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Office of External Communications |
Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Marisa Ramirez |
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Bollenbach, Lee, Nelson ‘Shaped the Scope of Industry’ HOUSTON, October 10, 2005—Three hospitality industry leaders
will be inducted into the Hospitality Hall of Honor at the University
of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
The annual event will take place at the UH-Hilton Grand Ballroom
on Tuesday, Oct. 11, beginning at 6 p.m. “The Board of Overseers is pleased to honor these industry giants,” Ronald Nykiel, professor and president and CEO of the Hall of Honor, said. “Their immense contributions have truly shaped the entire scope of the industry.” The Hall of Honor recognizes excellence in leadership in the hospitality industry. The inductees’ achievements and their business leadership are memorialized in permanent displays in the college’s Hall of Honor, the Leaders Gallery, and the Hospitality Industry Archives. The college has been recognizing industry leaders in this way since 1996. Bollenbach was named co-chairman of Hilton Hotels Corporation in May 2004, and is also the company’s chief executive officer. Under his guidance, Hilton has enhanced its leadership position in the lodging industry with more than 2,100 hotels. Lee has been Chairman of the Board of Darden Restaurants Inc since November 2004. Headquartered in Orlando, Darden Restaurants Inc. is one of the world’s largest casual dining restaurant companies. Darden operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Smokey Bones restaurants. Nelson became president and COO of Carlson Companies in 2003. His responsibilities include oversight of Carlson’s consumer division and the company’s corporate client operations, including Carlson Marketing Group and Carlson Wagonlit Travels business travel division. Nykiel says the displays at the college serve as a teaching tool for students studying the hospitality industry. “From the moving portraits in the Leaders’ Gallery to the visual displays and historic documents, students truly have an environment in which they learn from the leaders,” Nykiel said. Previous Hall of Honor inductees have included Walt Disney, Barron Hilton, Howard Johnson, J. W. Marriott, and Colonel Harland Sanders. For more information on the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management or the Hall of Honor, visit www.hrm.uh.edu. About the University of Houston The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students. For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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