Spring 2006 Innside TPI

SUMMER 2015
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TPI
“Working like owners,
thinking like guests.”
TPI Hospitality associates begin to
learn what it means to be owners
TPI Hospitality reinvests heavily to build future value
Tom Torgerson summarizes TPI’s unprecedented development initiatives
As usual, there is never a dull moment at TPI. With all of the great things going on, you will
find this newsletter full of initiatives that are aimed at driving value for the success of our
employee-owners. The most important element to driving value is the great work each of you
do every day to deliver outrageous guest service. You have the power!
Tom Torgerson
Chief Executive Officer
TPI Hospitality
In terms of improving the products we offer to our guests, we continue to renovate our
facilities to keep them modern and fresh. In New Ulm, we have now completed a year-long
project of repositioning our businesses by converting the Holiday Inn into a Best Western Plus.
This renovation created new rooms, a new lobby, a new breakfast area and new corridors and
recreational areas. Business at the new Best Western Plus is exceeding our projections and
the guests love the results. The New Ulm Conference Center (NUCC) underwent a major
transformation by remodeling the meeting and banquet rooms and adding a large, open
prefunction space. Bookings for the NUCC have exceeded our wildest expectations. Lastly,
we totally reformatted the bar and restaurant to a Green Mill Restaurant and Bar and added
an outdoor pavilion. This newly reinvented property is a real show-stopper. Thank you to all
of the employee-owners in New Ulm for confronting the challenges that such an extensive
renovation of this nature create. Well done!
Moving up to Shoreview, we are closing in on the final months of a scale of renovation that mirrors New Ulm’s in pretty much
every regard. The Hampton Inn will become a Best Western Plus by the end of the year with a completely new facility, inside
and out. The North Metro Event Center has a beautifully expanded ballroom and prefunction area. The Green Mill Restaurant
and Bar is all new with another knock-out pavilion. Business in all areas is ramping back up quickly and the guests love the
new facilities. The employee-owners went out of their way during construction to ensure our guests were not inconvenienced
and they capitalized on opportunities to actually make it an entertaining and fun experience. Way to go Shoreview!
Sliding across town to Golden Valley, more excitement and massive changes have been underway since last summer. Here,
our Holiday Inn Express and Suites is in the last month of a total lobotomy. The hotel was completely transformed inside and
out with a totally new floor plan. You name it and it happened at this location. This hotel will look and feel like a newly
constructed property from the ground up. Absolutely not a square foot of this building will have gone untouched from
improvements. The broad scale of these types of renovations creates several unique phases. It starts with everyone being
very excited while anticipating its start. Then, as the project wears on, one begins to wonder if it will ever end, with every day
presenting new challenges. In the last phase we can all start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we get our second
wind. That’s when we start to feel that it was all worth it. Congratulations to team Golden Valley for bringing this challenging
project to the finish line!
Moving south to Austin, the Torge’s team has some exciting news. We blew out the east wall, made it all glass and added
another one of our soon-to-be famous pavilions. To put this into perspective, these pavilions are not your daddy’s patio. When
all is said and done, each of these unique pavilions costs approximately $600,000. They become year around space that is a
cross between indoor and outdoor environments. Take a day trip to experience the new pavilion at Torge’s Live and have lunch.
Yes, Torge’s Live is now open for lunch with an exciting new menu to boot. FYI, our food sales are going through the roof!
Upcoming renovations to start yet this year include the Hampton Inn Arbor Lakes, which will receive an all new exterior
architecture and new guest bathrooms. This will finish off a multi-year renovation at this location. We also have a full
renovation of the third and fourth floors at the Staybridge Suites in Naples, FL. This project is scheduled to take place late
summer and early fall. This will also complete a multi-year renovation at this location. Also, the Courtyard Arbor Lakes will
have its guestrooms renovated toward the end of the year. There are many other projects underway as well to assure that we
keep our offerings fresh and on the cutting edge.
We have also done some pruning of locations, which is something rarely done by TPI. We have now completed all aspects of
unwinding our venture into the Hurricane Grill & Wings business. The last phases include us selling the property and building
in Burnsville and paying off the lease for Minnetonka. Several employee-owners in the process relocated to other TPI
locations and we are extremely pleased they hung in there with us! In Eagan, we sold our Quality Inn & Suites Hotel,
primarily because we didn’t find an acceptable franchise brand that could support that large of a hotel.
...continued on page 18
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A growing ESOP creates unique challenges
TPI’s unprecedented growth demands greater internal leadership and talent development
As I sit down to write this message we are on the tail end of our ESOP rally tour. The rallies
have focused on our original mission of gaining traction with the ESOP by sticking to three
basic principles. One, to increase the level of communication to all TPI’s co-owners, two, to
educate TPI’s co-owners about the differences between being a paid associate and an owner,
and three, to further build trust by sharing more information than ever before about TPI’s
financial condition and overall performance.
Mitch Peterson
President of Operations
TPI Hospitality
At this stage, our main objectives are to educate everyone on what an ESOP is, to understand
the flow of revenues and expenses, and to understand the concept of valuation and why it is
important to each of us. Throughout the recent rallies, Pete and I were very impressed with
the level of engagement and the great questions that were asked. I am extremely confident
that if each of us maintains our appetite for understanding how the ESOP works, it will
translate into a greater understanding of how each of us, individually, can affect the value of
the ESOP as well as our own individual retirement accounts. Growing the value of the ESOP
is pretty simple...it’s all about living and breathing our core values. Our core values drive our
behaviors, our behaviors drive our performance and our performance drives our results.
