This is the hardest job in this industry, and they are doing it with great pride and for that I am extremelygrateful for each of you. On a personal note, a few individuals have exceeded my expectations, and in my opinion, make myexperience exceptional. Michael Stenger is top notch. I see how diligent he is and how hard he works. Truly, an asset to yourproperty and the guests. Deb Larson in the dining area has done a superb job. Her attention to detail and her professionalismexemplifies leadership. I am humbled by her work ethic. I appreciate all of the service you have provided to me during my stay.The entire staff, especially the individuals I have mentioned, deserve praise. In any organization, it is people like theseindividuals that make it a success. Thank you to all the staff at Holiday Inn Arbor Lakes.

A guest comment received at Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview...Mary Kay Griffiths is an amazing customer service provider on every front. She helped me with my reservation and rate beforeI ever got there since I wanted to do a combo points/money thing. She made it all look easy. When we got there, she wasbehind the desk, greeting us with a very genuine smile and a helpful attitude. The next morning, she took our order forbreakfast,which was awesome by the way. My impression of your hotel is that it is one of the finest running Hilton propertiesI have stayed in. Lovely people make all the difference when you are away from home. For me, it makes an even biggerdifference when you’re talking about making my family comfortable and welcomed. Mary Kay did both with ease. I wanted tomake sure you were aware of what a gem she is and how well she represents Hilton and your property in particular.

A guest comment received at Holiday Inn Express Roseville...I want to brag about your Holiday Inn Express in Roseville. My mother, brother, and I are 14 hours from home and have spentevery day at the University of Minnesota Children's hospital preparing for a bone marrow transplant where my brother is therecipient and I the donor. From the moment we checked in, Doug Arnold and his team have been accommodating, showngreat hospitality and friendliness. From the instant they realized we were booked for 21 days, pending the Ronald McDonaldHouse opening up for us, he found every way to make sure we were comfortable after our long days at the hospital. When herealized we would be staying for 21 days, he found a way to open up the adjoining room to not only give us each our own bed,but also some extra space for our belongings, which were many as we were expecting to stay in Minnesota for the next 4-6months for the transplant process. Doug, his team, the shuttle driver, and housekeeping team have done everything in theirpower to make us comfortable and happy during our stressful time away from home. So, I wanted to take this moment torecognize them for all of the hard work they do and to show my family’s appreciation for what they have done for us. We areextremely thankful and blessed to have found such an amazing place to stay!

A guest comment received at Holiday Inn Express Golden Valley...We gave your hotel short notice due to a death in our family. They were so kind and accommodating and gave us specialpricing and a room upgrade. Upon our arrival, the staff was so kind and thoughtful, asking if there was anything we needed.The breakfast employee, Terry Vallejo, was courteous, professional and helpful, especially to my sister who has a mobilityproblem. Terry remembered us from last year when we stayed at your hotel. She went out of her way to assist all of us. Terryis such a caring and thoughtful person. Courtney Sparks, the front desk employee, and the other staff showed theirthoughtfulness and kindness by giving us a sympathy card signed by all the staff. This meant so much to our family dealingwith our loss. Thank you very much for treating us so well, I have recommended your hotel to all of our family and friends.

A guest comment received at Hilton Garden Inn Eagan...We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for the service and care we received from front desk employee, RachelByer at your Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Eagan. We commend Rachel for giving us excellent service, and being so attentiveand kind. The air conditioning in our home went out. We decided to go to a hotel since it could not be fixed until Sundayafternoon. It had gotten up to 85 in our house, and we were tired, exhausted and needed to get cool. After asking us whatbrought us in to the hotel that night, we proceeded to tell Rachel about how stressful our week had been from travelling anddealing with some personal issues. Rachel was so understanding and got us a beautiful room. She was very engaging, andwithin a few minutes we were comfortable, cool and very pleased we had chosen Hilton Garden Inn Eagan.

...You have the power!

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Giving ThanksHome2 Suites Roseville hosted a largeThanksgiving Feast for their associates,families and guests. With many long-termguests not able to go home for the holiday, theteam at Home2 prepared a meal for over 75people. It made the holiday a memorableexperience, which is very evident in some ofthe comments provided from the Home2guests.

