G6 Honors 2022 CEO Award Winners

G6 Hospitality recently celebrated the efforts of those who went above and beyond during our 2022 CEO Awards event. These annual awards honor exceptional individuals and teams who have stood out for their efforts and serve as an opportunity for us to recognize those who have been instrumental in moving our Brands forward, while continuously demonstrating our values.

The 2022 CEO Award winners are:

 

 

 

OpCo/PropCo Team – Led by Perry Ping

Team members: Mallory Voye, Josh Scalf, Becky Lennard, George Vazhappilly, Tim Roush, Adam Basham, Frank Zhou, Bryant Bernardo, Tammy Graves, Jill Thornton, and Wes Young.

These team members played a huge role in helping us navigate the people side of the transformation. Our business would not be ready to forge ahead without the diligence of this team working in the background.

 

 

 

Sales Team – Led by Angie Gadwood

Team members: Monique Lee, Joe Torres, Kirsten Jenkins, Cindy Wojcik, Nina Guevara, Kimberly Hoffman, Ginger Collins, Lori Kuchler, Ricardo Garcia, Jessica Carreon, Karen Heffernan, Sandy Clinton, and Tina Tarvin, Karen Donato, Debra Donnelson, Becky Sultana, Doreen Musso, Aziza Brown, Aleyda Martin, Ella Yedra, LaDoona Corker

The Sales team restructured to optimize their focus on various business segments, created new training initiatives and ultimately grew our B2B sales revenues.

 

 

 

Medallia/Customer Care App Team – Led by Mark VanBeest and Deepa Unni

Team members: Yasi Saleem, Usha Johnson, Yanina Jonesan, Lee Ferdinand, Sherneane Abdullah, Dave Redmond, Cory Cook, and Mike Grapes.

The hard work of this team resulted in G6 now having state of the art systems to support Quality and Customer Care with the confidence and ability to understand organizational performance.

 

 

 

Development & Contracts Team in Franchise Administration – Led by Mark Rahm, Rip Patel, and Rhonda Payne

Team members: Jeremy Saenz, Nick Hayes, Steve Johnson, Jackie Nelon, Saj Saiyed, Kevin Marlin, Dan Patel, Mitzi Churchwell, and Sheri Prosek.

This cross-functional team took every challenge in stride and found ways to exceed expectations and get the job done.

 

 

Individual Award Winners

 

 

Jeremy Saenz, Development Director – Developer of the Year

Jeremy joined us in 2021. He is a road warrior who traveled long trips week after week and continuously pushed deals forward.

 

Dennis Witte, Dir of Brand Performance – Brand Performance Director of the Year

Dennis is made up of 100% responsibility, consistency, tenacity, and discipline. He has created a good balance between being a supportive business partner with ownership groups and protecting the Brand by gaining commitments and diligent follow-up.

Paulette Garcia, Manager of Property Openings – Heart for Service Award

Paulette is the perfect example of our values. In her 30+ years with our brands, she has seen a lot of change but always tackles her role with a positive attitude and winning spirit.

 

 

Mike Grapes, VP of Product Development & Quality Assurance – Impact Player of the Year

Mike not only exemplifies Winning Spirit, but he shows a great deal of Care as he works to solve a roadblock or implement a new tool.

 

 

Doreen Musso, Franchise Sales Manager – Lightkeeper Award

Doreen is highly successful as one of our top sales managers. If that weren’t enough, Doreen went above and beyond during Hurricane Ian, which impacted the Gulf of Florida in September, to provide support.

 

 

Shelli Franklin, Marketing Manager

Shelli joined our team in 2021, and in that time, she has grown to become an invaluable member of the team.

 

 

Claudette Carroll, Legal Support and Team Leads Claims Representative

She tackles tasks with a “can do” attitude and a proactive head-on approach.

 

Bernie de Jesus, Financial Analyst

Bernie essentially filled three roles simultaneously: Bernie has never been afraid of a challenge.

 

 

Carlos Torres, Manager, Business Strategy

Carlos is known for being a team player. He meets any request, no matter the timeline.

 

 

 

 

Jessica Cuellar, Managing Director, HR and Facilities

Jessica has worked for G6 for over 5 years and has become an instrumental leader within the HR team.

 

Devon Burch, Digital Talent Director 

Devon is a true reflection of all our values and has gone above and beyond his current role to create significant business change and enhance both our team members and franchisee experiences.

 

G6 Celebrates Black History Month

As we recognize Black History Month, we are proud to celebrate a few of our team members and what the month means to them.

Trinity OJO: My6 Program Manager

  • What motivates you? I am motivated by taking on challenging projects and helping others. I strive to be a servant leader. Therefore, I see the success of others and the projects I work on to be just as important as my own.
  • What does Black History Month mean to you? Black History Month means so much to me. It is a time that I learn more about black history and remember that I have come this far on the backs of others that came before me. I reflect on this and try to do my best for those that will come after me.
  • Is there anything special about your upbringing or career that have made you who you are today? When I was a child, I grew up in and out of foster care. I was adopted at 14 and my entire life changed. This has made me resilient in my personal life and career. I apply the lessons I learned from both experiences every day. It pushes me to strive for success and keeps kindness at the forefront of my mind no matter what I do.


