He can contribute substantially to process reengineering or strategic planning initiatives.”
Keith Loukinen, Food and BeverageHilton Springfield“I worked for/with Fritz on two different occasions in my career – both early in it (nearly 15 years ago) and most recently in 2007 and 2008. Fritz was/is both an exceptional mentor and manager having both given me many opportunities to learn without having to fear possible repercussions if mistakes were made along the way and career advancement opportunities including “giving” me my first Food & Beverage Director’s position. Fritz’s knowledge of the business of hospitality is incomparable as is his analytical skills and problem solving capabilities. He is a manager who focuses a lot of his time and effort on the property’s staff members (internal customers) making certain they have the equipment and training they NEED to better serve the guests – and the results consistently prove such with a very low turnover and the highest of guest satisfaction scores. It would be a great honor for me to have a third opportunity to work with Fritz again and would readily do so if the opportunity presented itself.”
Lori Alstrom, Northeast National Sales ManagerWyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort
“I had the pleasure of meeting Fritz on my first day of employment at the Adam’s Mark in Buffalo. He was very friendly and welcoming and I was surprised at just how approachable he was for being a top Executive in the company. A few years later, he offered me a position at the Adam’s Mark Corporate office in St. Louis. He knew that I wanted to take my career to another level and gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge in another area of the business. My goal was always to get into Sales, and Fritz brought me to Dallas where he gave me the chance to excel in the Transient Market. I was soon after promoted to the Group market, and he was instrumental in placing me in a market where my transient background would lead to increased business opportunities. I hold such high regard for Fritz, in part because he took such a hands on approach with the company’s employees and wanted to make sure that each and every employee was utilizing their talents and abilities in the correct position for them. He always had an open-door policy for employees of all levels, which is not the norm for a COO of such a large organization.
I always had such respect for Fritz because he worked his way up in the business. He worked in different departments throughout the hotel so that his employees would be confident in taking direction from him and so that he had a strong understanding of the inner workings of a hotel team. When you speak to him, it is clear that he extremely intelligent and holds a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in him!
Last, but not least, is that Fritz is an honest person. When working with him, you can feel confident that you can believe in what he is saying!”
Sharon Harvey Davis, Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer-Ameren
“I worked with Fritz for over seven (7) years in a quasi superior-subordinate relationship while he was General Manager of the Adam’s Mark properties in Clearwater Beach, Florida and Houston, Texas and I was the Assistant Director of Corporate Human Resources for Adam’s Mark Hotels and Resorts. We worked together as peers when he was promoted to COO and Executive Vice President and I became the company’s first Vice President of Corporate Affairs which included all corporate diversity responsibilities. During my time at Adam’s Mark, no General Manager garnered a higher level of respect and admiration than Fritz did from his managers, staff and fellow General Managers for his willingness to regularly and readily lend assistance when needed.
When Fritz was promoted from the Houston hotel to the corporate office, we were all excited. There was no doubt, based on his success as the Houston hotel’s General Manager, that Fritz would be able to successfully direct and put the structure and policies in place that were sorely lacking across the company’s hotel division. We were certainly not disappointed as he was both the catalyst and in many cases the author of numerous changes that had a positive impact on the individual properties and the hotel division as a whole. Though I was not there at the time, it was a great shock and disappointment to all that had worked with Fritz when it was learned that he had left Adam’s Mark. His sudden and premature departure ended the phenomenal era of change and progress that he had ushered in. This all came to an abrupt and total stop never to be regained again upon his exit.
During my tenure as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, it was a pleasure to work with Fritz. Our offices shared a common wall and I was able to observe and interact with Fritz on a regular basis. Fritz showed unwavering support and took up many fights for me, as well as taking on many others of his own, in our efforts to get the diversity program organized and implemented. Fritz’s leadership as a diversity champion is most clearly demonstrated by the fact, though it was ultimately rejected, that Fritz’s first choice for the division’s new position of Regional Vice President was an African-American female. Fritz accepted many of my recommendations including both of us becoming SILVER lifetime members of the NAACP. This led to him serving as a board member for the St. Louis County chapter and being chosen as a voting delegate to the organization’s National Convention in Atlanta in 1998.
Janet Boissy, Vice President Sales and MarketingIndus Companies
“I reported directly to Fritz while with Adam’s Mark Hotels and Resorts. During the three years at the corporate office we worked together on several projects for the 27 hotels including business development, financial performance, human resources and marketing.
Fritz is an outstanding mentor and supervisor providing solid advice and guidance for our regional operations and sales teams. His knowledge and guidance of our national sales team was instrumental to the success of business development across the chain.
I continue to seek his advice on hospitality business and financial issues as well as his knowledge in the changing technology.
I would highly recommend Fritz as an asset to the hospitality industry.”