“The hotel put on a Thanksgiving holidayspread that was absolutely wonderful! A verynice gesture to all the people that couldn’t behome for a holiday.”

“Thank you for the wonderful Thanksgivingmeal!”

“The staff made a wonderful Thanksgiving meal which was greatly appreciated!”

“The staff made the guests a wonderfulThanksgiving dinner. The variety availablewas awesome, and everything was delicious.”

“Both Bridget and Tina were great, and theThanksgiving dinner was amazing!”

Many thanks to the entire Home2 SuitesRoseville team for living You Before Me. Theteam provided their guests with one additionalreason to be thankful. Now, that’s a win-winoutcome!

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Ken Kubista is the new MaintenanceEngineer at SpringHill Suites Rochester.Ken started June 1st with the idea thiswas going to be new challenge for him.Over the past few months there havebeen many aspects of the job he hasenjoyed. Every day is different and itallows him to use many of his various jobskills from a wide spectrum of hisprevious jobs. The staff at SpringHill isan energetic group that keeps Ken onhis toes, but the team has made him feelcomfortable. Ken said SpringHill is agreat place to work and plans to be herefor many years to come. Nice job, Ken!

Charlotte Kirscher has been in thehospitality industry for almost 15 years.She has held many roles in her careerand has been a great addition to theHome2 Suites Roseville team as thenew Executive Housekeeper. WhenCharlotte isn’t at work, she is spendingtime with her husband and threechildren. She likes to travel, and oftenaccompanies her husband when he isworking on monster trucks for variousMonster Truck Shows. The Rosevilleteam is excited to have Charlotte as amember of the Home2 family!

Terrica Broome is now the Front DeskSupervisor at Quality Inn Fairmont.Terrica says, “Working for TPI Hospitalityhas been a great experience for me. InDecember of 2015, I had a careerchange that took me from 18 years inRetail Management to the HospitalityIndustry. It has definitely been a positivemove. I am still dealing with customerservice and retail to sell my hotel rooms,it’s just a different kind of retail.” Terricastarted as a Night Auditor in 2015.Coming from Arizona to Minnesota hasbeen a big change, but to be closer toher grandchildren and daughter, shesaid she would do it all over again.

Jamie DeJaynes, formerly a Holiday InnFairmont Housekeeping Supervisor, wasrecently promoted to the ExecutiveHousekeeper position. Jamie is a funloving, very hard working person. Shegrew up in Sherburn, MN and moved toFairmont in 2001. When not working,Jamie likes to spend time with her family,friends and her dogs and cat. Jamiejoined TPI in 2016 and is looking forwardto becoming an official employee ownerat the end of this year. Congratulationson your new role, Jamie.

Michelle Olson joined the SpringHillSuites Rochester team in September inthe housekeeping department andquickly became a leader. She waspromoted to Executive Housekeepershortly after joining the team and hasn’tlooked back. Michelle has worked innumerous different departments atvarious hotels in Rochester, which givesher a unique experience for her currentrole. In the short time Michelle has beenleading her department, SpringHill hasearned some of the highest scores inrecent years for cleanliness. We arethrilled to see where Michelle will leadher team next!

Ashley Johnson has been working forTPI at Homewood Suites St. Louis Parkfor over four years. She started as aRoom Attendant, worked hard and waspromoted to Housekeeping Supervisor,and most recently was promoted toExecutive Housekeeper. Ashley hasfour children, ranging from 8 to 14, andshe is very excited to be planning herupcoming June wedding. When awayfrom the hotel, her family is her priority,which reflects in her favorite hobby,shopping. Her favorite store, RainbowFoods, is where she goes to get all thesecret ingredients for her world-famousspaghetti. It’s her kids’ favorite.

Inn the news at TPI Hospitality

Mike Klick has accepted the position ofKitchen Manager at Green Mill New Ulm.Mike recently moved to New Ulm and isa proud father of a son. Mike bringssignificant kitchen experience, and hasworked in kitchens very similar to GreenMill New Ulm. Mike’s focus is to helpcontinue the cultural growth at therestaurant and work to develop the skillsof the entire staff. Welcome to GreenMill New Ulm, Mike.