Ultimately, our core values drive our results. If you want to have an immediate impact on the
value of our ESOP, live and breathe our core values at every moment on the job!
Our commitment is to provide quarterly updates to all of TPI’s co-owners through a combination of on property meetings and
webinars. These future opportunities are open to associates who is interested in learning more about the state of TPI and our
ESOP. As we step up the education component, the information that we utilize will provide greater detail as we shift towards
a greater level of transparency. As Tom points out in his article, we have embarked upon an exciting development plan to add
fuel to the ESOP’s value. There is no better way for TPI to get an above market return on investment than to develop new
properties. I hope you enjoy reading the details that Tom has provided. We are in for some very exciting times for sure!
With all of these new properties coming on line we are also allocating a tremendous amount of resources toward leadership
and talent development. When new positions open up in the company our first hope is always to satisfy the need from within
TPI. For many reasons that doesn’t always work, but we are committed to growing the number of internal promotions moving
forward. In order to accomplish this we realize that we need to put forth more resources to assist those interested in
advancing their careers with TPI. Our current efforts are focused around:
Career Mapping
Simply put, being able to define a course, or a map, for someone that is interested in advancing his or her career. This process
will be rolled out in stages to insure that we have a sound initiative that works and that we have the means to support it
moving forward.
Leadership Development
We are in the process of developing some tools to assist those interested in advancing their leadership skills. Clearly,
leadership is the cornerstone to being successful within TPI. We want to have resources available for associates within TPI
that have the appetite to grow their careers and invest in their futures.
Mentoring
We are hopeful to roll out a companywide mentoring program yet this year. As with career mapping, this initiative will also be
rolled out in stages as we move forward. The concept of mentoring is based upon a personal developmental relationship in
which a more experienced or more knowledgeable associate helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable
associate. It is a learning and development partnership between someone with vast experience and someone who wants to
learn. This process is an informal one that is set up to build both relationships and knowledge. There are literally hundreds of
years of experience within TPI that we can tap into!
In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your ongoing contributions towards increasing revenues,
minimizing expenses and enhancing our guest experience! I am personally proud to be associated with such a great
organization and group of people. Live our core values and have a great summer!
~ Mitch
3
TripAdvisor recognizes 23 TPI Hospitality locations
Properties earn TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence Award, with five Hall of Fame honorees
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site, recently announced the 2015 Certificate of Excellence award recipients. Now in its
fifth year, the award celebrates hospitality excellence worldwide and is given to hotels or restaurants listed on TripAdvisor that
consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on the site.
When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a complex algorithm to determine the honorees that takes
into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a
twelve-month period, as well as a business's tenure and ranking on TripAdvisor’s Popularity Index. To qualify for the award, a
business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must
have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least twelve months.
This year, TPI Hospitality is proud to have twenty-three locations honored with the Certificate of Excellence Award, with five of
these locations recognized with TripAdvisor’s exclusive Hall of Fame Award, indicating five consecutive years of earning the
Certificate of Excellence recognition. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you for “Setting the example for others
to follow.” The entire TPI team is proud of your accomplishments.
HALL OF FAME
CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE
Courtyard Rochester
Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington
Holiday Inn Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes
Staybridge Suites Bloomington
Staybridge Suites Naples
Best Western Plus Willmar
Country Inn and Suites Willmar
Courtyard Maple Grove
Hampton Inn Fairmont
Hampton Inn Maple Grove
Hampton Inn Shoreview
Hilton Garden Inn Eagan
Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview
Homewood Suites New Brighton
Homewood Suites St. Louis Park
Holiday Inn Austin
Holiday Inn Express Golden Valley
Staybridge Suites Eagan
SpringHill Suites Rochester
Green Mill Fairmont
Green Mill Willmar
Perkins Fairmont
Perkins Austin
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TPI associates giving back to their communities
The incredible generosity of TPI associates reflects their You Before Me culture
TPI associates realize that giving back to their communities not only reflects the core values that guide the organization, but it
also provides a strong sense of pride knowing that together they can make a difference in the communities in which they live.
Below are just a few examples of how TPI associates invest in their communities. These events are not mandated by TPI.
Rather, they are created and executed by the amazing people that make up the TPI team. Kudos to everyone who has
participated in these or similar events. Your actions are truly “setting the example for others to follow” and promote a “you
before me” culture!
Tracy Neumeyer, General Manager (left), and
Karin Borgerlink, Director of Sales (right), from
Staybridge Suites Naples, present a check for
$2,125 to the Cancer Alliance of Naples. The
donation was made possible though the help of
TPI associates who participated in TPI’s annual
Gift Basket Challenge.
Michelle Kocina, Ryan Gregory and Samantha
Nelson helped in packaging over 5,000 meals for
Feed My Starving Children. These meals are
distributed around the world to orphanages,
schools and clinics to break the cycle of poverty.
“Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.”
- Hellen Keller
Homewood Suites St. Louis Park, by virtue of
creating the most creative basket in TPI’s Gift
Basket Challenge, chose The Miracles of Mitch
Foundation as their single benefactor and
presented the organization with a check for
$2,125. The Miracles of Mitch Foundation helps
children with cancer and their families by
providing basic needs support and unique
family programs.
