Atlanta, GA (June 13, 2016): The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) today announced that nominations now are open for the second annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting. Launched last year in honor of Lori Raleigh, founder of the Travers Group and executive director of ISHC 2000-2013, the award honors young, successful industry professionals with leadership qualities in hospitality consulting.
“The Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting gives young professionals with early career success a chance to be recognized for their leadership qualities and efforts,” said Kristie Dickinson, ISHC award committee chair and senior vice president of CHMWarnick. “For any industry to succeed, there must be a constant influx of new talent and voices. The ISHC would like to recognize the best-of-the-best in the emerging class of today’s hospitality consultants as the nominees and winner help to mold tomorrow.”
This year, ISHC is looking to expand their reach for nominations with new criteria and more emphasis on third-party consulting. Nominations are due by August 1, 2016. The winner will be announced in mid-August and presented at the ISHC Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington, September 22 – 24, 2016 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Winners will receive a one-year associate membership in ISHC, where networking opportunities with the industry’s top consultants become available with this invitation-only group of hospitality experts, as well as an all-expense invitation to attend the event itself.
Candidates for The Lori Raleigh Award must be 35 years of age or younger at the time of the award presentation and have five years’ experience in a hospitality-related field with a minimum of three years of specific hospitality consulting experience. They must also be recognized by leaders within their company or other industry constituents familiar with their work as an exceptional example of a future leader within the field of hospitality consulting. At the time of nomination, a candidate must be working for a company that provides third-party consulting or advisory services to the hospitality industry and be actively involved or responsible for providing advisory services to clients of the firm (e.g., hospitality consulting firms, third party asset managers, architects, designers, food and beverage consultants, hospitality lawyers, purchasing companies, etc.). Prior award winners are not eligible for nomination, while prior nominees who have not previously won remain eligible.
Last year’s inaugural winner, Jonathan Jaeger, is managing director at LW Hospitality Advisors, a provider of advisory, valuation, feasibility, investment counseling, asset and property management and transactional services focused exclusively on hotels, resorts, gaming properties and conference center assets worldwide. Jaeger has progressed in his career early on with a strong work ethic, having completed more than 1,000 consulting and valuation assignments on behalf of a variety of clients across North America and the Caribbean. As an adjunct professor for New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, Mr. Jaeger enjoys giving back and working with students aspiring to be future hotel investment and consulting professionals. Prior to joining LWHA, Jaeger was vice president at Pinnacle Advisory Group based in Boston, MA and New York, NY. He received his B.A. in hospitality administration from the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and his MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He also is an active member of the Young Hospitality Investment Professionals Group, the Metro NY Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and the NYC & Company Hotel Committee.
“Not only is Jonathan an exceptional talent, particularly for his age, but perhaps more importantly, he constantly gives back to the industry, as evidenced by his numerous mentoring and industry speaking efforts,” said Andrea Belfanti, executive director of ISHC. “He has proven his resilience as a leader in hospitality, and I am confident that he will continue to grow as an important and influential figure in the industry.”
“I am deeply humbled to have been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Lori Raleigh Award, the impact of which continues to positively influence my career on a daily basis,” Jaeger said. “Everything from attending the 2015 ISHC Annual Conference in Berlin, Germany to having the opportunity to interact and network with top names in the industry has been an unforgettable experience. I encourage all young hospitality consulting professionals to become involved in ISHC by going to as many events as possible, and developing relationships with the group’s distinguished members, which is what I have done over the past year. It’s a unique experience for someone under 35 and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. I also look forward to meeting future Lori Raleigh Award winners for many years to come.”
For more information on The Lori Raleigh Award, please visit www.ishc.com/awards or go directly to the nomination form here.
