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Hospitality Management Professor Becomes First Educator
to Receive Prestigious Award from HSMAI

Hospitality Management Professor Becomes First Educator to Receive Prestigious Award from HSMAI

Hospitality Management Professor James R. Reid has garnered Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International's (HSMAI) 2002 Al Bard Award for his dedication and ongoing involvement in the organization's travel industry awards competition.

"We are especially pleased that James becomes the first educator to receive this prestigious award," says Robert A. Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI, which is based in McLean, VA.

Reid has been a Platinum judge in the awards competition for the past four years, and has engaged his students in the judging process and also involved them as hosts and greeters at the awards dinner. He has brought HSMAI members to the City Tech campus as guest speakers in the Neumann Lecture Series. Launched in spring 2002, this dynamic series allows students to learn from sales and marketing professionals about career opportunities throughout the burgeoning hospitality industry.

The Al Bard Award, named for its first recipient, dates back to 1986. Reid was the 16th hospitality industry professional to be so honored and he received his award on February 6 at the Big Apple Chapter's monthly luncheon.

For the past five years, Reid has taught hotel management courses at City Tech in areas as diverse as service marketing, customer relations and human resources management. While the College has excelled in the area of culinary arts for more than 50 years, Reid has concentrated on expanding courses and career opportunities for students in the lodging side of the hospitality industry. His efforts have helped increase the number of students pursuing non-culinary careers.

In addition to teaching, Reid has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the hospitality industry. For the past 13 years he has been an independent consultant in operations assessment and service training. Previously, he served as manager of The Manhattan Club, a luxury timeshare/hotel in New York; manager of the Doral Tuscany and Doral Court Hotels in New York; general manager, restaurant/food and beverage operations, and director of guest services and rooms operations at the Sheraton Manhattan Hotel. Early on in his career, he held posts in training and development and operations at New York's Waldorf=Astoria and Helmsley Palace Hotel. He holds an MS degree in service management from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BA in media communications from the University of Hawaii.

Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an organization of 7,000 sales and marketing professionals from 35 countries representing all segments of the hospitality industry.


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