UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2024 Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) Industry Awards and Reception will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at the Penn State School of Hospitality Management on the University Park campus.
The event, a tradition of the PSHRS and School of Hospitality Management since 1960, will honor Jim Risoleo, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., with the Hospitality Executive of the Year Award and Ted Balestreri, chairman and CEO of Cannery Row Company and Sardine Factory Restaurant, with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., the world’s largest lodging real estate investment trust, is an S&P 500 company and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels, partnering with premium brands and leading management companies to manage its portfolio of hotels.
Balestreri formed a partnership for Cannery Row Company and Sardine Factory Restaurant in 1968. He also founded Pacific Hospitality, which was incorporated from 1983-2007, and held the franchise rights for Wendy's International, covering a tri-county area in northern California.
The PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception is the marquee fundraising event of scholarships for students studying hospitality management at Penn State and programming support for the School of Hospitality Management by its dedicated alumni society.
The following corporate sponsors and individuals are gratefully acknowledged. Sponsors of the gala as of March 25:
Old Main Sponsor
- Host Hotels & Resorts
Nittany Lion
- Velma & Ted Balestreri, Cannery Row Company, The Sardine Factory, Inns of Monterey, Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa
- DirecTV
- HEI Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts
- Marriott International
- PepsiCo Global Food Service
- PJT Partners
Blue
- KSL Capital Partners
- Noble Investment Group
- Pebble Beach Company
- Rockbridge Capital
- Sightline Hospitality
- Wells Fargo
White
- Akerman LLP
- Aon Hewitt
- BNY Mellon
- Booking.com
- Chef Bert Cutino
- Davidson Hospitality Group
- Eastdil Secured
- Ecolab
- Goldman Sachs
- Hodges Ward Elliott
- Hyatt Hotels
- IFMA
- JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
- MCR Hotels
- Steve Metzger & Nancy Albertini
- Morgan Stanley
- Nestle
- PENN Entertainment
- Sage Hospitality Group
- SH Hotels & Resorts
- SMBC Group
- Thayer Ventures
- Willis Towers Watson
Patrons
- American Express
- American Hotel & Lodging Association
- Areas USA / Rich Schneider
- Bank of America
- Budge & Co.
- Crédit Agricole
- Curacity
- Stephen Dart and Jane Dart Tucker
- Patrick and Barbara Deming
- Gordon and Rhonda Eubanks
- Hawkins Way Capital
- IFBTA/Rob Grimes
- IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Ron and Lynn Johnson
- Bill & Kim Kohl/Greenwood Hospitality Group
- Dana & Madelaine Katz
- KPMG International
- John Metz
- National Restaurant Association
- Leon & Sylvia Panetta
- Park Hotels & Resorts
- Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
- Shari Reams-Henofer
- Rich’s Products Corporation
- Shaner Hotel Group
- Truist Financial
- Regynald Washington
- Yum! Brands
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ben Jellison, director of industry and alumni relations, at bdj101@psu.edu or 814-865-6728.
About the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society
The Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) was founded to strengthen all hospitality professions and enhance the reputation of the Hospitality Management (HM) program. PSHRS is an Affiliate Program Group of the Penn State Alumni Association and the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society. PSHRS provides a means for achieving closer fellowship among alumni, faculty and students. PSHRS serves those who are currently attending Penn State in HM or who are graduates of the program, as well as those who work within the HM industries and have attended Penn State or are friends of the program.
About the School of Hospitality Management
The School of Hospitality Management is home to the third-oldest hospitality management program in the United States. Since its beginning in 1937, the program has grown to now be recognized as one of the most respected and distinguished hospitality management programs in the nation. By combining a broad educational foundation with specific courses designed to build strong leadership, business, and communications skills, and by requiring undergraduate students to accumulate professional, real-world experience to graduate, students gain the theoretical, managerial, quantitative, organizational, and technical skills they need to become the next generation of leaders in the hospitality industry. The students’ relationships with faculty members and alumni serve to bolster this learning experience. Likewise, the renowned doctoral degree program in the school has been confirming doctorates since 1971 and places faculty and researchers in prestigious institutions around the world. New to the school’s portfolio in Fall 2023 is an innovative and focused Master of Professional Studies degree in Hospitality Management program.