BIG BEAR LAKE, CA? Six industry veterans recently teamed up to form a new hotel management company. Called the Alderwood Group, the founders include Tom Johnson, Neil Yockey, David Brudney, Charlotte Novom, Harriet Karro and Bud Warmington. Johnson, partner/general manager of the Northwoods Resort & Conference Center here, is CEO of the new company. According to Johnson, the concept behind the Alderwood Group is to offer owners a hands-on approach. ?It was formed to be about more than collecting fees,? he said. Johnson has been with the Northwoods Resort for seven years. In other experience, he served as controller for Sheraton Hotels in California, controller at the Disneyland Hotel, area controller for Red Lion Hotels and housing manager for UCLA?s Olympic Village during the 1984 games. Yockey holds the position of COO for Alderwood. His background includes sales, food and beverage, and property management. He has held management positions with La Costa Resort, Little America Hotels and Doubletree Hotels. Brudney is serving in an advisory capacity for the new company, concentrating on the marketing and positioning of Alderwood. A member of the board of directors of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), he has a consulting firm in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA that has been operating since 1979. In other experience, Brudney was involved in the national roll-out of the Hyatt Regency brand and Marriott?s entrance into full-service hotels in the western US. He is also a weekly national radio talk show host, professional speaker and facilitator, and has instructed classes on hotel and restaurant management and marketing throughout the University of California system. Novom is in charge of providing the marketing and public relations for Alderwood clients. She previously held marketing positions at Universal Studios, Olson-Travelworld, Century Plaza Hotel & Tower, The Plaza Hotel in New York, Beverly Hills Visitors Bureau and The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel. In 1992 she established Novom Marketing specializing in the creation of programs for hotels, resorts, conference centers, destinations, tour operators, retail developers and related travel and tourism clients. Karro is responsible for developing group sales for Alderwood clients. After 12 years with companies such as Hyatt and Marriott, along with several independents, she established the Karro Group in 1992. She has served in such capacities as an on-site director of sales and marketing and she has led sales, catering, reservations and convention service staffs as well. Warmington will identify properties that Alderwood will consider to take an equity position in. He has worked for companies including Walker Lee Real Estate and John D. Lusk and Sons organization. In 1984 he formed his own building company, the Warmington Group, and was involved in all aspects of finance, acquisition, planning, development, construction and marketing. He has received numerous honors and has served on several boards in addition to being active with local charitable organizations. ?We can bring in our expertise to manage and control expenses and to simultaneously drive revenue,? Johnson said. While Alderwood will focus on three-star or better properties, he noted that other properties will be looked at if they are well maintained. ?We?re not looking for cookie-cutter properties. We will adapt our operating procedures to each property,? he said. ?The key is to provide good service. If we take care of the employees, they will take care of the guests who will, in turn, take care of the owner.?