The Fairmont team donated their time to help
package tens of thousands of meals to help
children around the world. This is the third
consecutive year that the Fairmont associates
joined forces with Kids Against Hunger.
The Fairmont hotels donated stainless
steel kitchen equipment valued at $5,000
to assist in the renovation of the 4-H
Martin County Fair food stand.
TPI hosted a swim and pizza party spring break
for a group of underprivileged children from
Accension Place in Minneapolis. Accension
Place provides transitional housing for single
mothers in crisis. The event was held at the
Holiday Inn & Suites and Venetian Water Park in
Maple Grove.
5
Whatever it takes for outrageous guest service.
A guest comment received at Country Inn & Suites Willmar...
The part of the stay that made this stay worth five stars was your incredible staff. Wow! The entire team at the Country Inn &
Suites in Willmar, the front desk people, the pool staff, the people helping in the breakfast area, the housekeepers, they were
all extremely friendly and positive and helpful and always nice to everyone. They treated the adults and the kids so kindly.
Everyone was smiling and actually seemed like they enjoyed their jobs. I have not seen this at a hotel in many years. We loved
it! Great job to all of you. Thank you! Yes, we would certainly stay again and would recommend to everyone.
A guest comment received at Courtyard Rochester...
Several of the staff were outstanding under difficult circumstances while I was there with my daughter who was going to Mayo
Clinic. I would like to recognize Darius Fotouhi at the front desk for exceptional help with getting my daughter to the
emergency room on several occasions. Kim in housekeeping was most caring and helpful and Lisa Springborg in the dining
room was excellent in her support of us. All of the staff was friendly and helpful but these three were exceptional.
A guest comment received at SpringHill Suites Rochester...
The real reason I am writing is to let you know how unusual and "over-the-top" the entire SpringHill Suites Rochester staff is.
They were the most friendly, helpful, courteous and pleasant staff I have ever encountered in my almost 40 years of travel.
When I say "40 years of travel" I am not just referring to an occasional pleasure trip once a year, but also to my business
travel that for close to ten years required me to be on the road almost every week. It was not just one person on the staff who
treated us this way as the exception, but every single person we interacted with, which may have been your entire staff over
our weeklong stay.
A guest comment received at Staybridge Suites Bloomington...
I have stayed at many hotels, and the Staybridge Suites in Bloomington provided by far the best hotel service I have ever
received. Tommy Robinson and Tim Frank were so nice. They saw I had a big family with lots of girls, so they went out of
their way to help us. This hotel will definitely be my first choice again when I stay in the cities. Thank you for being such an
awesome hotel, I can't wait to come back again.
A guest comment received at Hampton Inn Fairmont...
While eating breakfast there was a young lady, Suzanne Sukalski, who handed me a card. After reading the card and
remembering her smile it totally changed my day for the better. I am thankful that I ran into Suzanne that day, and I am
thankful that she took time the make a wonderful card to share with me. Good job to the management for hiring Suzanne and
to Suzanne for her vision to impact the lives of others!
A guest comment received at Hilton Garden Inn Eagan...
This Eagan Hilton Garden Inn has the best team! The service they provide is second to none. I feel as if I have a friend away
from home. Joe Torfin is amazing! Not only did he allow me to use his laptop charger, but he went out in the snow and
cleaned my car off! I appreciate the outstanding willingness to make my day. Great person, great team!
A guest comment received at Green Mill Shoreview...
We would like to acknowledge the excellent service we received from Lauren Johnson at Green Mill Shoreview. We had
unexpected attendees and Lauren accommodated all of our needs. We especially appreciated that she checked in on us
periodically to see if there was anything she could do for us. Thank you for a very pleasant experience!
A guest comment received at Homewood Suites New Brighton...
Every aspect of our stay was handled in a friendly, professional and efficient manner. From the booking with Denise Logman,
to the check-in, to the breakfast and dinner crew, Jewel Fields in particular. I was amazed at what a great team you have.
Even employees walking down the hallway were friendly and offered a genuine good morning. As a joke, one of our folks even
requested a framed photo of Nicholas Cage, and sure enough, when he arrived there were two photos of Mr. Cage in his room.
I can tell you that during the portion of our meeting where we discussed guest service, I used the New Brighton Homewood
Suites as an example of a team that goes above and beyond for their guests.
A guest comment received at Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview...
What really makes the Shoreview Hilton Garden Inn special is the truly wonderful staff. They are all so sincerely friendly and
eager to please. They combine professionalism with such genuine warmth that I always feel happy to be back amongst friends.
Of all the hotels I have stayed in all over the world, I have never felt more genuinely welcome than I do here.
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You have the power!
A guest comment received at Homewood Suites Rochester...
Gil Paz Torres, who worked at the front desk was fabulous. He was also remarkably caring. One young girl was especially
sad to be at Mayo over the holidays, so Gil allowed her to help decorate the Christmas tree. This girl was from Mississippi and
had never played in snow, so Gil and others from the hotel got her a sled so she could go sledding!
A guest comment received at Hampton Inn Maple Grove...
Everything was fabulous with our stay at the Maple Grove Hampton Inn. I loved working with Lisa Widmark as she was very
organized and I was confident from the moment we first spoke that everything would be taken care of and it was. The day
after our stay we attended the conference we were in the Twin Cities for and I was name-dropping the Hampton Inn, adding
especially to schedule groups through Lisa! You met our expectations and beyond, thank you!
A guest comment received at Homewood Suites St. Louis Park...
