SILVER SPRING, MD— Steve Schultz, evp-domestic hotels for Choice Hotels International, Inc. will leave the franchise chain at the end of May to pursue other business opportunities closer to his home in Dallas. According to Choice, as part of the transition, CFO Joe Squeri also will head the franchise sales effort and will hold the additional title of svp/development. In a prepared statement, Charles Ledsinger Jr., Choice president/CEO, commented, “In his time at Choice, Steve has provided strong direction for our franchise operations. He brought a clear focus to what needed to be done to bring major improvement to our brand portfolio, particularly the challenge of re-imaging almost 1,000 hotels. Steve and I have worked together several times in our careers, and as CEO, I personally will miss his reliable and reasoned counsel. He added, “Joe Squeris role as chief financial officer has provided him with a unique perspective and involvement in franchise sales that will greatly aid our future growth efforts. Schultz is expected to stay on until May 31 to oversee the transition of leadership for the companys franchise sales, service and brand management groups.
