LAS VEGAS—The members of Hotel Brokers International, the real estate industry's oldest, most experienced network of hotel brokerage specialists, has elected its 2016-17 Board of Directors.  The HBI board of directors is comprised of eleven officers/directors elected from the general membership during the organization's 57th Annual Meeting held recently in Las Vegas. The following persons begin their Board Terms in March:

President:  Diana Alt

Diana Alt is an associate broker with Las Cruces, NM-based Scoggin Blue LLC, and has managed the brokerage firm's Dallas office since 2002. She has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1989. Prior to Scoggin Blue, Alt was with Hotel Management magazine. With her years of professional experience in the hospitality industry, Alt easily makes contact with top executives and decision-makers of hotel companies, hotel owners, franchise, financial and management companies as well as REITs and others interested in buying and selling hotels. Alt has a B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Texas in Arlington.

Vice President:  Tony DeGeorge, CHB

President, founding partner and principal broker of Greene, Canfield, DeGeorge, Ltd. in Clearwater, FL, DeGeorge has been actively involved in hotel brokerage since 1981 and has been directly involved in the listing, marketing and sale of hundreds of hotels including dispositions for corporations and REITs as well as individuals. His impressive transaction resume includes the sale of an array of hotel property types including everything from select-service airport hotels to beach-front resorts.  As a former hotel owner-operator, DeGeorge has first-hand knowledge of hotel operations, cash flow management and marketing. He earned his Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) designation in 2000 and is a three-time past president of Hotel Brokers International; serving on the organization's Board of Directors for 20 years.

Treasurer:  Steven Blue, CHB

Steve Blue is the sole owner of Scoggin Blue LLC – a real estate brokerage company with offices in New Mexico and Texas specializing exclusively in selling hospitality real estate since 1959.  Steve has been in hotel/motel asset value assessments and direct marketing of hotel/motel properties since 1979. Prior to joining the firm, Blue received a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from New Mexico State University in 1976, and subsequently managed several Texas-based hotels.  Since 1979, he has personally generated direct sales in excess of $200 million.  Blue's strengths include asset value assessment, sales, management and operations.

Secretary:  Jennifer Church, CHB

Jennifer Church is president of Milmark Hotel/Motel Investments, LLC – a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm, licensed in Wisconsin.   She has nearly 12 years of professional experience in hospitality real estate sales, and she has continuously been recognized for outstanding hotel sales performance – named Rookie of the Year in her first year and most recently Top Sales Producer in her region. Prior to serving as President of Milmark, she served as the firm's Director of Sales when she earned designation as a Certified hotel Broker and was awarded three of the four top honors in her CHB Class.  Church previously worked as Director of Operations & Services at the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association (WH&LA) – one of the largest lodging associations in the country. She received an undergraduate degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Wisconsin – Stout and earned a Master's in Public Administration from the University of North Michigan.

Directors:

Richard Ehmer is president and principal broker of The Ehmer Group – a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm located in San Francisco, California.  Ehmer has nearly 30 years of experience in the marketing and negotiating of commercial real estate transactions including the closing of more than $1,500,000,000 in hospitality transactions.  Prior to founding The Ehmer Group in 2010, Richard enjoyed an impeccable career stretching over 25 years with Marcus & Millichap and was a founding member of the National Hospitality Group at Marcus & Millichap where he served as a First Vice President and Senior Director of the National Hospitality & Gaming Group.  Ehmer also served as Managing Director of the NAI Global Hospitality Group, where he assisted in the formation and management of a network wide brokerage platform.

Steve Quintana is president of HawksView Hospitality, a full service brokerage firm based in the Denver suburb of Lone Tree.  Quintana specializes in hotel asset investment, valuation, marketing and transaction.  Prior to founding HawksView Hospitality, Steve worked with a national commercial brokerage firm. He holds an undergraduate degree in business management and is an entrepreneur who owns businesses and real estate.

Steve Ferrarini is vice president and associate broker of ProCom Lodging Brokers, Inc. located in Paso Robles, CA. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Loma Linda University (presently La Sierra University) in Riverside, CA.  Before joining ProCom Lodging in 1991, Ferrarini was a loan officer for an established Southern California full-service mortgage broker, arranging both conventional and “hard-money” loans. Prior to being a loan officer he served as a Client Services Representative for a financial planning firm. He received a California Real Estate Salesperson's License in 1988 and a California Real Estate Broker's License in 1995. In January 2001 he received his Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) designation, and is the recipient of numerous awards for hotel brokerage.

