Minnesota Hotel & Lodging Association Names 2005 Hotelier of the Year, Allied Vendor of the Year

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Hotel & Lodging Association has named Jim Waldvogel of the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel as its 2005 Hotelier of the Year and the Superior/McGarvey Coffee Company as its Allied Vendor of the Year. Both winners will be recognized at Crème de la Crème on February 20, 2006.

JIM WALDVOGEL, CROWNE PLAZA NORTHSTAR HOTEL: He wanted to be a Certified Public Accountant, but once he sat behind a desk with his adding machine and sharpened pencils, Jim Waldvogel knew the life of a CPA wasn’t for him. After graduating from Marquette University, he was offered a management trainee position with Holiday Inn Worldwide in Chicago. The experience rekindled his passion for hospitality, and Jim set a goal to become a general manager. Five years and six different positions later, he was appointed to his first GM job. After 14 years with Holiday Inn, Jim was hired as the general manager of the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel, where he improved profitability by $1 million in the first year.

“Always have goals and work daily on achieving them,” he says. “And once you are successful, be a mentor to others.” Waldvogel is putting that advice into action by accepting the position of 2006 president of the Minnesota Hotel & Lodging Association.

SUPERIOR/McGARVEY COFFEE COMPANY: As an 18-year-old high school senior in 1922, Robert McGarvey, Sr., borrowed $500 dollars from his father to purchase a retail store and began selling coffee and tea. A year later, he moved his operation so he could roast his own coffee. Robert McGarvey, Jr., succeeded his father, and, recognizing the growing interest in specialty coffee long before other roasters, he created a gourmet specialty division to sell freshly roasted beans and ground coffees for home consumption. Under his leadership, the company grew into the largest regional roaster in the country, selling more than six million pounds a year.

In 1991, Sara Lee Coffee & Tea (formerly the Superior Coffee Company) purchased McGarvey Coffee Company and distributes Superior/McGarvey Coffee, Douwe Egberts and Paradise Iced Tea to hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and other hospitality venues, furthering McGarvey’s reputation for quality, freshness and service.

Crème de la Crème
Crème de la Crème will take place on Monday, February 20, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis as a part of the 2006 Upper Midwest Hospitality, Restaurant, and Lodging Show (UP Show). The event features 15 of the Twin Cities’ hottest chefs – including Restaurateur of the Year John Schiltz from the Lake Elmo Inn – preparing their signature dishes, as well as a cash bar. Tax-deductible tickets are $50 per person in advance, $60 at the door, and benefit the Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation and the Toby Landgraf Scholarship Foundation.

Chefs scheduled to participate include: Chef Saul Chavez, Masa; Chef Adam King, Café Lurcat; Chef Kevin Wesselhoff, Skywater/Hilton; Chef Peter Christensen, Mendakota Country Club; Chef Derek Jensen, Jensen's Supper Club; Chef Scott Pampuch, Corner Table; Chef John Schiltz, Lake Elmo Inn; Chef Tom Rieman, Lord Fletchers; Executive Chef Tommy J. Hearn, Eurest/Minneapolis Federal Reserve; Chef Pat Hooker, Taxxi an American Bistro; Chef Jonathan Hunt, Al Vento; Chef Adam Droski, Bar Abilene; Chef Adam Trebbe, Tejas; Chef Justin Grecco, Afton House Inn; and Chef Jerry Velasquez, Buca Inc.

For more information about Crème de la Crème, contact Melissa Graf at (651) 778-2400 or melissa@hospitalitymn.com.

About the Minnesota Hotel & Lodging Association
The Minnesota Hotel & Lodging Association (MH&LA) is the professional trade association for lodging operators in Minnesota. MH&LA is a not-for-profit organization that has protected, educated and promoted the lodging industry for nearly 70 years.