The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics hosted business students from over a dozen universities at the seventh annual Hospitality Entrepreneurship Summit. The Summit is organized by Lerner’s Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM), one of the leading programs in the Philly metro that caters to those hoping to build careers in the restaurant and hospitality industries.
This year’s Summit featured a record number of attendees and keynote addresses from Keith Bethel, regional vice president of ARAMARK, the Philadelphia-based food and institutional services company; and Shelia C. Johnson, President and CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a luxury resort and spa company. Johnson is also the partial owner of three separate professional sports franchises: the Washington Capitals of the NHL, the Washington Wizards of the NBA, and the Washington Mystics of the WNBA—she flew into the event directly from the US Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The focus of this year’s Summit was on managing the entrepreneurial elements of both independent and franchised hospitality businesses.
This year’s Summit was co-hosted by Lozelle DeLuz, president and CEO of DeLuz Management Consulting Inc., and Francis Kwansa, who is the associate chair of Lerner’s HRIM program.
Lerner MBA students can pursue specializations in Restaurant & Institutional Management and Sport Management. The can also pursue a two-year dual MBA degree and MS degree in Hospitality Business Management.