Michelle Kennedy is a partner and principal/designated broker of Crystal Investment Property, LLC – a boutique specialty brokerage solely focused on serving the needs of hotel owners and investors in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She has a 20-year background in administration, real estate and legal education, contracts, and operations management for regional commercial real estate firms. Kennedy's focus with Crystal Investment Property, is primarily on operations oversight, transaction management, marketing coordination and general back-office systems.

Kathryn Seo, vice president of Lodging Brokers Network, Inc., has spent the last ten years in the hotel and real estate industries. Her career in hospitality real estate includes working for an international hotel brokerage firm and holding acquisition and development roles at two of the major boutique hotel companies, most recently Kimpton Hotels. For the five years prior to joining LBN, Seo led due diligence efforts on acquiring boutique hotels, and has valued hundreds of hotels and inns across the country. In the most recent two years, Seo has earned and been awarded HBI's top individual sales achievement award – Salesperson of the Year. She holds a degree in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University.

Dick Lopez, CHB, is president of Lodging Brokers Network, Inc. located in Napa, CA. Dick obtained a real estate license in 1971 and became a broker in 1973. He began his career in lodging brokerage in 1994 and founded his lodging company in 1992. Lopez is a past president of Hotel Brokers International and earned his designation as Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) in 1996. He is one of only six individuals in California that currently hold this designation.

Brandt Niehaus, CHB, is president and principal broker of Huff, Niehaus & Associates, Inc., a full-service hotel real estate brokerage located in Louisville, KY.  Niehaus began his career in commercial real estate in 1983 and has focused exclusively on hotel real estate investment since 1988.  He has successfully transacted the sales of hundreds of hotel properties from limited-service independents through full-service luxury hotels representing sellers in conventional sales as well as lender-owned transactions for banks and institutions. A consistent top sales producer, he was named Broker of the Year in recognition of his record-setting sales performance in 2014.  Niehaus, a three-time past president of HBI, holds the professional designations of Certified Hotel Broker (CHB), Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He earned a bachelors and MBA in Marketing from the University of Kentucky.

Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales.  HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated nearly 10,500 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States.  The organization's database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors.  Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investor's Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program.  In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services.

LAS VEGAS—The members of Hotel Brokers International, the real estate industry's oldest, most experienced network of hotel brokerage specialists, has elected its 2016-17 Board of Directors.  The HBI board of directors is comprised of eleven officers/directors elected from the general membership during the organization's 57th Annual Meeting held recently in Las Vegas. The following persons begin their Board Terms in March:

President:  Diana Alt

Diana Alt is an associate broker with Las Cruces, NM-based Scoggin Blue LLC, and has managed the brokerage firm's Dallas office since 2002. She has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1989. Prior to Scoggin Blue, Alt was with Hotel Management magazine. With her years of professional experience in the hospitality industry, Alt easily makes contact with top executives and decision-makers of hotel companies, hotel owners, franchise, financial and management companies as well as REITs and others interested in buying and selling hotels. Alt has a B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Texas in Arlington.

Vice President:  Tony DeGeorge, CHB

President, founding partner and principal broker of Greene, Canfield, DeGeorge, Ltd. in Clearwater, FL, DeGeorge has been actively involved in hotel brokerage since 1981 and has been directly involved in the listing, marketing and sale of hundreds of hotels including dispositions for corporations and REITs as well as individuals. His impressive transaction resume includes the sale of an array of hotel property types including everything from select-service airport hotels to beach-front resorts.  As a former hotel owner-operator, DeGeorge has first-hand knowledge of hotel operations, cash flow management and marketing. He earned his Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) designation in 2000 and is a three-time past president of Hotel Brokers International; serving on the organization's Board of Directors for 20 years.

Treasurer:  Steven Blue, CHB

Steve Blue is the sole owner of Scoggin Blue LLC – a real estate brokerage company with offices in New Mexico and Texas specializing exclusively in selling hospitality real estate since 1959.  Steve has been in hotel/motel asset value assessments and direct marketing of hotel/motel properties since 1979. Prior to joining the firm, Blue received a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from New Mexico State University in 1976, and subsequently managed several Texas-based hotels.  Since 1979, he has personally generated direct sales in excess of $200 million.  Blue's strengths include asset value assessment, sales, management and operations.

