the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society | March 26, 2024

Sponsors announced for the 2024 Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society Industry Awards and Reception

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2024 Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) Industry Awards and Reception will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at the Penn State School of Hospitality Management on the University Park campus.

The event, a tradition of the PSHRS and School of Hospitality Management since 1960, will honor Jim Risoleo, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., with the Hospitality Executive of the Year Award and Ted Balestreri, chairman and CEO of Cannery Row Company and Sardine Factory Restaurant, with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., the world’s largest lodging real estate investment trust, is an S&P 500 company and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels, partnering with premium brands and leading management companies to manage its portfolio of hotels.

Balestreri formed a partnership for Cannery Row Company and Sardine Factory Restaurant in 1968. He also founded Pacific Hospitality, which was incorporated from 1983-2007, and held the franchise rights for Wendy’s International, covering a tri-county area in northern California.

The PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception is the marquee fundraising event of scholarships for students studying hospitality management at Penn State and programming support for the School of Hospitality Management by its dedicated alumni society.

The following corporate sponsors and individuals are gratefully acknowledged. Sponsors of the gala as of March 25:

Old Main Sponsor

  • Host Hotels & Resorts

Nittany Lion

  • Velma & Ted Balestreri, Cannery Row Company, The Sardine Factory, Inns of Monterey, Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa
  • DirecTV
  • HEI Hotels & Resorts
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts
  • Marriott International
  • PepsiCo Global Food Service
  • PJT Partners

Blue

  • KSL Capital Partners
  • Noble Investment Group
  • Pebble Beach Company
  • Rockbridge Capital
  • Sightline Hospitality
  • Wells Fargo 

White

  • Akerman LLP
  • Aon Hewitt
  • BNY Mellon
  • Booking.com
  • Chef Bert Cutino
  • Davidson Hospitality Group
  • Eastdil Secured
  • Ecolab
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Hodges Ward Elliott
  • Hyatt Hotels
  • IFMA
  • JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
  • MCR Hotels
  • Steve Metzger & Nancy Albertini
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Nestle
  • PENN Entertainment
  • Sage Hospitality Group
  • SH Hotels & Resorts
  • SMBC Group
  • Thayer Ventures
  • Willis Towers Watson

Patrons

  • American Express
  • American Hotel & Lodging Association
  • Areas USA / Rich Schneider
  • Bank of America
  • Budge & Co.
  • Crédit Agricole
  • Curacity
  • Stephen Dart and Jane Dart Tucker
  • Patrick and Barbara Deming
  • Gordon and Rhonda Eubanks
  • Hawkins Way Capital
  • IFBTA/Rob Grimes
  • IHG Hotels & Resorts
  • Ron and Lynn Johnson
  • Dana & Madelaine Katz
  • Bill & Kim Kohl/Greenwood Hospitality Group
  • KPMG International
  • John Metz
  • National Restaurant Association
  • Leon & Sylvia Panetta
  • Park Hotels & Resorts
  • Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
  • Shari Reams-Henofer
  • Rich’s Products Corporation
  • Shaner Hotel Group
  • Truist Financial
  • Regynald Washington
  • Yum! Brands

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ben Jellison, director of industry and alumni relations, at bdj101@psu.edu or 814-865-6728.