BUFFALO, NY, APRIL 28, 2005 - Dennis Szefel, group president of Delaware
North Companies Hospitality, announced today that he will act as president
of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Szefel will assume
operational responsibility for the largest revenue-producing unit of Delaware
North Companies, one of the largest privately held companies in the United
States. The change is a temporary one that will be in effect until a successor
is appointed for Bruce Fears, former president of Parks & Resorts,
who resigned today.
| Szefel's accepting day-to-day operational
responsibility for the fast-growing subsidiary represents a return to the
business that he established over 10 years ago at the 90-year-old Delaware
North Companies. The impetus for the creation of what was then called Delaware
North Parks Services was a successful bid that Szefel engineered in 1992
for the largest contract in the U.S. National Park Service: Yosemite National
Park.
Through Szefel's leadership and innovative thinking, Delaware North
quickly gained a |
Dennis Szefel |
foothold in the arena of parks management. Today, the company is larger
than its chief competitors, and widely recognized for qualities such as
a keen operational ability, superior guest relations, a high level of investment
in its properties and culinary strength. In addition, Szefel worked to
formulate and integrate GreenPath®, an award-winning environmental
management system (EMS). The first EMS of a U.S. hospitality company to
be registered to the standards put forth by the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO 14001), GreenPath has been recognized on many
occasions with national awards.
"Dennis has an inordinate amount of passion for and commitment to Delaware
North Companies, and nothing short of a soft spot for our Parks & Resorts
subsidiary, which he did so much to develop," said Chuck Moran, president
and chief operating officer of Delaware North Companies. "We have
watched this company grow over the last 12 years into one of the largest
providers of hospitality services at some very spectacular places. But
more importantly, we have achieved success without compromising what we
believe in that we have an obligation to be caretakers of these special
places and we take our obligation as stewards of these treasures very seriously."
Szefel has been with Delaware North for more than 35 years, and in the
last decade, has helped the division he created earn high marks for its
ability to manage a broad range of hotels and restaurants, retail stores,
tours and educational programs, riding stables, and skiing schools. In
2004, he was awarded the company's highest honor the Chairman's Award of
Excellence for his commitment to the company, especially the establishment
of the company's parks and resorts division. Szefel is involved in numerous
community and business organizations. He received a bachelor's degree
in liberal arts from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., and has completed
Harvard Business School's Program in Management Development.
About Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts:
Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, a subsidiary of Delaware
North Companies, is a leading hospitality provider with significant experience
in hotel, retail, food service, recreation and transportation operations.
The company's portfolio includes some of the unique properties in North
America, including Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex; Yosemite, Grand
Canyon, Sequoia and Yellowstone national parks; Tenaya Lodge at the gateway
to Yosemite; Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa near Vancouver, British
Columbia; Niagara Falls State Park; Jones Beach State Park; Deer Creek
Resort & Conference Center, the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and Denver;
The Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva State Park, Ohio; and The Balsams
Grand Resort Hotel.
About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the world's leading hospitality
and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North
Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment,
CA One Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North
Companies International, FleetCenter (soon to be renamed TD Banknorth Garden),
Delta Queen Steamboat Company, and American Park 'n Swap. Delaware North
Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United
States with $1.6 billion in annual revenue and 30,000 associates serving
one-half billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom,
Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com. |
