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Under the Great Wolf Lodge Brand Name |
MADISON, Wis., December 15, 2003 � The Great Lakes Companies, Inc.,
a privately held real estate development, ownership and management company,
specializing in family destination resorts with signature indoor waterparks
under the Great Wolf Lodge® brand name, today announced that John Emery
will join the company in January 2004 as chief executive officer.
�We have established the Great Wolf Lodge brand concept with four resorts open in the Midwest, two under construction and five in early development,� said Craig Stark, Great Lakes president. �John�s role will be to help us take advantage of the substantial growth opportunities available to us in today�s marketplace. Demographics and leisure travel patterns are at the core of a growing
trend toward family-oriented vacations, usually within driving distance
from home, which is creating an exceptional growth opportunity for our
concept and brand.�
Emery, 39, is the former president and chief operating officer of Interstate
Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation�s largest independent third-party
management company with more than 300 hotels in six countries. He
joined the company, then called CapStar, in 1995 when it owned four hotels
and managed 40 properties. Following a successful IPO, the company
acquired more than 120 hotels and completed several major mergers, ultimately
creating Interstate and MeriStar Hospitality Corporation (NYSE: MHX), the
nation�s third largest real estate investment trust. Emery was promoted
to positions of increasing responsibility and scope at both companies,
and is a former president and chief operating officer of MeriStar Hospitality.
Emery serves on the Pamplin College of Business advisory council at Virginia Tech, and is executive director of Stone Circle Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that addresses women and children in need. He is a former member of the board of directors of Interstate Hotels & Resorts and MeriStar Hospitality. Founded in 1992, The Great Lakes Companies, Inc. owns and operates destination resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand name in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Kansas. Each property offers 250-300 suites and between 33,000 and 100,000 square feet of indoor waterparks. Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark resorts offer families a first-class, year-round, weather-proof, drive-to family destination. The northwoods-themed, log lodge resorts include amenities such as themed restaurants and gift shops, spa, arcade, atrium lobby and massive, state-of-the-art indoor waterparks. |
Erin Payne (608) 251-6400 |