Preston Scott was extremely helpful and friendly throughout our stay. He was on duty at the front desk the evening we
checked into the hotel. Preston was kind to our children, and remembered the activities we were busy with during the day and
asked how things had gone for us and if there was anything he could do to make our stay better. His conduct was above and
beyond what is expected. I had to send a shout out for a job very well done.
A comment received at Hampton Inn Minnetonka...
Thank you for the hospitality extended to me at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Minnetonka. I am a Hilton Diamond member and
stay at Hilton properties weekly. The service at your property is first rate. I would especially like to recognize the efforts of
Meagan Dillon and Kim Horn, as well as Daniel Asmus who checked me in on 1/21 around 8:30 PM. Kudos to you for
maintaining a well-trained, courteous and guest service oriented staff. I look forward to staying with you again when I am in
the Twin Cities.
A comment received at Holiday Inn & Suites Maple Grove...
I can't say enough great things about the staff and facilities at the Holiday Inn & Suites Maple Grove. Our board of directors
stay there and have a social each month. It is "home away from home" for all of them. They are treated with the greatest of
respect and greeted individually by name. As an executive assistant that helps organize many off site retreats, meetings and
conferences, I have never found a more professional, fun group to work with than Chrys, Jeremie, MacKenzie, Chris, Duran,
Deb and Brian. You all are the best!
A guest comment received at Best Western Plus New Ulm...
Erin Lafferty was great to work with in getting the reservation set up. Everyone in our group was very pleased with their rooms
and the staff was wonderful. We arrived earlier than expected because of the rain, and some of the rooms weren't ready
because we were so early. The staff did an amazing job getting things ready as fast as possible. The food for the meal was
excellent. Peggy Sudheimer, our waitress, was wonderful. She was so much fun and everyone enjoyed having her there. I
personally want to thank the New Ulm team for making me look so good by choosing your facility.
A comment received at Hampton Inn/Green Mill Shoreview...
Alaina Eckwright is the best event manager, hands down. She is very in tune to her customer’s needs and ensures that they
are met in a timely manner. I would highly recommend using your facility to other groups within our company.
A guest comment received at Holiday Inn Austin...
I travel often and have to say that the service I had at the Austin Holiday Inn was probably the best I've ever had anywhere.
Thank you to Chelsey Walerak and Lily Karsjens for going above the call of duty to make my stay memorable. I stayed at
the hotel in mid-December and brought some beer glasses for a friend as a Christmas gift. Housekeeping mistakenly took
them thinking they were used from the bar. Chelsey and Lily not only made it right by me, but their actions have stayed with
me ever since! I will never forget their concern, kindness and generosity which is, unfortunately, rare for weary travelers.
Holiday Inn Austin has won my loyalty!
A guest comment received at Green Mill New Ulm...
I took my family, including my three daughters who are 16-months, 5-years-old and 9-years-old, out for supper on a Saturday
night. We were seated fast and got our order in. The staff was friendly. My middle daughter spilled a drink that went under
the table. We informed our waiter, Nathan Savage. He got towels and was on his hands and knees cleaning the spill. That's
a stand up kid right there. The entire visit was great. If a manager sees this, they should realize that they have my continued
business because of our waiter, Nathan.
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A Blast From The Past!
This cover page from the 1995 Winter/Spring edition of Innside TPI describes the acquisition of Hampton Inn Shoreview. Twenty
years later a rebirth has occurred as Hampton Inn Shoreview is on the verge of becoming Best Western Plus Shoreview and
Green Mill Shoreview has been completely transformed. At TPI Hospitality, we just keep getting better!
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The hottest investment tips
Sweet Financial Services offers tips to maximize the potential of your retirement portfolio
Have you ever received a really hot investment tip? How many times has it actually worked out? “Not-so-hot tips” can
throw a kink in your long-term investment approach. Here are some sound tips for the long-term investor:
GET STARTED EARLY! - It’s impossible to stress this point too much! Despite other financial pressures, this can often
make the difference in reaching your goal. Historically, stock values appreciate in the long run so investing over longer periods can help your appreciation potential with managed risk.
ESTABLISH A REGULAR INVESTMENT PROGRAM - Even experts cannot predict when prices are low and on the rise;
therefore, the best strategy is to invest a set amount every month. Like any other investment, this approach cannot protect
from loss or guarantee a profit, but it may help to lower the average cost of your investment purchases.
REINVEST RETURNS - By reinvesting distributions from investments, you may be able to increase your account balance
over the long term. Assuming a positive return on your investment, you will realize greater benefits from the power of compounding. This is the concept of earnings on earnings.
MAXIMIZE TAX-ADVANTAGED RETIREMENT PLANS - If retirement is one of your objectives, be certain to invest in the
TPI Hospitality Retirement Savings plan if you are eligible. The plan allows pretax contributions and tax-deferred account
earnings. Best of all, Torgerson Properties will match 50% of your contributions up to 3% of your compensation.
DON’T BE TOO “SAFE” DURING RETIREMENT - When you retired, preservation of capital was a steadfast financial planning rule. However, because of inflation, you should be more concerned with preserving your spending power. To keep
ahead of the game you must take inflation and taxes into account for the actual amount of your investment return. “Safe”
investments could be a losing proposition if they offer no growth potential.
PREPARE FOR THE LONG HAUL - Follow the plan. Don’t be tempted to overreact to short-term market fluctuations.