Alyssa Redick joined TPI while openingHampton Inn Roseville in June, 2016, asthe Front Office Supervisor. She hasbeen in hospitality for over four years,working for multiple hotels around theTwin Cities metro area. Although sheabsolutely adores hotel operations, shedecided to venture into a different facetof hospitality by accepting the BanquetOperations Manager position at theNorth Metro Event Center in November,2017. She feels incredibly fortunate tohave this opportunity. Alyssa’s favoritecore value is “You Before Me”, becauseshe truly believes empathy makes theworld go ‘round.

Staybridge Suites Bloomington wouldlike to congratulate Katie Cole on herrecent promotion to Assistant GeneralManager! Katie joined Staybridge teamin Bloomington in December of 2016,after graduating from the Hospitalityprogram at Southwest Minnesota StateUniversity in Marshall. Katie has been atremendous addition to the team, andthe entire Bloomington team wishes herthe best of luck in her new role.Congratulations, Katie!

In June of this year, Dylan Perese joinedthe TPI team at our Hampton InnMinnetonka. After only three months,Dylan was promoted to AssistantGeneral Manager in September. Dylancomes to TPI after graduating fromHarvard University, where he studiedHistory & Literature. During school,Dylan worked as a tour guide in theHarvard Art Museums, and also as ateam member at Target during hisbreaks. Dylan is passionate aboutdelivering excellent guest service, andenjoys learning as much as possibleabout the hotel industry while doing so.Congratulations on your new role, Dylan.

Ron Lubich has become the posterchild for TPI’s “Tenure Reinvented” corevalue. Ron has been with TPI since2002, when he started as the F&BManager at Hilton Garden Inn Eagan.His hard work and passion to learneverything he could about the hospitalityindustry while in his F&B role earned hima promotion to the Assistant GeneralManager position. Recently, Ron washappy to transfer his services across thestreet to the Staybridge Suites Eagan astheir new Assistant General manager.Ron is excited to take on the challengesof learning the IHG brand. Way to go,Ron!


Sue Chang has recently accepted theExecutive Housekeeper position at thesoon-to-open Marriott AC St. Louis Park,located in the West End. She started hercareer with TPI at Holiday Inn ExpressRoseville, and is very excited to open theMarriott AC and learn all about the newbrand. The Marriott AC team is veryexcited to have Sue on board, and islooking forward to the January opening

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Erica Karels is the new Sales andCatering manager at Hilton Garden InnEagan. She started in hospitality workingin sales at the Water Park of America,and following that was the NationalSales Manager for AmericInn. Prior tohospitality, Erica spent several yearsworking in wireless sales. She isengaged and has to two cats and a dog.In her free time, she likes to travel to newcities and attend concerts. Welcome tothe Eagan campus and team TPI, Erica.

Rose Wadman, the new AssistantGeneral Manager at Courtyard ArborLakes, has over 20 years of experiencein the hospitality industry, including theReno Hilton, Fairfield Inn & Suites-Mallof America, and Country Inn & Suites byCarlson. Rose says, “Service and guestsatisfaction is a core value I trulyembrace. Greeting our guests every timewe see them walk by, or asking how theirstay is going with a bright smile canmake a lasting impression.” When not atwork, Rose enjoys spending time withher family, likes to watch HallmarkChristmas movies, and teaches SundaySchool to little ones at her church.

Courtyard Arbor Lakes welcomes AndyGreen as the new Food and BeverageManager. Andy comes to the Courtyardteam from central Illinois. He is engagedto his beautiful wife-to-be, Hannah.They are currently planning a weddingfor the fall of 2018. His favorite corevalue is “Set the example for others tofollow”. He strongly believes if you setthe example all other core values fall intoplace. Best of luck in your new position,Andy.

Bobbi Henderson was recently rehiredat Best Western Shoreview as theAssistant General Manager. She workedwith us a two years ago at our front desk,and continued to gather guest servicesand management experiences after sheleft that position. The six months afterher departure with us, she worked in theresorts at Walt Disney World. She hasspent the last year and a half working inthe customer service department at theGolf Channel. We are glad to have herback with us, and are excited to seewhat she can accomplish in her newposition. Welcome home, Bobbi!

