Stevens has been with Shooting Star Casino Hotel for 12 years when he started as a night auditor intern. For the past six years, he has been the hotel manager and sales department manager. He has worked closely with the MLA, serving on its human resources, membership, social and education committees. 

As MLA president, Stevens said he wants to continue on the path the Association has forged. Two key areas he plans to focus on in his tenure include education and government affairs. The MLA, along with its sister associations, the Minnesota Restaurant Association and the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association, created the Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation (HMEF) a few years ago to highlight the excellent career opportunities within the hospitality industry. Stevens said the HMEF has helped implement ProStart, a foodservice industry curriculum, into more than 30 Minnesota high schools, but has not had as much success getting its Lodging Management Program into schools. "We're going to try to get some of them on board this year," he said. 

As far as legislative efforts go, Stevens said it will be a busy year at the state capitol as the MLA lobbies for issues important to the lodging industry in Minnesota. One hot issue he identified is keeping the school start date before Labor Day, an item that has been debated at the legislature for many years. Other issues the MLA will address this year include increasing the fines for smoking in non-smoking rooms to reflect cleaning costs and fighting to protect the use of lodging taxes for tourism promotion. 

Other officers and board members elected during the Minnesota Lodging Association's Annual Meeting include: 

� Vice President Mike Woitas, Country Inn & Suites, Albert Lea 
� Treasurer: Jason Subbert, Three Rivers Hospitality, Fairmont 
� President Elect Kirk Schultz, Madison Hospitality Group, Stillwater 

Directors: 

� Bruce Fairchild, Kahler Grand Hotel, Rochester 
� Cheryl Goldberg, Hospitality Investors LLC, Duluth 
� David Janssen DesignWise, White Bear Lake 
� Jack Juve, AmericInn, North Branch 
� Marianna Khauv, Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites, Monticello 
� John Luke, Hilton, Minneapolis 
� Bernie Mullen, Sheraton Duluth Hotel, Duluth 
� Robert Rivers, Millennium Hotel, Minneapolis 
� Bonnie Rodness, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, St. Cloud 
� Dave Spizzo, Breezy Point Resort, Breezy Point 
� Jim Waldvogel, Hilton Minneapolis South, Bloomington 
� Mike Wilke, Holiday Inn Select, Bloomington 

Directors Returning to the Board to Complete Terms Include: 

� Bill Aho, Super 8 Motel, Eveleth 
� Atul Bhatnager, Oakdale Motel, Owatonna 
� Rob Buntz, Riverwood Inn & Conference Center, Otsego 
� Bonnie Carlson, Bloomington CVB, Bloomington 
� Rob Dann, CSM Corporation, Minneapolis 
� Allan Falk, Super 8 Motel, Zumbrota 
� Bill Foussard, Best Western, White Bear Lake 
� Laura Garcia, Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka 
� Sue Jung, Hampton Inn, Alexandria 
� Chris Holland Mehlhaff, The Lodge on Lake Detroit, Detroit Lakes 
� Terry Mattson, Visit Duluth, Duluth 
� Liz Moscatelli, USA Today, Shoreview 
� Mitch Peterson, Torgerson Properties, Willmar 
� Scott Uttley, Holiday Inn Otsego & Wild Woods Waterpark, Otsego 
� Mike Wilmes, Highway Harbor Management Company, Duluth 

About the Minnesota Lodging Association 
The Minnesota Lodging Association is a leading provider of lobbying, education and marketing services to the lodging industry. Members include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, chambers of commerce, CVBs and suppliers. The MLA is based in St. Paul and served by a staff of 15. It is managed by and part owner of Hospitality Minnesota, which also manages the Minnesota Restaurant Association and the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association. The MLA can be found on the Web at www.hospitalitymn.org.

Kevin Moe
Communications Manager
email: [email protected]