Chasing “hot” tips could damage your long-term plan.
SCHEDULE REGULAR PORTFOLIO CHECKUPS - Your financial portfolio may need gradual adjustment as your lifestyle
changes. You should review your holdings at least once a year.
For questions relating to the TPI Hospitality Retirement Savings Plan, you can contact
Alerus Retirement Solutions at 800-433-1685 or Sweet Financial Services at 800-658-2507.
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Growing with
Chad Pemberton (2007 to present)
Strategic Revenue Expert Coordinator
TPI Hospitality
What attracted you to TPI?
During my last semester in college I did my externship at the
Staybridge Suites in Maple Grove. I enjoyed it so much that I
was excited to accept a position at the front desk after the
externship was completed.
What has your career path been to this point at TPI?
Sundowner attendant at Staybridge Suites Arbor Lakes
Maintenance at Staybridge Suites Arbor Lakes
Guest Service Representative at Staybridge Suites Arbor Lakes
Sales Coordinator for the Arbor Lakes campus
Strategic Revenue Expert Coordinator for TPI Hospitality
What do you think has gotten you to where you are today?
I feel like it was partially my desire to want to learn and grow, and
the great managers I worked with were able to see that and point
me in the right direction.
What advice would you give to other TPI associates who
would like to grow with the organization?
Learn something new every day, show an interest in wanting to
grow, and when you hear of an available position that you are
interested in, go for it!
Are you interested in growing with TPI Hospitality? Danielle
Hospitality associates who have grown within the organiza
greatest opportunity for success for both the associate and T
General Manager know. There may be an ideal opportunity w
the TPI Hospitality job posting website at www.tpihospitalityj
current associates are the future leaders of this great, employ
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TPI Hospitality
Danielle Schutz (1997 to present)
General Manager
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery of Fairmont
What attracted you to TPI?
I began working for TPI Hospitality in 1997 through a friend that
was employed at Perkins Fairmont. I had been working at
Godfathers Pizza and wanted something more and wanted to
work in a place where I could grow.
What has your career path been to this point at TPI?
I was seventeen years old and worked at Godfathers Pizza for
two years before starting at Perkins as a host. After hosting for
about six months I became a server and served through the rest
of high school and the following summer. The next fall I was
promoted to Dining Room Manager and worked in that role
through college where I achieved my Associate of Science in
Business Management. After graduating from college I was
promoted to the Assistant General Manager position. Eight
years later I got married and had kids and decided to step down
to a Dining Room Manager/Server position. This provided me
with a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and learn
more about the roles of both the dining room and kitchen teams.
I learned to cook, bake, prep, do inventory and place food orders
for the restaurant. Today, my past experiences have allowed me
to assume the General Manager position at Perkins Fairmont!
It’s a wonderful feeling to have come full circle.
What do you think has gotten you to where you are today?
I truly believe that it’s just plain and simple commitment to
success and working hard towards my goals that has gotten me
to where I am today.
What advice would you give to other TPI associates who
would like to grow with the organization?
My advice is to be proud of who you are and who you work for.
Set goals to work towards and always give 100%. Giving it your
best will always pay off in the end!
e and Chad are just two examples of the many current TPI
ation. TPI knows that promoting from within provides the
TPI. If you are interested in advancing your career, let your
waiting for you right at your property! Also, be sure to check
jobs.com. TPI Hospitality is growing, and we know that our
yee-owned company!
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TPI’s Eagan campus recognized with three awards
The Eagan team was honored at the annual Eagan Hospitality Heroes Awards Banquet
Eagan Rocks!
TPI’s Eagan campus was recognized with multiple awards exemplifying hospitality excellence during the Eagan Convention and
Visitors Bureau’s Annual Meeting and Hospitality Heroes Awards program which took place February 26, 2015 at the Lost Spur
Golf and Event Center in Eagan. In order to qualify for an Eagan Hospitality Heroes Award, candidates must exhibit service
above and beyond their normal job description through outstanding qualities such as leadership and consistently adding to the
general well-being of guests and patrons. Congratulations to Quality Inn & Suites, Max Peterson and Jason Mercord for being
recognized by the Eagan community for outstanding hospitality!
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Quality Inn & Suites is recognized as Eagan’s Property of the Year
Jason Mercord is recognized as Eagan’s Hotelier of the Year
Max Peterson is recognized as Eagan’s Services Representative of the Year
TPI experiences unprecedented growth
Recent enhancements and acquisitions signal a new era for TPI Hospitality
The Holiday Inn Express
Golden Valley
enhancements will be
completed in July.
anticipated fall
Progress continues on an
Bloomington.
opening for Hampton Inn
Torge’s Live Austin now
sports a new
temperature controlled
pavilion.
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Major enhancements will
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the Holiday
Green Mill Shoreview und
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pavilion, complete with
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n Minneapolis.
oing at the
Enhancements are ong
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13
Inn the news at TPI Hospitality
Amanda Jares was recently promoted
to Assistant General Manager at
Courtyard Arbor Lakes.
In 2012,
Amanda was in search of a new job that
would, “Challenge me and allow me to
utilize my customer service skills”. Her
search brought her to Courtyard Arbor
Lakes. After one year at the front desk
she was promoted to Front Desk
Supervisor, and worked in that position
until her recent promotion. She says, “I
feel truly blessed to be able to grow
within this company. I’m a huge fan of
TPI’s core values and practice our vision
statement every chance I get!”
