People for March 2009

Peter Carroll has been named vice president of Eloma USA, one of the Ali Group’s North American brands, operating out of Eloma’s headquarters which have been relocated to Winston-Salem, NC. He will be responsible for all operations, sales and service for the brand. Carroll, who resides in Winston-Salem, has managed the Ali Group’s North American cooking operations for the past six years. Eloma system solutions include combi-steamers and baking ovens with technological innovations that are tuned to meet each user’s specific needs.

Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver welcomes executive chef Oliver Beckert, who has recently landed in Vancouver from Four Seasons Resorts Lana’i in Hawaii. Chef Beckert will oversee all the hotel’s culinary operations; from the city’s premier catering events to the gastronomic hotspot, YEW restaurant + bar. Originally from Nuremburg, Germany, Chef Beckert honed his talents at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Lana’i, Miami, Washington DC, London and New York City.

Sukhdev Toor and Manga Hotels have announced the appointment of Frank Vismeg as the regional director of operations of Manga Hotels. As regional director of operations he will be responsible for all aspects of the management for nine properties in Ontario, Halifax and Lockport, NY, as well as for five new hotels under development. Vismeg has been managing properties in the Toronto area, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Boca Raton, Florida and Bucharest, Romania. Since 2002, he has successfully opened three new Hilton Garden Inns, a Homewood Suites by Hilton and a Hampton Inn. He is also an active member of several professional associations including the International Hotel & Restaurant Association, Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), SKAL International
Toronto North, the Tourism Advisory Board, and the American Management Association.

William Donahue, vice president and general manager – Georgia-Pacific Professional Food Services Solutions, has been promoted to president of that business. He will continue to report to Kathy Walters, executive vice president – global consumer products. Prior to the Food Services Solutions business, Donahue led Georgia-Pacific’s bleached board business since joining the company in 2003. Previously, he spent 12 years in various domestic and international bleached board sales and marketing roles. Donahue received his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University. Georgia-Pacific Professional is a provider of hygienic dispensing systems, towels, tissues, soaps, air fresheners, wipers, cups, cutlery and napkins.

The new Hyatt Regency Toronto on King opened on February 17th with a new team that includes general manager Sulynn Jew. She has been acting as a consultant during the renovation phase of the hotel. Jew has devoted most of her career to the Hyatt organization and has worked for the company for almost 25 years.  Prior to Toronto, Ms. She was general manager at Hyatt West Hollywood from 2006-2008. Linda Kien Tittel has been appointed director of sales and marketing, while Pablo Molinari is the new rooms executive. Pete Kangalee has been appointed director of human resources, and Vinay Monteiro is the hotel’s new controller.

In mid-February restaurant manager and sommelier, Mark Moffatt left his position at Chez Victor in Toronto’s Le Germain hotel, and now has his own company, Dine N Vines.  Through his company, Moffatt will provide wine seminars and tastings in both corporate offices and homes for the purpose of education and team building. The company also provides a four-week introduction to wine class, restaurant wine list consultation and purchasing, and restaurant staff training on wine, their origins and how to sell them.

Well known for his many years with Ecolab and his work with industry associations, Jason Cheskes has formed his own company, Above the Line Solutions. The new company helps operators get the most out of their business partner and vendor relationships, and motivate sales and leadership teams to deliver ‘above the line’ results consistently. Cheskes has over 24 years experience as both an operator and vendor. He was the first non-operator ever to serve as president of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association for the Greater Toronto Region. He worked for Ecolab for more than 14 years most recently as director of corporate accounts responsible for over $100 million in annual sales.

Hank Stackhouse has been named chief executive officer of Delta Hotels, a leading Canadian hotel management company. Stackhouse has been with Delta for more than 25 years and is an accomplished veteran in the Canadian hospitality industry.  
He started with the Delta brand in Vancouver, BC as a front desk clerk at Delta’s first hotel, the Delta Airport Inn. Over the years, Stackhouse assumed increasing responsibility throughout hotel operations in locations across Canada.  In November 2000, Stackhouse became senior vice president of operations at the company’s corporate office. He became president of Delta Hotels in July 2006, and in December 2007, his role expanded with the additional responsibility of chief operating officer.  Now, as president and chief executive officer of Delta Hotels, Stackhouse leads a team of over 7,000 colleagues and oversees a portfolio of 44 hotels and resorts with more than 12,000 guest rooms across Canada.