Chad Cooreman has joined the GreenMill New Ulm and Holiday Inn New Ulmteams as the Sales & Catering Directorof the New Ulm Conference Center.Chad brings valuable Executive Chefknowledge and skills to the Salesdepartment, and has made animmediate impact on “Outrageous GuestService” in New Ulm. Chad and his wifelive in New Ulm and have a 1-year-oldson. When Chad has time away fromwork, he enjoys golfing, hunting, workingon his house, and hanging out with hisfamily. Chad is very motivated to build astrong presence in the New Ulm marketand help create a very profitable 2018.

On Halloween, associates from HolidayInn Express Roseville and Home2 SuitesRoseville packed food at SecondHarvest Heartland. The food this grouppacked goes to local food shelves, aswell as for disaster relief in other parts ofthe country and the world. The teampacked 8,582 lbs of food! Another greatexample of TPI associates living “Set theExample for Others to Follow”, “RespectOne Another”, “Pacesetters Win” and“You Before Me”. Well done!


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Best Western Plus Shoreview recentlypromoted Cierra Lidtke to AssistantExecutive Housekeeper, after shedemonstrated great promise as aHousekeeping Supervisor. She has astrong background in customer service,and has been with the Shoreview teamfor over two years. Cierra has workedreally hard in her new role to help theShoreview team meet the goals that weask of our Housekeeping department.We are looking forward to her continuingto grow in her role, and becoming a greatleader for us on the property. Thank youfor your ongoing commitment to the BestWestern Plus team in Shoreview.

Andrew Rohlik was recently promotedto Food & Beverage Manager at TPI’ssoon-to-open AC Marriott hotel in St.Louis Park. Andrew join the TPI team in2010 as a cook at Courtyard MapleGrove. After advancing to Chef, he wasthen promoted to Food and BeverageManager. He has led the Food &Beverage team at the Courtyard forthree years, and says, “I feel that TPI isa perfect fit for me, and I enjoy workingfor a great company that has invested inme over the years.” Congratulations onyour new role, Andrew.

Staybridge Suites Arbor Lakes would liketo introduce Taylor Thompson as thenew Assistant General Manager. Taylorjoined the Arbor Lakes team in Octoberwith previous experience in variousmanagement and leadership roles.Originally from Texas, Taylor was aCombat Paramedic for six years, andwas a two-sport college athlete. In hisspare time he volunteers with his wifeand four kids. Welcome to TPI, Taylor.

Hilton Garden Inn Eagan is pleased toannounce the promotion of Peter Jarvisto the Assistant General Managerposition. Pete has consistently lived the“Tenure Reinvented” core value bytaking new roles. He recently doubledup on duties while managing the F&Bdepartment in addition to his ExecutiveHousekeeper position. Pete has astrong passion for food, and somethingnot everyone knows...he has a passionfor Hot Wheels and is an avid collector.Thank you for all you do Pete, and bestof luck in your new role as AssistantGeneral manager.

John Christensen joined TPI in Augustas the Assistant General Manager atHampton Inn Roseville. He brings withhim 11 years of hospitality experiencethrough multiple departments, mostrecently as the Front Office Manager atHilton Minneapolis. He enjoys spendingtime with his wife, one-year-old son,seven-year-old hound, and generally justbeing active outdoors. Biking, kayaking,fishing and hiking are all top of the list ofpassions for John, but his mostheartbreaking admission is his fanaticlove for the Minnesota Wild. Welcome toTPI, John.


Tina Harpke started with TPI in July of2016 as the Assistant General Managerat Hampton Inn Roseville. In July of2017, she was promoted to GeneralManager of Home2 Suites Roseville.Previously, Tina had been in thehospitality industry in the Twin Cities forten years, and had another ten years infast food management. When not atwork, Tina spends time with her family,including her five children with agesranging from 8 to 21. She is also an avidbook lover, having read or listened toover 200 books since the beginning ofthe year. Thanks for everything you dofor TPI, Tina.