Jaxsen Henry Jensen, son of Rachel
and Kevin Jensen, was born May 30th at
11:22am, after 24 hours of labor. He
weighed in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces and
was 22 1/2 inches long. Rachel was a
Breakfast Attendant at Quality Inn &
Suites before transferring to Holiday Inn
Express Golden Valley. Mom and baby
are dong well. Congratulations to both
Rachel and Kevin on the new member of
their family!
The Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview team
would like to welcome their new
Executive Housekeeper, Candace
Daniels. Prior to joining the Shoreview
team, Candace worked at Children’s
Hospital as an Environmental Service
Aide in the Surgery & Pre-Op unit and
then worked for Ecumen as a Resident
Aide. She is excited to grow in the
hospitality industry and says, “I hope to
help train my staff so they can advance
in Hospitality as well. Hospitality is a
fast-paced environment where we get to
interact with travelers from all over the
world, which fascinates me.” Welcome
to TPI, Candace!
Jackson Kinney grew up in the
Fairmont area. He has worked for TPI
Hospitality for ten years.
Jackson
started with Perkins in high school and
has worked many jobs for TPI over the
years. He has worked as a bus boy,
host, server, night auditor, dining room
manager, cook and now Assistant
General Manager. Jackson lives with his
girlfriend, Shawna, and they have two
dogs, Sterling and Archer. In his down
time he enjoys playing video games with
his buds, goes to the gym and runs the
dogs outside.
James Kokoruda, a Maintenance
Engineer at the Fairmont campus,
celebrated his 20th anniversary with TPI
Hospitality on April 22. James has seen
a lot in his twenty years. He’s even been
in the hot tub with his boots on! Be sure
to ask him about that the next time you
see him! Congratulations, James. You
have been an important part of the
success that the Fairmont campus has
experienced over the past twenty years.
We hope your second twenty years are
even better than the first!
Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington would
like to welcome Katie Solem as their
new Assistant General Manager! Katie
started in January of 2015, and came to
Bloomington after working at the Front
Desk, as a Food and Beverage
Manager, and Front Office Manager at
Homewood Suites. Katie went to school
for Travel and Tourism Management at
St. Cloud State, and while in school
worked for two summers in Alaska at a
wildlife and glacier tour company.
Welcome Katie, and good luck in your
new position!
14
Inn the news at TPI Hospitality
The Staybridge Suites Bloomington
team would like to congratulate Tommy
Robinson as he accepted a promotion
to Assistant General Manager. Tommy
was hired at the Staybridge in August of
2014 as the Executive Housekeeper,
and moved in to the AGM role in January
of 2015. Tommy and his family moved to
the Minneapolis area from Montana,
where Tommy worked in many roles at a
family of hotels and resorts. Welcome
Tommy, and good luck in your new
position!
Staybridge Suites Bloomington was
recently honored with an award
recognizing the highest RevPar growth
in the region for the Staybridge Suites
brand. The region consists of forty
Staybridge Suites locations throughout
the midwest and Canada. Above, Jason
Hall, General Manager at Staybridge
Suites Bloomington, poses with the
award. Kudos to the Staybridge Suites
Bloomington team for creating such
impressive results.
Tom Rost was recently promoted to
Director of Hotel Operations for TPI.
Tom Joined TPI in 2009 as the General
Manager of Staybridge Suites Arbor
Lakes and was most recently the
General Manager at Courtyard Arbor
Lakes. Tom was raised in Kansas and
attended the University of Kansas,
earning a degree in Political Science. He
entered the hospitality industry right out
of college and worked in multiple
positions, progressing from Front Office
Manager to Director of Operations. Tom
and his wife Tami live in White Bear Lake
while his two sons, John and Alex,
attend college in Kansas
Kyle Guyer moved to Fairmont last year
and joined the Perkins team as a
cook. He worked very hard and was
recently promoted to Assistant Kitchen
Manager. Kyle is the youngest in his
family. He has three brothers and one
sister. With his free time, Kyle likes
spending time outside playing golf, going
camping and fishing. Congratulations on
your promotion, Kyle!
Teresa Voss is the new Assistant
General Manager for Holiday Inn and
Super 8 Fairmont. Teresa started out in
the hospitality industry in 1986 while
attending the University of Wisconsin La
Crosse for her Bachelor of Science
degree. Teresa and her three children,
Sierra, Jordan and Marissa, have lived in
Fairmont since 1994. This is kind of a
homecoming for Teresa as she worked
as the AGM at Perkins Fairmont from
2000 to 2004. Teresa says her
commitment is to, “Share her knowledge
from previous experiences with the
entire front office team.” Welcome back,
Teresa!
Throughout June and July, the 2015 TPI
summer rally traveled company-wide to
deliver critically important information to
hundreds of TPI co-owners. This year’s
rally was entitled, “Working like owners,
thinking like guests”. The rally provided
detailed financial and developmental
updates, and examined the role that our
core values play in the success of the
ESOP. Above, Mitch Peterson drives
home a point to the over 80 associates
who attended the rally in Maple Grove.
Communicating, educating and building
trust among all TPI co-owners is the
foundation for strengthening and
growing the TPI Hospitality ESOP.
15
Inn the news at TPI Hospitality
Sean Twedt has transferred as General
Manager from Staybridge Suites Arbor
Lakes to Homewood Suites St. Louis
Park. Sean, who has been in the
hospitality industry for over ten years,
joined TPI in September of 2013. He
previously lived in Florida, Texas, and
Ohio before moving back to Minnesota.
