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News for the Hospitality Executive


 

Sophie Grigg Appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief
Technology Officer for Lorica Solutions
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Don Jensen Joins Company as Vice President of Sales


Staffing Moves Round-Out Lorica�s Senior Leadership Team for
Continued Product Innovation and Market Penetration
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Buffalo, New York, June 17, 2009 � Mark Holzberg, Chairman and CEO of Lorica Solutions (www.loricasolutions.com), the leader in converged managed networks for the hospitality industry, has announced the appointments of Sophie Grigg to the positions of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer and Don Jensen to the position of Vice President of Sales.  Both Grigg and Jensen report to Holzberg.

Grigg joined Lorica at the end of 2008 as the Company�s COO and added the CTO title in June, 2009.  She came to Lorica after spending over six years with PAR SpringerMiller (PSMS), most recently as Vice President of Advanced Product Technology and previously Vice President of Research and Development.  At PSMS, Grigg�s duties ranged from responsibility for all new development for the Company�s property management and food and beverage systems to a complete re-engineering of the Company�s principal product line.  As part of this latter responsibility, she established the software development group responsible for building PSMS�s next generation software platform while working to redefine the Company�s value proposition to target new markets.  Before becoming involved in the hospitality industry at PSMS in 2002, Grigg had gained extensive experience in senior technology positions in the US and her native Australia, including serving as VP of Development at Systems Corporation, VP of Information Technology at State Street Bank and Trust and, earlier, as a Senior Systems Engineer at IBM.

�Sophie has been making a very significant contribution to Lorica from the moment she walked in the door�, commented Holzberg.  �She brings a wealth of hospitality and general technology leadership experience, and is particularly well suited to manage the development and articulation of new concepts into products and services that are innovative, meet customer needs and come in on time and on budget�.  Grigg is the winner of the 2009 HTNG 5 Year Technical Leadership Award.

Grigg comments, �I knew Lorica very well from our mutual participation on various HTNG projects and we had many industry relationships in common, especially among several of the major hotel brands.  As I engaged in discussions with Mark and his team at Lorica, I really became inspired and intrigued with the direction of the Company and the role I could play as part of a group of really talented people.  I am thrilled to have joined the Company -- Lorica is one of the most dynamic and �can do� organizations in hospitality today. We�re helping customers to get incredible flexibility and performance out of their networks using our Lorica Room Center and Management Node and we�re doing some powerful extensions to our product line up. It�s wonderful to save customers money, provide them best of breed technology and help them to proactively manage their networks and deliver a great result for their guests�.
 
Don Jensen, named Lorica�s Vice President of Sales, brings to the Company over twenty-five years of technology sales and marketing experience.  He began his hospitality technology career at the Sprint Hospitality Group, where he was named Salesperson of the Year, and went on to spend nine years at Wayport, a hospitality broadband and Wi-Fi services company, in a variety of senior sales and marketing positions.  As Director of North American Hospitality Sales, Jensen led all new business development efforts and re-organized and directed the field sales and support teams, surpassing corporate revenue goals and improving customer retention.  As Hospitality Channel Director, he represented the Company to the industry�s largest brands and trade organizations while developing and implementing products for the vertical.  Jensen was the recipient of numerous sales and innovation awards, and is recognized for selling the first 100% Wi-Fi powered hotel.  Prior to joining Lorica, Jensen was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Assa Abloy Hospitality, where he led a sales and marketing staff of 30.  Like Grigg, Don has been an active member of HTNG; he is also a Lifetime � Certified MHS (Master Hotel Supplier).

�Don brings to Lorica the precise mix of sales and marketing experience that the Company needs and a rolodex that is second to none�, said Holzberg.  �He�s smart, seasoned and aggressive and also has a tremendous amount of integrity and respect within the industry � I could not be happier that Don has joined the Lorica team�.

Jensen adds, �I am pleased and excited to be carrying the message of Lorica�s value proposition to our customers.  One of the important things I�ve learned is that the real effectiveness of any technology offering can only be measured by how much it benefits the people it serves. Lorica�s network convergence products are a breakthrough in terms of simplicity and manageability for the hotel owner, as well as creating other tangible advantages with reduced equipment and cable costs. Lorica is an innovation leader and will be at the forefront of the wave of �One Network � Many Apps� solutions, that will be sweeping into the hotel business in the coming years. I look forward to serving our industry with this great product set, and in doing so, growing the business significantly�.

About Lorica Solutions
Lorica Solutions (www.loricsolutions.com) is the leader in converged managed networks for the hospitality industry.  The Company�s Lorica Room Center (LRC) is a comprehensive solution addressing hardware, software, wiring, management and support for truly converged hotel IP based networks.  The LRC allows for significantly reduced costs while future proofing hotels and enhancing the guest experience.  In addition to providing hotels with the LRC, the company offers superior wired and wireless HSIA and total management, monitoring and help desk support through its state-of-the-art Network Operations Center located in New York State. 

Lorica serves hotels ranging from five-star resorts to select service properties, including such brands as Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Mandarin Oriental, Choice, Trump International, InterContinental, Radisson, and others. The company is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. 

Lorica will be exhibiting at the HITEC Show in Anaheim, 
booth 855, June 23-25, 2009.

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Contact:

Sheryl Alessi
716.250.3601
[email protected]
 

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Also See: Lorica Brings Cutting Edge Technology to New Downtown Chicago Luxury Hotel / June 2008
New Study Shows Significant Upfront and Ongoing Savings for Hotels that Install Converged Networks; Lorica Issues New Whitepaper with Case Studies / June 2008
Patrick Lewis Appointed Senior Vice President of Operations for Lorica Solutions; Company Builds Senior Staff to Prepare for Growth and Market Expansion / June 2008
Fraser Hickox - General Manager of Research and Technology for Peninsula Hotel Group - Joins Lorica Advisory Board; Will Advise Lorica on Growth in Asia Pacific, Rounds out Board's Global Expertise / June 2008
Four Hospitality Luminaries Join Lorica Solutions� Advisory Board; Experts to Advise on Growth of Industry�s Only Fully Managed Converged Network / June 2007
Lorica Solutions Purchased by Hotel Technology Solutions; Industry Veterans and Equity Firms Attracted by Technology That Provides Relief to the Hospitality Industry / March 2007
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