EHE News
Hospitality Management honors alumni, seniors at Rising Stars reception
The recipients of the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Hospitality Management Program are Scott Heimlich ('99) of Columbus, left, and Michael French ('97) of Westerville.
The hospitality industry feeds the bodies and minds of its customers. And the soul of the profession is the graduates of the College of Education and Human Ecology's Hospitality Management Program.
That was the message at the sixth annual Rising Stars celebration held May 29 in Columbus.
"You have taken on the spirit of doing service for others," said Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. "Students have such an enormous capacity to make a difference in the world, particularly this group of students that we have with us tonight."
Department of Consumer Sciences faculty and staff, along with alumni and industry guests gathered to honor graduating seniors, including Ashley Schalk of New Riegel, Ohio, who received the President's Award for her academic achievement and service to the university and the community.
She and 57 other honorees are among the 110 undergraduates Hospitality Management program prepared for positions in industry this academic year. Three doctoral students also will receive their Ph.D. degrees at spring quarter commencement on June 14 in Ohio Stadium.
Their future success and impact on the profession was illustrated by two individuals who received the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Hospitality Management Program: Scott Heimlich and Michael French.
Alumni awards applaud career success
Scott Heimlich ('99) of Columbus started his career as a server and quickly advanced up the management ladder. He worked in independent and chain restaurants until his purchase in 2001 of the Barcelona Restaurant and Bar at 263 E Whittier St. in German Village.
Barcelona has been named a top 10 restaurant by The Columbus Dispatch, and received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its wine list. Scott is a founding member of Dine Originals, Columbus, a board member of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association and a member of the German Village business community. He is also an advisory board member for the Columbus Culinary Institute.
He gave the graduates 10 tips, including, "Think of every guest as if it's your mother coming over to visit. You're going to do everything in your power to make sure she has the best time."
Just prior to graduating in 1997, Michael French of Westerville completed his second internship at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in Georgia and was hired as an assistant restaurant manager. After a more than a decade at the corporation's hotels in Savannah, San Diego and Chicago, he has returned to the Hyatt Regency Columbus as the food and beverage manager.
Seeing the world is an exciting part of the hospitality industry, he noted. "Hyatt has been a wonderful company to work for," he said. "My family and I have experienced some fantastic parts of the country."
Hospitality leaders have something special
Two keynote speakers from the Chicago-based National Restaurant Association (NRA) echoed Heimlich and French's view.
William Nolan, director of NRA's ProStart, a career-building program for high school students, said, "In my mind, this is the best industry in the world that you can be involved in. You have to have a special something in your heart to work in hospitality because it's about taking care of guests and pleasing people."
Wendi Safstrom, NRA's vice president of management development, reminded Rising Star participants that they are joining the 13 million people who serve more than 130 million U.S. customers every day. They have chosen to be part of a $556 billion industry, one that provides more than 9 percent of the nation's jobs.
Safstrom congratulated nontraditional student, Ryan Dickson of Granville, Ohio, for being the first Ohio State graduate to earn NRA's ManageFirst Professional Credential, a new, competency-based certificate that indicates he has developed highly marketable management skills.
Dickson worked in special event planning for several years before enrolling in the Hospitality Management program. While fulfilling his degree requirements, he also completed NRA Educational Foundation courses in five topics and worked 800 hours in the industry.
Dickson is sales representative for Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, whose CEO Greg Ubert is a member of the Hospitality Management Advisory Board. The motto for the Columbus-based company echoes the Rising Stars message for Dickson and the other new graduates: "Leaving people feeling better."
Industry partners who helped make the event possible are Campus Dining Services of The Ohio State University; Concord Hospitality Enterprises and its hotel, Courtyard by Marriott; Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea; Hyatt Regency Columbus; Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association; Ohio Restaurant Association; Sysco Food Services; the Wasserstrom Company; and T-riffic Table Linens and Chair Covers.
© 2009 The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology. All Rights Reserved.
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