Sean is married and has two wonderful
children. Ellie is three years old and
Adalynn is six months old. The girls
occupy his time when he is not working.
If he has any spare time, he enjoys
golfing and also is a Minnesota Gopher
football season ticket holder.
Laine Rajkowski has joined the Hilton
Garden Inn and Staybridge Suites in
Bloomington as their new Sales
Coordinator. Laine started with TPI at
the front desk at the Homewood Suites
St. Louis Park. She is a recent graduate
of the College of St. Benedict with a
degree in Business Management. Laine
has always had an interest in hospitality
and is excited to use her knowledge and
skills to advance in the exciting world of
sales. Laine spends many evenings and
weekends judging high school dance
competitions. She also enjoys traveling,
spending time outdoors and catching up
on her favorite TV shows.
Sean Pudlik is the new Chief
Maintenance Engineer at Hilton Garden
Inn Shoreview. Sean was raised in
Minnesota, building and installing
custom cabinetry for many years. His
work evolved into property maintenance,
and in 2006 he accepted a Maintenance
Supervisor position in Miami Beach, FL.
In 2014, he decided that Minnesota was
his home and accepted the Chief
Engineer position in Shoreview. Sean
says, “The Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview
team takes a lot of pride in their work and
goes out of their way to help one
another. They enjoy keeping the hotel
running smoothly.”
Staybridge Suites Naples was recently
recognized at the IHG Summit meeting
in Orlando, Florida for having the highest
RevPar growth in the entire region for
the Staybridge Suites brand. Above,
General Manager Tracy Neumeyer and
Director of Sales Karin Borgerink pose
with the award. Congratulations to the
entire Staybridge Suites Naples team for
earning this impressive recognition.
Well done!
Stacey Thom has recently been
promoted to the position of Executive
Housekeeper at Hampton Inn Fairmont.
Stacey has been with TPI Hospitality
since February of 2014, starting out as a
housekeeper at Holiday Inn Fairmont
and working her way to Assistant
Executive Housekeeper in the summer
of 2014. Stacey enjoys spending time
with her husband and four children, RJ
(21), Katie (19), Tyler (16) and Christian
(10). She is an avid Minnesota Vikings
fan and enjoys sitting by the campfire
with family and friends. She is looking
forward to getting to know all of her new
coworkers.
Santos Cruz joined the Perkins
Fairmont team last year as Kitchen
Manager. He is married and has three
children. Santos and his family moved
to Minnesota to be closer to his wife’s
family. Besides his work at Perkins,
Santos serves in the United States Navy
Reserves. Thank you for your service to
our country Santos!
16
Inn the news at TPI Hospitality
The Maple Grove Holiday Inn & Suites
and Venetian Waterpark welcomes
Emmett Lincoln Jr. as the new General
Manager. Emmett originally joined the
TPI team in 2008 as General Manager of
Holiday Inn Express Eagan. After four
years in Eagan he transferred as
General Manager to the Hilton Garden
Inn Bloomington, where he was until his
move to the Maple Grove campus in
February. Emmett was born and raised
in Madison, Wisconsin. Yes, he is a
cheese head!
He enjoys Badger
basketball and football, fantasy football,
working out, outdoor activities and
spending time with friends and family.
Hampton Inn Arbor Lakes would like to
welcome Melanie Isabell to the Maple
Grove campus as their Assistant
General Manager. Melanie comes to us
from a hotel manager position in Eden
Prairie and is very excited to be joining
the TPI family. Melanie has two sons at
home, ages 17 and 14, along with a cat
and a bird. She grew up in North
Carolina and loves to go back and visit
the beach when time allows. Welcome
to TPI, Melanie.
Rebecca Marie Benesh, daughter of
Tracy and Allison Benesh, was born at
9:53am on January 17th. Rebecca
weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and
was 19 inches long. As you can see, big
brother Matthew is excited to have a
little sister to protect! Tracy is the
General Manager at TPI Hospitality’s
Holiday Inn & Conference Center in
Austin. Congratulations to the entire
Benesh family!
Sarah Purcell joins TPI as a General
Manager. Sarah moved to Minnesota
from Rapid City, South Dakota and has
worked in the hospitality field for the past
fifteen years. She enjoys the hospitality
industry and its challenges, but most of
all she enjoys the opportunity to make
people happy each day. Sarah enjoys
exploring Minnesota and spending time
with friends. She has a son, a daughter
in-law and a two-year-old grandson that
she loves to show pictures of. Sarah
says the best part about TPI is the
teamwork that is shown each day by
fellow GMs and corporate management.
Trevor Armstrong was promoted to
General Manager of Staybridge Suites
Eagan. His journey began over seven
years ago while attending college as
a Game Design major, then turned
Information Tech grad, but ended up
pursuing a career in Hospitality. Trevor
has worked his way through the ranks
starting at Staybridge Suites Arbor
Lakes, then to Courtyard Arbor Lakes,
then to Staybridge Suites Bloomington
and now to Staybridge Suites Eagan.
Outside of work Trevor is an avid
outdoorsmen with hobbies such as
backpacking, metal detecting, fishing,
boating, disc golf, camping and more!
