As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, C. A. "Bud" Cataldo is responsible for the overall growth of Hostmark Hospitality Group, and oversees operations of all units within the organization. Mr. Cataldo began his career in hospitality in 1955, and over the past 50+ years has developed several innovative management systems which have since been adopted by many others in the hotel management industry.

Mr. Cataldo has served as chairman of the Greater Chicago and Illinois Hotel/Motel Associations, the Chicago Convention and Visitor's Bureau and as Director of the American Hotel/Motel Association. 

He is renowned in the hotel and tourism industry as a visionary leader of one of the foremost worldwide hotel management companies. As the founder of Hostmark Hospitality Group, his vast expertise was garnered from close involvement with the development, construction, financing, and opening of more than 75 hotels containing over 20,000 rooms during his 50+ years in the industry. Mr. Cataldo was awarded the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Chairman’s Hospitality Award recognizing excellence in hospitality. He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Roosevelt University’s Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality Management, as well as the Michigan State Industry Leader Award. 

Robert J. Cataldo, president and chief operating officer, maintains responsibility for all operations of hotels, resorts and restaurants in the company’s management portfolio and development pipeline. Mr. Cataldo also directs the company’s relationships with hotel owners, financial and institutional fund managers and hotel franchise companies.

Mr. Cataldo’s experience spans four decades and includes posts as general manager and as director of food and beverage with various branded and independent hotels, including the post of General Manager at the famed Ambassador West Hotel on Chicago’s Gold Coast. Mr. Cataldo has developed and held operational responsibility for more than 300 hotels and resorts with asset value exceeding $3 billion.

Among his many accomplishments, which include leading a dedicated executive staff at Hostmark, Mr. Cataldo's vast experience and foresight into consumer trends prompted the launch of Amalfi, Hostmark’s boutique hotel concept, as well as the company’s international expansion, creating and bringing the Hostmark hotel brand to the global market. Mr. Cataldo is known throughout the industry as having a "hands on" approach, and is a respected leader among hotel operators internationally. Mr. Cataldo serves on numerous academic and industry boards, including Roosevelt University’s Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality Management and Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association.

Jerome F. Cataldo is responsible for the continued development and growth of Hostmark Hospitality Group. As executive vice president of development, Mr. Cataldo oversees the development of new management opportunities as well as acquisitions for Hostmark, and since 1980,  has worked in every imaginable facet of the hotel industry. 

He has served on a number of industry panels and committees, including Promus Companies’ Business Systems Steering Committee and Radisson Hotel International’s Advisory Council.  Mr. Cataldo received a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and holds an MBA in Finance from DePaul University.

William D. Gingrich, II, executive vice president and CFO, began his career in the hospitality industry in 1979 after successfully working with a local CPA firm and obtaining his CPA certificate. His extensive hospitality experience includes new hotel development, business development, corporate financial and tax restructuring, acting as interim president of a national franchise company, and being the Chief Operating Officer for a Denver-based hotel company. 

With Hostmark Hospitality Group, he maintains oversight over financing, budgeting, tax structuring and risk management.  Additionally, Mr. Gingrich governs the acquisition and development components of all Hostmark Hospitality Group ventures.  He holds a degree from Western Michigan University, is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional Organizations, and is the past president of the Colorado Association of Hospitality Accountants.

L.W. Biff Hawkey, Jr. brings a wealth of knowledge in real estate, law, and tax strategies to Hostmark Hospitality Group's operations and management functions. As such, Mr. Hawkey creates and oversees the design of financial restructuring opportunities, deal-sourcing, reorganization, and workout plans for clients, and has provided remarkable support and assistance to borrowers and lenders in foreclosure, bankruptcy and receivership situations.

His valuable insights have earned him notoriety within the Hospitality Industry, and he is frequently called upon by business peers as a keynote speaker.  Mr. Hawkey is the accomplished author of several books, holds B.A. and J.D. degrees, and is an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he teaches hospitality development and feasibility Master’s level classes.