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Heather Horton recently joined theSpringHill Suites Rochester team asAssistant General Manager. She hadpreviously worked at the full-serviceMarriott in downtown Rochester, whereshe served as a Front Desk Supervisorand Concierge Manager. Heather has agreat hospitality attitude that makes heran ideal fit for her new role. Heather isoriginally from the Rochester area, butmoved to New York City to attend NewYork University for Political Science andMedia, Culture, and Communications,before moving back to Rochester to becloser to family. Heather is excited forwhat the future with TPI holds for her!

The Rochester team served dinner toRonald McDonald House guests onOctober 25th. Their new AssistantGeneral Managers, Matthew andHeather, genuinely enjoyed engagingthe families, especially the sick children.Heather returned to the kitchen with atear in her eye and a lumpy throat. It justfeels that good to give! Pictured above,left to right, are Ryan Miller, GM atHomewood Suites, Michael Rupkey, GMat Courtyard by Marriott, MatthewSchimek, AGM at Homewood Suites,Heather Horton, AGM at SpringHillSuites, and Dan Nelson, Area Director ofSales.

Tyler Martin joined the North Metrosales team in June, 2017, as aCorporate Sales Manager. He was bornand raised on the East coast in NewHampshire, where he recently worked asan Enterprise Solution Specialist for amarketing attribution firm. During his freetime, Tyler enjoys golfing, rock-climbing,cooking and spending time with family.He lives in Saint Michael, MN with hiswife, Katie, and two daughters, Zoe, ageseven, and Willow, age three.

Siegel Howard recently transferred asExecutive Housekeeper at HomewoodSuites St. Louis Park, to the sameposition at Holiday Inn Arbor Lakes. Hereceived his AA degree from theUniversity of Phoenix with an emphasisin Management, and has extensiveexperience in hotel management andvarious leadership positions. Siegel isbest known for his ability to build anddevelopment strong, motivated teams.Siegel is newly married to the woman ofhis dreams. They live in Brooklyn Parkand enjoy spending time with friends andfamily and attending their son’s sportingevents.

Chris Poletes has joined the ACMarriott St. Louis Park team as the ChiefMaintenance Engineer to open the brandnew hotel in the West End area. Chrishad previously worked for TPI atStaybridge Suites Maple Grove, and isvery excited to be back working with theTPI team. Chris enjoys spending timewith his wife, son Felix, and his newbaby girl, Arista. The AC Marriott team isthrilled to have Chris back in the TPIfamily and part of the St. Louis Parkteam. Welcome back, Chris.

Mikaela Ruzicka was recently promotedto the Director of Housekeeping atHilton Garden Inn Eagan. Mikaela hasbeen with TPI since 2013, when shestarted as a room attendant at theSpringHill Suites Rochester. In thespring of 2016, Mikaela transferred toHilton Garden Inn Eagan as theHousekeeping Supervisor. Mikaela’shard work and willingness to workclosely with her team to get the job donehas really “Set the Example for Others toFollow” and has created great successfor her and her team. Nice job, Mikaela,and best of luck in your new position.


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Katie Rosenberg has joined TPI as aCorporate Sales Manager at the WestEnd campus. Katie moved back toMinneapolis after living in Chicago for 11years. She started her hospitality careermany years ago and is thrilled to make areturn to the industry. Having grown upnear the West End campus, Katie isexcited to see how the area haschanged and how she can help influenceits future. She enjoys spending free timere-exploring her hometown with herhusband, Eli, and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Sloane. Welcomehome, Katie.

Justine LaCroix joined the North MetroSales team in October. Most recently,she served as Director of Sales for theHyatt Place in Eden Prairie. Aftergraduating from Grand Valley StateUniversity in 2010, she bounced aroundthe Midwest and has lived in GrandRapids, Chicago and Sioux Falls, prior tomoving to the Twin Cities. When she isnot working she enjoys cooking, reading,and exploring the Twin Cities with herhusband and three dogs. The NorthMetro sales team is excited to haveJustine join their team.

