EAST LANSING, Mich.—The Waldorf Astoria in New York City was the setting on Saturday, November 7 for The School of Hospitality Business at MSU’s Celebration of Leadership which inducted four new members of the Alumni Association Hall of Fame, Class of Innovators. In addition, Mark Laport, co-founder, president and CEO of Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company, was named Industry Leader of the Year.
The new Hall of Fame members are David C. George (BA ’79), president of Olive Garden Restaurants; John M. Keeling (MBA ’74), executive vice president of Valencia Group; John G. Malone (BA ’82), area director for Choice Hotels International; and John W. Pharr (BA ’69), president of Strand Development Company, LLC.
Nearly 250 alumni and students, faculty, and staff members filled the Empire Room, just off the famed lobby of the legendary hotel on Park Avenue. School Director Dr. Michael McCall welcomed the guests, including Dean of the Broad College of Business Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Celebration of Leadership Master of Ceremonies was Alumni Association President Chuck Day (BA ’91), regional director of revenue management for InterContinental Hotels Group.
Day noted the generosity of the evening’s many sponsors, as well as the longstanding relationship enjoyed by The School and the Waldorf Astoria where nine School alumni currently serve in management and executive positions. He also highlighted the 65 select students who were present, each of whom traveled to New York with the aid of scholarships earmarked for student travel.
Assisting Day with the honors were Hall of Fame Members Dan Burdakin (BA ’81) and Richard Farrar (BA ’73). Each honoree addressed his remarks to the students.
President of Olive Garden since 2013, Dave George leads a company with 828 restaurants, more than 95,000 employees, and $3.6 billion in annual sales. He has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, innovation, and tenacity in the restaurant industry, and has held executive positions with Houlihan’s, Battleground Restaurant Group, LongHorn Steakhouse, and The Capital Grille. He is known for getting on the “front lines,” in the kitchen and with those closest to the action. A leader by example, he has mentored and developed hundreds of individuals in his companies, including many Spartans. He is an active alumnus who frequently returns to campus to speak in classes and recruit interns and graduates.
John Keeling majored in Middle Eastern Studies at UCLA, served and earned a Purple Heart with the 1stBattalion 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division in Viet Nam, then earned his MBA at MSU. After working with Marriott International, Keeling joined Laventhol & Horwath, becoming regional managing partner of the Southwest Region. He established Hospitality Counselors, Inc. in 1990, which merged with PKF Consulting, where Keeling became senior vice president and shareholder. He has been with Valencia Group since 2009, which specializes in the development and operation of upper-upscale and luxury independent hotels. Through his 40-year career he has earned awards and honors, guest lectured in a variety of industry and academic settings, and has gone back to school to earn a Master’s degree in Theological Studies. He is a member of The School’s Real Estate Investment Management Advisory Council.
John Malone has been area director of Franchise Services for Choice Hotels since 2012, responsible for cultivating effective franchise relationships, owner engagement, and proactive service to clients in central and northern Michigan, with 65 properties across seven hotel brands. He is known for building high-performance teams, improving performance, and maximizing profits for owners and for Choice Hotels. He built a stellar reputation early in his career as general manager with Drury Inns and Red Roof Inns, and had a very successful tenure with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, eventually serving as regional vice president, overseeing the Country Inn & Suites Western Division. Malone is actively involved in The School’s Alumni Association, serving on its Appointed Board of Directors, mentoring students, and returning to campus frequently for alumni and student-led events.
John Pharr has been with Strand Development Company since he started his career, opening the 312-room Ocean Front Holiday Inn in Myrtle Beach in 1971. By 1984, he was president of the company, which today has earned a place among the leading hotel management companies in the Southeast. The company specializes in the two- to four-star hotel segments, and operates hotels under all the leading hotel brand families. Through his career, Pharr managed over 200 properties and served in a number of leadership positions with the Myrtle Beach and the South Carolina Hospitality Associations, as well as the AH&LA. Pharr is a member of the Appointed Board of Directors for The School’s Alumni Association, and he served for 36 years in the United States Air Force Reserves, advising on the operation of over 100 hotels worldwide. He retired in 2006 as a colonel.
Mark Laport is the co-founder, president and CEO of Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company. He founded Concord in 1985, and it has since become one of the hospitality industry’s largest and most respected owners, operators, and developers, with nearly 100 hotels in 20 states and two provinces in Canada. Laport has a reputation for energy, integrity, hard work, and good decisions, leading the way in sustainability efforts and giving back to the communities where Concord operates.
Under his leadership, Concord’s portfolio generates profits in excess of $150 million and the company has earned more than 100 prestigious industry awards. This success is driven by his values, which form the cornerstones of the company’s culture: Quality, Community, Integrity, Profitability, and Having Fun. Laport has actively recruited and employed many graduates of the School.
