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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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ORLANDO, FL - On
Saturday, December 10, 2011
the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association
(CFHLA) hosted its annual
Hospitality Gala at The Hilton Orlando. During the evening, CFHLA
honored its
Lodging Member of the Year, Allied Member of the Year, and Engineer of
the
Year, and presented the prestigious Charles Andrews Memorial
Hospitality Award
for Community Leadership. This year’s Lodging Member of the Year Award was presented to Sam Pensula, of the Walt Disney World Company, for his long-time dedication and devotion to CFHLA programs and events. Mr. Pensula has served on the CFHLA Board of Directors for thirteen years. In addition he has served as Co-Chairperson of the Bacchus Bash Committee for the past ten years and has a passion for hospitality education. The Allied Member of the Year Award was presented to Nick Romeo, of the iFLY Orlando – Indoor Skydiving. Mr. Romeo has been a member of CFHLA for over ten years. In that time, he has served on the Allied Relations Council including the position of Chairman in 2009. He has also served on the CFHLA HEAT – Tradeshow Committee, Hob Nob Committee, Bacchus Bash and Gala Committees for numerous years. Through his efforts, Mr. Romeo has shown his continued dedication to the association and remains an enthusiastic ambassador of CFHLA.
The Engineer of the Year Award was presented to Eleanor Davis, of the Waldorf Astoria Orlando & Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, for her dedication to the CFHLA Engineers’ Council. Ms. Davis has been an active member of the CFHLA Engineers’ Council for the past year and has become actively involved in new member recruitment and committee involvement. She was also very instrumental in the Engineers’ Council bike drive at the HEAT Tradeshow, raising $1,700 for bicycles for the women and children at the Women’s Residential and Counseling Center. The Charles Andrews Memorial Hospitality Award for Community Leadership honors one leader for their personal contributions to the Central Florida community and the regional hospitality industry. This year’s recipient was, William Davis, President and COO of Universal Orlando. Mr. Davis is responsible for the oversight of Universal Orlando Resort, including the Universal Studios theme park, the Islands of Adventure theme park and the 30-acre CityWalk entertainment complex. Mr. Davis has 33 years of experience in the theme park industry. Under Bill’s Leadership, Universal Orlando was instrumental in the negotiations of the funding for the three Downtown Venues. In addition, Universal Orlando has developed The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which has been an economic asset for our Central Florida Tourism Industry. Mr. Davis is actively involved in the Central Florida Community, he is the past president and current Executive Committee Board Member of Visit Orlando and has served on the Give Kids the World Board of Directors. The 2011 CFHLA Hospitality Gala was held on the evening of Saturday, December 10th at the Hilton Orlando. Over 1,000 Hospitality Executives were in attendance, including 9 local elected officials representing Central Florida. For more information about CFHLA, please visit our website: www.cfhla.org. |
| Contact:
Erin
K. Hellkamp 407.313.5035 Email: [email protected] |
