It is an honor to be here today to accept The International Society of Hospitality Consultants Pioneer Award on behalf of the late Bill Kimpton.  In his humble way, Bill would have said he didn�t deserve this award�he would have instead said that it should be given to all of the people who work for our company, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group. It is that very attitude of humility and recognition of others that made such a mark on the hospitality industry.  Thank you for recognizing Bill�s outstanding contributions and achievements. 

Bill�s entire life was a testament to hope, finding joy and balance in life and the conviction of doing the right thing.  Bill�s legacy was the way he made us feel, his inspiration, his leadership, and his humor � intangibles that words alone can never convey.  But let us try.

For this native of Kansas City, Missouri who overcame dyslexia and started his career as an IBM typewriter salesman, Bill made his mark on San Francisco and the hospitality industry. We rightfully now call him a pioneer and innovator.

His journey was really the American journey. 

The eight-year-old child who playing Monopoly developed a passion for hotels and determined that one-day he would make a better life for himself.

To the young Northwestern University student and U.S. Army soldier who battled depression and developed a lifelong interest in providing dignified and alternative treatment to mental illness.

The inventor entrepreneur who developed and sold his own products including the single-lever faucet � which we now take for granted --and not-so-successful cardboard and aluminum solar-powered kitchen stove.

The investment broker who made Wall Street history by persuading his investment firm to take public the nation�s first fast-food franchise, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and then raising $275 million to expand the company nationwide.

To finally, the founder of the Kimpton Group which built a chain of distinct boutique hotels that pioneered the idea of selling sleep, offering business travelers and tourists alike a new experience of warmth, comfort and tranquility; a place that felt like home when away from home.

Many of you in this room were in the business when Bill got it into his head to buy and renovate the run-down Bedford Hotel in 1981.  Who could have possibly imagined that the Kimpton Group would grow to define an industry standard in ten cities, let alone become one of the largest hotel operator in the world-class, romantic city of San Francisco?

I first met and joined Bill 18 years ago. It was then that I was struck by his quiet dignity, iron determination and ability to walk through doors that opened to his insistent knock. 

I am fortunate to have been witness to a transformation of this industry -- the Bill Kimpton way.  

The Kimpton way is open-minded, treating every person with dignity and respect -- employee, guest, partner, and investor alike.  That is because Bill genuinely loved people and encouraged the best in those around him. 

The Kimpton way is always teaching, always learning -- not in a dominating �power over� manner of a superior instructing an inferior, but in the �power with� manner of a friend sharing and comparing insights.
 
The Kimpton way is the way of balance.  Bill infused us with the circle philosophy: to work, balance and ensure that the needs of our employees, guests and investors are always met.  He implored us to balance our professional lives with our personal lives, that the two are interdependent, that they cannot exist without the other. �Real success,� he often said, �comes from devoting oneself fully to family and friends.�

Finally, the Kimpton Way is the way of giving back.  The two most important words in Bill�s vocabulary were �THANK YOU� and our employees, Bill�s business associates, and this community all came to know how grateful Bill was to be able to join in a common endeavor, in success.  There were countless times that we would see Bill lend his assistance to employees during times of family tragedy� deliver personal handshakes and thank you�s to the line chefs and busboys after enjoying a meal at one of our restaurants�or give selflessly to this city�s charities and civic causes.

All of us who knew Bill were lifted by the sparkle in his eyes, the warmth of his heart, his trademark smile. He leaves us all the richer for his life and keenly aware of a legacy that will endure through our work.

Let us leave here today determined to maintain and build upon what he has left us. His death reminds us that we can ill afford to waste time, hold grudges, fail to serve our colleagues and communities, or stop and smell the roses.

Thank you.