Mark A. Heisler is the newest member of the senior leadership team at Hostmark, having joined the company in the summer of 2006, and serves as vice president of development. In a career spanning more than 23 years in the hospitality industry, Mr. Heisler has worked in a number of disciplines, including operations, sales & marketing, information technology and, since 1995, development. Having owned and operated his own hotels – as well as holding key development roles with some of the industry’s premier franchisors – Mr. Heisler brings an owner’s perspective to bear on every project he undertakes. To date, Mr. Heisler has been involved in more than $900 million of hotel development. Mr. Heisler holds a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned an MBA with high honors from Roosevelt University, Chicago.

Richard M. Betty has worked for Hostmark for over 30 years. During that time he was general manager of several Chicago area hotels where he won the Sheraton Corporation’s Franchise General Manager award for the Midwest for two consecutive years. He is now a vice president of operations overseeing several hotels in Hostmark’s current portfolio. Mr. Betty is active in several industry organizations, and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Hotel/Motel Association of Illinois, having previously served as president and chairman of that organization.  He has been a management trustee for the UNITE HERE Health & Welfare Fund for the past 14 years, and currently serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee for that fund.  In addition, Mr. Betty represents Hostmark in negotiations with various labor unions. Mr. Betty is a graduate of The Citadel and Michigan State University’s School of Hotel, Motel, Restaurant and Institutions Management.

Richard M. Quinlan, vice president of operations, began his career in the hospitality industry in 1960, and joined Hostmark after leading Henrici’s Management Corporation as principal and vice president. Through Mr. Quinlan’s direction and coordination, Hostmark properties are ensured the highest standards of quality and maximum profitability.  His expertise covers each area of a hotel’s operation, and his inventive food and beverage cost monitoring programs have long been considered "state of the industry.” He holds a B.S.B.A. degree from the University of Denver, where he majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Brian Tkac, vice president of marketing & revenue, oversees marketing, revenue management and distribution activities for Hostmark’s portfolio of hotels and resorts. In this role, Mr. Tkac develops and implements initiatives that increase hotel market share, and continues to evolve Hostmark’s commitment to customer relationship management. Mr. Tkac oversees the firm’s distribution strategies and designs effective communication campaigns through targeted advertising and public relations initiatives.

Mr. Tkac has over twenty years of experience in hotels and resorts, and joined Hostmark in 1994 after holding numerous executive sales and marketing positions, including corporate director of marketing and regional director of sales and marketing. In addition to these roles, Mr. Tkac has held executive positions with Interstate Hotels where he participated in the transition of all newly acquired hotels and resorts, and has had extensive training with Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, Carlson and IHG.  Mr. Tkac holds a Bachelors degree in psychology from Illinois State University and attended the Graham School of Business graduate marketing program at the University of Chicago.

He is an active member of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association and serves on the advisory board for Carino Hotels.

Edward F. Richter, Hostmark’s vice president of sales, is a veteran of the field, and came to Hostmark from the Hilton Corporation. As Hilton's vice president of sales and marketing, he was in charge of all sales and marketing operations for corporate-managed Hilton Hotels in the Midwest and on the East Coast, as well as being directly responsible for Hilton’s national sales offices in the same areas. He helped in the development of conference center facilities at these properties, which created a new marketing thrust for the Hilton Corporation. Since joining Hostmark in 1987 as vice president of sales and marketing, Mr. Richter's cutting edge sales concepts have established Hostmark's group sales departments as the driving force within the convention and conference center industry.  His involvement for over 30 years with association and trade show markets has also helped strengthen Hostmark's position in these key sales areas.

Joseph Sammartano, CFBE, vice president of food and beverage, directs Hostmark's food and beverage operations.  In this capacity, Mr. Sammartano is responsible for employee development and training as well as menu development and implementation.  He also supervises the company's quality assurance program, and has designed several innovative programs and cost control initiatives that have resulted in reductions in food cost, labor cost and other expenses, while increasing quality and guest satisfaction. Mr. Sammartano also directs the company’s creative department for hotel food and beverage as well as their free-standing restaurant division.
 