Best Western Plus Shoreview is proud toannounce Tammy Hillyard as their newGeneral Manager. Tammy has beenwith TPI for 17 years as the AGM at thesame location. Tammy completed herHospitality Management degree atVincennes University in Indiana. Shethen moved back to Minnesota with herhusband John and raised two amazingsons, Cody and Dustin. When she’snot working at the hotel, she lovescooking, travel and spending time withher friends and family. TPI is proud tohave Tammy on the team, and we lookforward to her next 17 years being asgood as her first 17 years!

Matthew Schimek, the new AssistantGeneral Manager at Homewood SuitesRochester, says, “I am passionate aboutthe spirit of hospitality and embracingopportunities to turn an interaction into amemorable, impacting experience forour guests.” Rochester is both hishometown and the same city where hefirst learned to cultivate the warmth ofhospitality to help soften the hurt of thepersonal/medical reasons that typicallybring our guests to Rochester. Heenjoys spending time with his wife andtwo-year-old son, and being outside asmuch as possible when it is not coveredwith snow. Welcome to TPI, Matthew.

Lucas Schmidt is the new Front DeskSupervisor at Staybridge Suites Arborlakes, joining the team in October. Hisexperience assisting Human Resourcesdepartments while achieving his degreein communications, and working at theTwins Food Truck over the summer,prepared Lucas for the hospitalityindustry in a leadership role. During hisfree time, Lucas enjoys cooking for hisfamily and friends. Best of luck in yournew role, Lucas.


John Rivera originally joined the TPIteam as Assistant General Manager ofthe Hampton Inn Minnetonka openingteam in the summer of 2014. InFebruary, 2016, John was promoted toGeneral manager for the opening ofHoliday Inn Express Roseville. Then, inAugust of 2017, John accepted theGeneral Manager position at HamptonInn Minnetonka. John lives in New Hopewith his wife Stacey and their two cats,Alvin & Puma. When John is onvacation, you can make a safe bet he issomewhere at a George Strait concert orat a craps table in Las Vegas. Horn HighYo!

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Lauren Fischer has accepted the FrontDesk Supervisor position at CourtyardArbor Lakes. She previously hadworked just down the street atStaybridge Suites Arbor Lakes. Laurenis currently attending school to get hermanagement degree and is expected tograduate in the spring or fall of 2018. Inher spare time she likes to hang out athome with her boyfriend, Peter, and theirdog Bella, and cat Coco. Her favoritecore value is “Set the example for othersto follow” because when you dosomething outside of the expectations,others will see what you are doing andthey will do the same for others.

The AC Marriott team in St. Louis Park ispleased to introduce Chad Pembertonas their Assistant General Manager ofthe new hotel located in the West End.Chad has been with TPI for ten years,and most recently was the ExecutiveHousekeeper at the Home2 Suites inRoseville. Chad enjoys traveling, andspending time with his puppy, Daisy.Chad is very excited to help openanother hotel with TPI and learn theMarriott brand. Congratulations on yournew position, Chad, and good luck withthe opening in January.

Best Western Plus Shoreview would liketo welcome Nick Griffy as their newAssistant Chief Engineer. Nick has astrong maintenance background, withover 12 years in the bowling industry,spending the last seven and a half yearsat Pinz Entertainment Center. He is amuch needed addition to our team, andis making great strides in improving themaintenance department for us just inthe last 90 days that he has been withus. We can’t wait to see what he will dofor our hotel in the years to come, andare already very impressed by his workethic. Welcome to TPI, Nick.

Lindsey LeGrande started out as theFront Desk Supervisor of Hampton InnBloomington. She was there for a littleover two years before transitioning overto Hampton Inn Arbor Lakes as theAssistant General Manager. Lindseyenjoys interacting with the guests andmaking sure her staff is happy andcontent. Lindsey lives in Richfield withher boyfriend, Kelby, and her adorabledog, Luke. She likes hanging out withfriends and family and relaxing on her offdays! Lindsey has been a great additionto the Hampton team!

