Outlook Magazine - Fall 2018

CambriaHotel Chicago Loop

Treasure IslandCenter

Zach Vierling For a former UW-Stout hockey team captain, managing an upscale property in St. Paul that includes the Minnesota Wild’s new practice facility is close to a dream job. “I couldn’t ask for a better facility to be at,” Zach Vierling said. Vierling’s career has taken off like a slapshot since he graduated in December 2014 with degrees in real estate

Lisa Adams Lisa Adams didn’t plan to

work in hospitality when she went to college. It came to her — via UW-Stout. By the time she graduated in 1991 with a business administration degree, she had become familiar with the industry through friends who were hospitality majors and was intrigued. After a Career Fair on campus, she landed a job with Red Roof Inn.

Lisa Adams

Zach Vierling

property management and in business administration. He started as an assistant property manager for Ryan Companies and was named a 30 Under 30 exceptional young professional in June 2017 by the Institute for Real Estate Property Management. In July 2017 joined Hempel Companies as a property manager. With Hempel, he manages the Treasure Island Center, a mixed- used redevelopment of a former Macy’s department store in downtown St. Paul. The marquee tenant of the 540,000-square- foot property is the Wild of the National Hockey League; the covered TRIA Rink on the top floor has 1,200 seats and is used by other hockey teams too. Other tenants include a Walgreens, Tim Horton’s, Treasure Island Resort and Casino offices and Stacked Deck Brewery. The Wild began using the rink last season, and renovation on the building is continuing. “The development phase is always exciting. Every day is something different. There’s nothing mundane,” said Vierling, whose job includes all aspects of managing the property, including working with tenants. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native began work on his CPM certification — certified property manager — while at UW-Stout and expects to have it soon with his required three years of professional experience. He said he wouldn’t be where he is today without UW-Stout and the education advice of his father, who also works in commercial real estate. “The majors are extremely beneficial to what I do. I was able to jump right into a manager’s role, which doesn’t happen too often.”

More than 25 years later, she’s still in the hotel industry and loving what she does. After joining Choice Hotels in 1999, she has moved up to regional vice president for franchise services for the Central/Midwest Region, based in Indianapolis. She oversees operational and financial matters with franchisees at 1,200 midscale hotels in seven states, managing 17 area directors. Some of the company’s 11 brands are Cambria, Comfort, Clarion, Quality, Woodspring, Mainstay, Sleep, Econo Lodge and Rodeway. “Our biggest goal is to help these owners become more profitable. If they’re more successful, they’ll open more of our hotels,” said Adams, who travels often. “Two things I like most are the relationships with the owners, seeing how they’ve grown their portfolio of hotels, and relationships with area directors. I get to work with a lot of really interesting people.” Adams also enjoys the strategic part of the job, helping owners prepare for the future. When she started in the industry, computers, online booking and hotel websites were new. Metal room keys have been replaced by card keys and, soon, phone apps. Robot concierges and Amazon’s Alexa in rooms aren’t far off. “This role is more strategic than ever. Working on what we are going to do three to five years down the road is really fun for me.” The northern Wisconsin native hopes soon to visit her Quality Inn franchisee in Menomonie and stop by UW-Stout. “Stout really prepared me. There still are things I use to this day from my business classes,” Adams said.

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