Secretary:  Jennifer Church, CHB

Jennifer Church is president of Milmark Hotel/Motel Investments, LLC – a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm, licensed in Wisconsin.   She has nearly 12 years of professional experience in hospitality real estate sales, and she has continuously been recognized for outstanding hotel sales performance – named Rookie of the Year in her first year and most recently Top Sales Producer in her region. Prior to serving as President of Milmark, she served as the firm's Director of Sales when she earned designation as a Certified hotel Broker and was awarded three of the four top honors in her CHB Class.  Church previously worked as Director of Operations & Services at the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association (WH&LA) – one of the largest lodging associations in the country. She received an undergraduate degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Wisconsin – Stout and earned a Master's in Public Administration from the University of North Michigan.

Directors:

Richard Ehmer is president and principal broker of The Ehmer Group – a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm located in San Francisco, California.  Ehmer has nearly 30 years of experience in the marketing and negotiating of commercial real estate transactions including the closing of more than $1,500,000,000 in hospitality transactions.  Prior to founding The Ehmer Group in 2010, Richard enjoyed an impeccable career stretching over 25 years with Marcus & Millichap and was a founding member of the National Hospitality Group at Marcus & Millichap where he served as a First Vice President and Senior Director of the National Hospitality & Gaming Group.  Ehmer also served as Managing Director of the NAI Global Hospitality Group, where he assisted in the formation and management of a network wide brokerage platform.

Steve Quintana is president of HawksView Hospitality, a full service brokerage firm based in the Denver suburb of Lone Tree.  Quintana specializes in hotel asset investment, valuation, marketing and transaction.  Prior to founding HawksView Hospitality, Steve worked with a national commercial brokerage firm. He holds an undergraduate degree in business management and is an entrepreneur who owns businesses and real estate.

Steve Ferrarini is vice president and associate broker of ProCom Lodging Brokers, Inc. located in Paso Robles, CA. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Loma Linda University (presently La Sierra University) in Riverside, CA.  Before joining ProCom Lodging in 1991, Ferrarini was a loan officer for an established Southern California full-service mortgage broker, arranging both conventional and “hard-money” loans. Prior to being a loan officer he served as a Client Services Representative for a financial planning firm. He received a California Real Estate Salesperson's License in 1988 and a California Real Estate Broker's License in 1995. In January 2001 he received his Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) designation, and is the recipient of numerous awards for hotel brokerage.

Michelle Kennedy is a partner and principal/designated broker of Crystal Investment Property, LLC – a boutique specialty brokerage solely focused on serving the needs of hotel owners and investors in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She has a 20-year background in administration, real estate and legal education, contracts, and operations management for regional commercial real estate firms. Kennedy's focus with Crystal Investment Property, is primarily on operations oversight, transaction management, marketing coordination and general back-office systems.

Kathryn Seo, vice president of Lodging Brokers Network, Inc., has spent the last ten years in the hotel and real estate industries. Her career in hospitality real estate includes working for an international hotel brokerage firm and holding acquisition and development roles at two of the major boutique hotel companies, most recently Kimpton Hotels. For the five years prior to joining LBN, Seo led due diligence efforts on acquiring boutique hotels, and has valued hundreds of hotels and inns across the country. In the most recent two years, Seo has earned and been awarded HBI's top individual sales achievement award – Salesperson of the Year. She holds a degree in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University.

Dick Lopez, CHB, is president of Lodging Brokers Network, Inc. located in Napa, CA. Dick obtained a real estate license in 1971 and became a broker in 1973. He began his career in lodging brokerage in 1994 and founded his lodging company in 1992. Lopez is a past president of Hotel Brokers International and earned his designation as Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) in 1996. He is one of only six individuals in California that currently hold this designation.

Brandt Niehaus, CHB, is president and principal broker of Huff, Niehaus & Associates, Inc., a full-service hotel real estate brokerage located in Louisville, KY.  Niehaus began his career in commercial real estate in 1983 and has focused exclusively on hotel real estate investment since 1988.  He has successfully transacted the sales of hundreds of hotel properties from limited-service independents through full-service luxury hotels representing sellers in conventional sales as well as lender-owned transactions for banks and institutions. A consistent top sales producer, he was named Broker of the Year in recognition of his record-setting sales performance in 2014.  Niehaus, a three-time past president of HBI, holds the professional designations of Certified Hotel Broker (CHB), Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He earned a bachelors and MBA in Marketing from the University of Kentucky.

Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales.  HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated nearly 10,500 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States.  The organization's database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors.  Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investor's Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program.  In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services.