Cathy Norris has been promoted to theExecutive Housekeeper position atHampton Inn Arbor Lakes. She wasoriginally a guest service representativeat the Hampton Inn. Cathy and herfamily recently moved into her very firsthouse in Minneapolis. She has twochildren and her two dogs are namedChoppah and Toots. Cathy LOVES herjob and enjoys spending time with herstaff. She also likes going to movies andhanging out with her boyfriend whenshe’s not at work. Cathy has become agreat leader in the Hampton Inn ArborLakes housekeeping department.

Doug Arnold is extremely proud to bethe new General Manager at Holiday InnExpress Roseville. He started workingin hospitality 17 years ago by working atfishing resorts on Lake of theWoods/Angle Inlet, MN. Through those17 years, he has held roles in everydepartment at both full service andlimited service properties. Over his fouryears with TPI, Doug has worked atHomewood Suites New New Brighton,Courtyard Arbor Lakes, and now,Holiday Inn Express Roseville. In hisfree time, Doug enjoys woodworking,camping, playing with his dog, Brambles,and traveling with his wife, Sylvalyn.


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Dennis Wallenta (1990 to present)Sr. Vice President, Hotel Operations

What attracted you to TPI?I was working for a management company in Kansas as aregional manager for eight Super 8 hotels and an independenthotel with a bar. I wanted to get back to Minnesota and desiredto work for a company that OWNED and operated hotels.Management companies have an entirely different approach tooperating hotels, and I was really looking forward to workingwith an ownership group! I had heard about TorgersonProperties since I grew up in the Willmar area, so I dropped myresume off at the Willmar Holiday Inn and also faxed (yes it was27 years ago and fax was cutting edge technology back then)my resume to the administrative office. It was really one of thebest decisions of my career.

What has your career path been to this point at TPI?I started as the Guest Service Manager at the Holiday Inn andDays Inn in Austin (basically hotel AGM) then I moved toWillmar as the DOS for the new Willmar Conference Center. Ithen led the team that opened the first new-build metro hotel forTPI, the Holiday Inn Express in Golden Valley. A few years lateranother team and I opened the Hampton Inn in Maple Grove.While at Hampton Inn Maple Grove, I helped oversee theHampton Inn Shoreview during a transition of GMs for a fewmonths. When we expanded the operations team I worked asa regional manager and now as a Sr. VP of Operations.

What do you think has gotten you to where you are today?I think my ability to learn and grow and adapt has been one ofthe greatest benefits to my path with TPI. Change is constant,and the more I was given and challenged with, the more Istretched myself and learned. The more I grew and learned themore I was trusted with. I would also say the TPI culture oftraining and development was critical to my path as well. I wasgiven so many opportunities to challenge myself and to fail, andwhen I did, I was coached, taught and trained how to do it betternext time. It’s the people who invested in me in the past andwho continue to invest in me to this day that help me to keepworking on being the best I can be. I have not “made it yet.” Ithink life is a journey and I’m on my way…I suspect I will likelynever “make it”, but the journey is a lot of fun!

What advice would you give to other TPI associates whowould like to grow with the organization?I would give two pieces of advice. 1) BE HUMBLE! Allowyourself to be taught. Accept that you will make mistakes andadmit when you do. Keep yourself open to growing andlearning and be curious. When the student is ready, the teacherwill be there! We are surrounded by people who can and willhelp us if we are willing to learn from them. 2) TRUST! Trustthat TPI has your best interest in mind, and will always do theirbest to do what is right for you and TPI. If you think you areready for more and TPI doesn’t yet, trust them, keep learningand make yourself ready for the next, right challenge!

Growingwith TPI

Hospitality

Here’s a Google comment concerning Staybridge Suites Bloomington...“My daughter and granddaughters stayed here this past weekend. It was bar nonethe best hotel that I have ever stayed at. It was all perfect. The staff was friendly andhelpful. Breakfast was wonderful. Our suite was comfy. Towels and bedding weregreat. Beds were comfortable. To top things off, my granddaughter left her newstuffed reindeer behind, and it was sent free of charge back to us with a note andpicture [left] from Stephanie Thammabanevong of the stuffed animal sitting by thefireplace. What a nice gesture. Who does that? We were impressed and veryappreciative. Thanks to all who made our stay wonderful.”