He was instrumental in the creation of On the Bone, the company’s trademarked steak house, as well as Gary Barnett’s and Jacque Demers restaurants. Mr. Sammartano is currently developing new concepts for several recently-acquired hotels in Tampa, FL, Andover, MA, and Palm Desert, CA. Mr. Sammartano has previously held executive positions with restaurant companies, country clubs and hotel management companies and has been involved in opening numerous hotel properties and free-standing restaurants.

As vice president of Human Resources, Christine Andrews is responsible for the direction of Hostmark's human resources/employee relations division.  Ms. Andrews has previously held human resources positions at several of Hostmark’s managed properties, and while with Hostmark, has implemented many human resources programs for our client properties. 

She has served on the board of Chicago's Hotel Human Resources Association, and  is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management and Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers.  Ms. Andrews received her bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she majored in Hotel Administration and holds a Master's degree in Hospitality Management from Roosevelt University.

Peggy Feller, regional director of sales & marketing, is responsible for the Hostmark customized incentive program named W.A.Y., an acronym standing for “We Appreciate You” and is designed to recognize those individuals or companies who book reservations at Hostmark properties. This tool enhances the efforts of the sales offices to attract business and retain clients. Over the course of the next few years, the program will be pursuing partnerships with schools, charities, and other not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Feller has been with Hostmark supporting sales & marketing since 1996.  Prior to that she was a meeting planner for a major travel agency and an account executive with Gardner & Geldmacher, Inc., responsible for the development of incentive and service award programs for Fortune 500 companies.

Del Suguitan is responsible for the financial analysis of development and repositioning opportunities for Hostmark, and also helps coordinate the due diligence and transactional support functions  in Hostmark acquisitions.  Ms. Suguitan’s hospitality background stems from several years in operations and her participation in the opening of the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

She also has a background in extended stay accommodations as a site manager with Habitat Corporate Suites, and as a certified paralegal, previously worked as a real estate paralegal for several law firms in Chicago. Ms. Suguitan graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management, and has just completed dual Real Estate MBA and Master’s of Hospitality Management degrees from Roosevelt University.

Nancy Mazzocchetti is responsible for managing Hostmark’s accounting office and its interfacing activities with client hotels.  As corporate director of accounting, Ms. Mazzocchetti is responsible for the preparation of financial statements, payroll processing, cash management and the continuous monitoring and updating of Hostmark’s accounting policies and procedures.  She joined Hostmark in 1991 after previously holding positions with Westin Hotels and Guest Quarters Suite Hotels.  Ms. Mazzocchetti received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Loyola University, and holds a graduate executive certificate in Hospitality Management from Roosevelt University.

James F. Giglio, director of purchasing, is responsible for overseeing the recurring purchases at all Hostmark properties, ensuring that vendor prices are optimum for all properties. Mr. Giglio is also responsible for setting the quality standards for items purchased, varying by type of hotel franchise. He establishes National Contracts/Preferred Vendors with suppliers, creating a critical upstanding relationship with these vendors. Mr. Giglio joined Hostmark in 1981 with extensive experience in all facets of hospitality food and beverage operations as well as back-of-the-house operations and functions.

Chris Gutzler
Corporate Director of M.I.S.

Chris Gutzler, corporate director of M.I.S., oversees and directs all areas of information systems at Hostmark, and ensures the company maintains and aligns technology with operational strategies to maximize and enhance business objectives.  Previously, Mr. Gutzler held positions with a real estate investment trust, and functioned as regional director, and then director of M.I.S. for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.  He attended the University of North Texas, where he majored in Accounting and Information Systems.

Steven Fenili
Project Manager

Hostmark Hospitality project manager, Steven Fenili, is responsible for project management/construction for the firm.  Mr. Fenili began his hospitality career in 1975 with Holiday Inn Worldwide, and served both in hotel operations and the corporate area.  He has been recognized as an industry leader, and managed numerous renovations, technical advancements and mechanical enhancements for hotels throughout the country. As a Certified Engineering Operating Executive (CEOE) and qualified OSHA trainer, Mr. Fenili shares his technical expertise with property personnel to further enhance their operational skills, insuring Hostmark remains an industry leader in these areas.