Sherneane Abdullah: Customer Care Manager

  • Is there anything special about your upbringing or career that have made you who you are today? Growing up in the City of Chicago in the 1980s was very difficult. I was raised in a single-parent household. Therefore, the odds were truly stacked against my sisters and me. My mother taught us that with an education, we could achieve anything we set our minds to. Through her unwavering love and support, she has two daughters with Doctorate degrees. Additionally, I received my MBA in 2010. On that day my mother’s smile could outshine the sun. I lost my mother three years ago, but through her hard work and dedication to her children, her legacy will live on.
  • Who has been your biggest inspiration? My biggest inspiration is my mother. She taught me to be strong, independent, and honest.


Jill Thornton: Director, Support Office Human Resources

  • What does Black History Month mean to you? Black History Month is a celebration of triumph, where we acknowledge the difficult past but rejoice in the future and what that brings for newer generations. We embrace Blackness in all its forms and try to educate others more than ever before because we have a bigger platform. During Black History Month I feel a true sense of belonging and pride in who I am. It’s amazing to have this special time to reflect on our history as a whole and to come together through our shared struggles and experiences.
  • Who has been my biggest inspiration? I admire my father for his enthusiasm, unwavering work ethic and his ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions.  I am extremely grateful for the many life lessons he has taught me which have helped me become the person I am today. By following his example in both my personal and professional life, I am well equipped to pay it forward.
  • Favorite Quote “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou


 Cory Cook: Vice President Quality and Customer Care

  • What are your personal values? Faith, family and continually growing are values I have held throughout my career. I truly believe if we stay true to our values we can accomplish anything put in our path.
  • What motivates you? Working for a great organization that empowers me to grow, lead, and learn from others. This is why I truly value my career at G6 Hospitality.
  • Is there anything special about your upbringing or career that have made you who you are today? Growing up in a single-family household and watching my mom work tirelessly for me and my three siblings. Her strength, love for our family and passion to provide helped shape who I am today.

Rocelyn Robbins: Director of Central Reservations

  • What is your favorite quote?  “Once you realize your worth, you will become unstoppable.” – Rocelyn T. Robbins
  • Is there anything special about your upbringing or career that have made you who you are today? I was taught throughout my upbringing to have Great Faith in God. Because of this, I have a strong work ethic and a sense of integrity. I know when obstacles come my way it’s a setup for something greater which will prepare me for the future.
  • How can we raise awareness for Black History Month? We can raise awareness for Black History Month by bringing light to the contributions that we have made to this country and celebrating them.


Skyy Stelivan: Brand Marketing Specialist

  • What drives you to excel at work or at home? The thought of giving my future self-everything I have ever wanted in life.
  • What is your favorite quote? “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” -Maya Angelou
  • Is there anything special about your upbringing or career that have made you who you are today? My upbringing in music helped me learn that marketing was my passion.

Celebrating Our Female Team Members During Women’s History Month

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Women’s History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions of women around the world. This year, we are honoring our female team members at G6 Hospitality that have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to leaving the light on for guests and exemplified this year’s theme of “break the bias,” proving there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

As we worked together to navigate the company during a period of historic hardship for the travel industry, these women played a critical role at G6.While women have made great strides in the hospitality industry, we recognize there is room for more progress to ensure they have a seat at the table. An inclusive workforce is critical in our industry, as we want to reflect the rich diversity of the guests we serve. At G6, we’re committed to gaining and retaining female talent and offering our continuous support as women have shouldered unprecedented burdens over these past few years.

In a recent interview with LODGING Magazine, Chief Legal Officer Ama Romaine discussed the launch of the company’s first Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) report and spoke about G6’s council on diversity, equity, and inclusion, which has helped the leadership team “think about things we need to do, [and] opportunities we need to create to be more diverse both within our company and our ownership base.” Chief Financial Officer Julie Arrowsmith also noted that developing a framework to measure diversity efforts report has “raised awareness and spurred change throughout the organization.”

Throughout the health crisis, we’ve seen women’s impact on business decisions – at G6 and across industries – based on their lived experiences of juggling work and home life demands.

For many years, G6 has sponsored AAHOA and AHLA initiatives to advance women in hospitality and participate in industry events. In addition, we are thrilled to see an increase in our female owners, both first-time franchisees and women who have stepped up to take over an existing family business.

During the same discussion with LODGING Magazine, Chief Development Officer Tina Burnett commented that both asking for and offering help are key in mentoring and developing a diverse workforce. Tina noted that, “it’s [her] job to give [team members] what they need to step outside of what they know, that there are people ready and willing to pull them up.”

During Women’s History Month and well beyond, we work to ensure women are represented and have a voice in our owners’ advisory councils and our young professional councils.

We’re thankful to have allies at G6 that understand the importance of providing opportunities for women to succeed at our company and in this industry. We will continue to uplift the next generation of female leaders and honor those who came before us.

— G6 Hospitality