The TPI Fairmont team celebrated National Employee Ownership Month with a FallFamily Fun event at the Center Creek Apple Orchard in Fairmont. Over 75 peopleattended this year and even though it was a little cold, everyone had a good time. Theteam enjoyed homemade baked apple goodies, along with a meal and lots ofactivities. This was the Fairmont team’s fourth annual event, and they already havenext year’s event planned. What a great way to enjoy current relationships withco-workers, while also building new relationships for the future. Way to go teamFairmont!

Best Western Plus Shoreview was recently honored with the Best Western Hotel &Resorts’ Chairman’s Award. This award is the brand’s highest honor for outstandingquality standards. It recognizes hotels that are in the top 5% of more than 2,100 NorthAmerican properties with respect to inspection scores on cleanliness andmaintenance. The hotel also had to meet Best Western’s requirements for designand high guest service scores to qualify for the award. The Best Western PlusShoreview housekeeping and maintenance teams have worked tremendously hard toensure our guests’ stay is nothing but exceptional. Congratulations to the entire teamfor setting the example for others to follow. Best Western Plus Shoreview rocks!

Bridget Cardenas, Front Desk Supervisor at Holiday Inn Express Golden Valley, ThorAnderson, Shuttle Van Driver at the Eagan campus, and Alyssa Rae, Front DeskSupervisor at Best Western Plus Shoreview, have been attending a four-monthHospitality Management course together at Normandale Community College. Duringthe class they were able to do onsite tours at places like Perkins Restaurants, Mall ofAmerica and JW Marriott. They also had the opportunity to meet with some areahospitality leaders through panel discussions and hear their stories and learn aboutnews and trends within the hospitality industry. What an incredible example of tenurebeing reinvented! TPI is proud to have Bridget, Thor and Alyssa as part of the TPIfamily, and we salute their ongoing desire to continue to learn and grow. Well done!

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TPI honors its t National ly recognized keynote speaker Ch

“ E v e r y d a y t h a t w e h a v e a b r e a t h , w e ’ v e g o t a c h a n c e . ”

Recognized For 20 Years of Service

Shannon Anderson


Danielle Schutz


Joel Vogler


Jesse Larson


Carey Stinson


Ed Keller


Chris Kragness


Jason Hall


Kim BowerRecognized For 20 Years of Service

Lynn Stade

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top performers had Porter makes a memorable impression

“ E v e r y d a y t h a t w e h a v e a b r e a t h , w e ’ v e g o t a c h a n c e . ” - Chad Porter

Property of the Year Award

Courtyard Arbor Lakes

President’s Award

Pierview Fort Myers Beach

Outrageous Guest Service Award

Courtyard Arbor LakesCore Value Award

Perkins AustinTop Gun Award

Best Western New Ulm

Web Warrior Award

Torge’s Live

Safety First Award

Country Inn & Suites Willmar

First Impression Award

Courtyard Arbor Lakes

Teamwork Award

Hampton Inn Minnetonka

Closer Award

Staybridge Suites Bloomington

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Sales Achievement Award

Best Western New Ulm

TPI HospitalityWater’s Edge Professional Building103 15th Avenue NW Suite 200P.O. Box 1020Willmar, MN 56201Phone: 320-235-7207

Check out our web site at www.tpihospitality.com

At TPI Hospitality, we believe in our associates...“Whatever It Takes...You Have The Power!”

a floridasnow

storm?Who says it never snows in Florida? Earlier this year, astorm brought heavy rains and high winds into the Fort MyersBeach area. The storm washed large amounts of sand fromthe gulf beach onto the Pierview Hotel outdoor pool area andcreated two-foot “snow” drifts.

To the left, maintenance personnel Dimi Nelson (left) andJohn Giannakopoulos (right) spend several hours shovelingthe sand off the pool deck and back to the beach. Wow!What a huge undertaking. I’m sure TPI’s Minnesotaassociates can understand what a back-breaking job this canbe. If Dimi and John would like some more experience,they’re welcome to visit Minnesota in January!

Documents

TPI I N N S I D E Winter 2018 - tpihospitality.com · approach, TPI’s balance sheet had a war chest of cash in the bank. This cash was designed to launch the ESOP in a way that