Executive Team

Richard D. Hanks - Chairman and President

Rich has been a senior executive of several Fortune 500 companies as well as several start-up ventures. His experience spans multiple industries and disciplines, including many years as an adjunct university professor and as an executive consultant. He was an EVP and Corporate Officer at Marriott, where he led the marketing strategy, sales, distribution, and revenue management efforts for Marriott's 13 lodging brands and $18 billion in sales. Most notably, Rich was named "The Leading Sales Innovator in the Lodging Industry," and Marriott's sales team was rated one of the top 25 in the U.S. for 4 years under his leadership. Rich also led Marriott onto the Internet, prompting Bill Gates to refer to him as an "important Internet champion" in his book "Business @ the Speed of Thought". Earlier in his career, Rich was called the "Leader of Hotel Revenue Management and Strategy" for his leadership in hotel pricing and yield management. Rich previously spent several years at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Division in Strategic Planning, and with Price Waterhouse as a CPA and Management Consultant. He was also CEO of BlueStep, a software start-up, which grew to include 8 branded products prior to it being acquired in 2002. He was nominated for Utah Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001 and 2007. He was also the interim head of Marketing and Strategy for USDTV, Inc., an over-the-air digital TV service provider, as it progressed from start-up to product launch. He is an author and frequent teacher/speaker at trade, academic and professional gatherings, and is widely quoted in top business journals and trade publications. Rich is the author of the widely-acclaimed book, "Delivering and Measuring Customer Service." An active participant on various boards of corporations, universities, and foundations, Hanks was a lecturer and adjunct professor at Cornell University for 10 years and on the Board of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and his MBA from Northwestern University.