Danielle Schutz, a native of Fairmont,
joined TPI in 1997 when she was
seventeen years old as a Host at Perkins
Fairmont. Over the years she has been
a server, cook, Dining Room Manager,
Assistant General Manager and now
was recently promoted to General
Manager. Danielle and her husband
have six kids ranging in age from four to
sixteen.
She also serves on the
Fairmont School Board. In her time off,
Danielle likes being with her husband,
kids and parents. They enjoy having
backyard fires, riding bikes and playing
board games in the winter months.
17
...continued from page 2 - Tom Torgerson
In order to maximize TPI’s value for its employee-owners, it was determined that it was best for us to part ways. Going
forward, if we make the best decisions possible, we can avoid having to face this pruning process in the future. Pruning is not
what TPI is all about. A number of employee-owners from the Eagan property also relocated to other TPI locations, which was
great to see. We wish the best to these businesses going forward.
Important to the success of driving maximum value for our employee-owners is to invest our available cash into growing TPI.
The reason for this is that we really earn virtually zero for having cash sit in the bank account. With that in mind, we have been
generating new developments to put that money to work and therefore produce higher returns to TPI. The new businesses,
once open and generating profits, will grow value and increase your future retirement benefit from the ESOP. The new
businesses we have committed to include:
• Hampton Inn West Bloomington, currently under construction and scheduled to open in October of 2015
• Hampton Inn Roseville, currently under construction and scheduled to open in May of 2016
• Home2 Suites by Hilton Roseville, currently under construction and scheduled to open in June 2016
• Holiday Inn Express Roseville, will begin reconstruction late this summer and open in the winter of 2016
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown Minneapolis, is under construction and will open in May 2016
• Hampton Inn Eden Prairie, will begin construction in March 2016 and open in March 2017
• Residence Inn St Louis Park, will begin construction in March 2016 and open in March 2017
• In Fort Myers Beach, Florida we have acquired enough property to develop multiple resort properties on the beach.
We are in the early stage of planning so please stay tuned on this one. By the time of our next newsletter, we should
have a lot to report on these developments.
In closing, I want to again acknowledge the really challenging but hopefully fun work you do every day to create great
experiences for our guests. I also want to share with you that I receive, on a regular basis, notes from you that give accolades
to the TPI corporate level team. Common themes in these messages are words that include “trust”, “sincere”,
“knowledgeable”, “committed”, “hard working”, “honest” and “cares about me and my future”. They most often site multiple
corporate level team members who travel company-wide and are not isolated by region or job positions. I am saying this
because it takes all of us to make it all happen, and the worst thing in the world would be for the corporate level team to not
earn your respect. The team, though I think is darn near perfect, isn’t. However, they realize that and are committed to
learning from their mistakes and reinventing themselves from time-to-time. So in this newsletter, I want to also acknowledge
how special the TPI corporate level team is, as they truly live by our core values!
Take care, and have a great summer!
~ Tom
Bob Smith (left), Senior Vice President of
Facilities Maintenance, and Gene Lubbers
(right), Director of Information Technology, are
seen here installing one of TPI’s new construction
cameras. These cameras are powered by solar
energy and allow the TPI Hospitality leadership
team to track the progress of any major
construction projects going on company-wide.
The cameras provide 24-hour access to view the
construction site and can also provide a time
lapse video of the project over any designated
timeframe. Big brother is watching!
18
Why are core values important?
Core values are the foundation of TPI Hospitality’s culture
TPI Hospitality’s core values are not just something we present at orientation or hang on the wall in the breakroom. They are
the foundation of our belief that core values are the determining factor in our success. As the diagram below illustrates, our
core values drive our behavior, meaning our core values determine how we treat our co-workers and our guests. In turn, our
behaviors drive our performance, meaning our behaviors determine how well we each execute our roles. Finally, our
performance drives our results, meaning that performance determines the success or failure of TPI Hospitality. When we take
a step back and examine the big picture, it is easy to see that ultimately, our core values drive our results. Without core
values, or the daily execution of our core values, TPI Hospitality would flounder in mediocrity.
The most effective way each TPI associate can positively impact the ESOP is to consciously practice the core values each day
as we execute our roles at TPI. It doesn’t matter what your role is, you have a significant opportunity to impact the ESOP, and
at the same time impact your personal financial future. It really is that simple! So, are you ready to STAY SHARP?
19
Team Fairmont adopts a new tradition
Dodgeball becomes a unique tool for improving ESOP communication, education and trust
The Fairmont leadership team decided to replace their annual holiday party with an annual owners meeting. On February 26th
they held their first owners meeting with a review of the ESOP basics and a discussion of how each co-owner can impact the
ESOP. The meeting was followed by some good food and a spirited dodgeball tournament. Jason Subbert, General Manager
of the Fairmont hotels, said, “We had some great ESOP information to share with some good suggestions and questions from
our co-owners that Mike (General Manager at Green Mill Fairmont) and I will follow up on. We had a very good first meeting
and we look forward to the future ones as well. We feel very strongly that good things will come from this new format and we
are excited for the future of the entire Fairmont campus.” Kudos to the entire Fairmont team for thinking outside the box and
creating a valuable communication tool that is informative and fun at the same time. It sure looks like they had a great time!
At TPI Hospitality, we believe in our associates...
“Whatever It Takes For Outrageous Guest Service
...You Have The Power!”
TPI Hospitality
Water’s Edge Professional Building
103 15th Avenue NW Suite 200
P.O. Box 1020
Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: 320-235-7207
Check out our web site at www.tpihospitality.com