RETAIL & LEISURE
HOTELS AND RESORTS, RANKED BY NUMBER OF ROOMS
Top 10 SHERATON GRAND PHOENIX 340 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, 85004 // 602-262-2500 // sheratongrandphoenix. com ROOMS 1,000 AZ EMPLOYEES 470 PRINCIPAL Mike Ehmann, general manager HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Erin Flothmeier, director of human resources JW MARRIOTT DESERT RIDGE RESORT 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Phoenix, 85054 // 480-293-5000 // jwdesertridge.com ROOMS 950 AZ EMPLOYEES 1,034 PRINCIPAL Steve Hart, area vice president HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Jennifer Martin, director of human resources; Yoko Hodges; director of finance ARIZONA GRAND RESORT & SPA 8000 S. Arizona Grand Parkway, Phoenix, 85044 // 480-438-9000 // arizonagrandresort.com ROOMS 744 AZ EMPLOYEES 650 PRINCIPAL Paul Gray, general manager HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Kerry Feltenberg, director of catering and conference services THE WESTIN KIERLAND RESORT & SPA 6902 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, 85254 // 480624-1000 // kierlandresort.com ROOMS 732 AZ EMPLOYEES 800 PRINCIPAL Bruce Lange, managing director HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Elizabeth Franzese, director of sales and marketing
HELPING PEOPLE GROW
ERIN FLOTHMEIER DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES BY GREMLYN BRADLEYWADDELL
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In Erin Flothmeier’s opinion, a company’s human resources department should be the kind of place where folks know the employees’ stories, even details like favorite vacation spots and kids’ names. So that’s exactly the kind of department she runs as director of human resources for the Sheraton Grand Phoenix. “I think a lot of people think we are only here to maybe hire you, process your paperwork when you start and to fire you,” she muses. “We don’t want to just be the business people who say, ‘Hey, did you need something?’” While in high school she imagined either becoming a chef or a baker, Flothmeier discovered the world of human resources while attending college at Miami University in Ohio and “kind of fell in love with it.” After graduation, Flothmeier took a job as catering manager with a small hotel outside Washington, D.C. There was no human resources department, so Flothmeier volunteered to interview job candidates. Soon, she found herself employed in human resources at a hospital. When she discovered hospitals weren’t her happy place, she returned to the hospitality industry and snagged her first director of HR position at age 25. “I think I walked around with
my policy manual for about three months,” she quips, adding that it’s a big advantage to have a sense of humor in the HR world. “I think it was about proving that even though I was young, I knew what I was doing.” At the Sheraton Grand Phoenix, where she’s been for nearly a year, Flothmeier is proud not only of the in-house mentoring programs but also the hotel’s focus on sustainability—a garden on the fourth floor, for example, is utilized by the kitchen. The resort’s other efforts include Sheraton Cares, a group of employees who volunteer to feed the less fortunate. Flothmeier, whose background includes helping refugees, is also pleased her industry offers so many opportunities to people of diverse backgrounds. “I love to see them develop and grow,” says Flothmeier, who enjoys yoga and outdoor activities in her spare time, which has been a wee bit limited since she purchased a fixer-upper with her husband when they moved to Phoenix two years ago. “Even if they end up leaving us after a couple years, it never bothers me,” she adds. “They’re usually leaving to go to school. It’s rewarding to see many of them move up and move on if that’s what they choose to do.”
HYATT REGENCY PHOENIX 122 N. Second St., Phoenix, 85004 // 602-440-3110 // phoenix.hyatt. com ROOMS 693 AZ EMPLOYEES 285 PRINCIPAL Thomas Delaney, general manager HIGHESTRANKING WOMAN Danyell Schastny, director of sales and marketing FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE PRINCESS 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale, 85255 // 480-585-4848 // scottsdaleprincess.com ROOMS 648 AZ EMPLOYEES 1,060 PRINCIPAL Jack Miller, General Manager HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Pam Gilbert, director of sales and marketing; Rosemary Taylor; director of human resources THE PHOENICIAN 6000 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale, 85251 // 480-941-8200 // thephoenician.com ROOMS 643 AZ EMPLOYEES 800 PRINCIPAL Mark Vinciguerra, managing director, The Phoenician; area managing director, Starwood Arizona HIGHESTRANKING WOMAN Paige Cabacungan, area director of sales and marketing, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Arizona JW MARRIOTT STARR PASS RESORT AND SPA 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., Tucson, 85745 // 520-7923500 // marriott.com ROOMS 575 AZ EMPLOYEES 630 PRINCIPAL Russell Bond, general manager HIGHEST-RANKING WOMEN Meredith Nicklas, director of finance and accounting; Jennifer Horstman; director of human resources RENAISSANCE PHOENIX DOWNTOWN HOTEL 50 E. Adams St., Phoenix, 85004 // 602-333-5200 // renhotels.com ROOMS 521 AZ EMPLOYEES 185 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Paige Lund, general manager SHERATON WILD HORSE PASS RESORT & SPA 5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, 85226 // 602-225-0100 // wildhorsepassresort.com ROOMS 500 AZ EMPLOYEES 500 PRINCIPAL Bunty Ahamed, general manager HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Stephanie Sanstead, director of public relations
WHO’S WHO IN BUSINESS // 2016
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