This afternoon, everyone on Windsor Hospitality Group’s team at their Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard was beaming with pride as they received three of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce’s most prestigious honors. The hotel itself won the chamber’s 2008 Small Business of the Year Award. General Manager Patrick Mullin, who was chamber chair in 2007, received their 2008 Man of the Year Award. Mullin was also on the board of directors for the area’s cherished California Strawberry Festival and that event won the chamber’s 2008 Oxnard Trophy.
WHG and its parent company, Windsor Capital Group, have managed this hotel for 12 months now and this is the first year it has received such distinction from the community. It’s an understatement to say that Windsor is proud.
The Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard is known in the community as “a small hotel with a big heart.” The property team supports the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau and California Welcome Center with team members sitting on their committees and boards. It has participated in the local school district’s powerful “Every 15 Minutes” drunk driving awareness program by providing guestrooms for the participants. The property has also been a major local arts benefactor, sponsoring the Summer Concert Series at Heritage Square and the Carnegie Art Museum, among other arts organizations.
General Manager Patrick Mullin says, “It’s the management team’s and department heads’ awards, because they were the ones who stepped up to serve on committees and help the causes. Since we’ve been under Windsor management, the company has given us the support to continue that involvement in the community.”
Mullin, Oxnard’s 2008 Man of the Year, has only been on the property team for six years. Nonetheless, according to Director of Sales Mary Morris, “Patrick was chairman of the board for the Oxnard Chamber last year and he was a board member in 2005. In 2004, he received recognition for his community support.” As she says, he bases his leadership on his belief that “people do business with the people they know.”
As Mullin says, “When I first came here, we made a commitment as a hotel team to get involved in the community. This award was a real surprise.”
Mullin is committed to being part of the community and that is evident in his service on the board of directors for the California Strawberry Festival, which won this year’s Oxnard Trophy.
Says WHG Regional Vice President Regina Samy, “The Oxnard Trophy is like the Stanley Cup in that each year’s awardee gets their name engraved on the side and can display the huge trophy in their business location for a year. All of the names on there represent the crème de la crème of the area businesses. Due to Patrick’s service on the 25th Annual California Strawberry Festival Board, he was on the stage for a third time tonight to be recognized and thanked for the festival’s support for the local business community and for the area non-profit organizations.”
Samy continues, “The main message is that is not an award backed by big dollars – the traditional large donors in many markets. Instead, it recognizes the community members’ heart and sweat equity in their attempts to make their business climate stronger while improving their community environment. The Oxnard Chamber not only supports traditional business, but endorses programs that provide support for the farm workers, the homeless and the new business starts in the community. This community is not waiting for anyone to swoop in and solve its problems. In turn, the groups and individuals they honored here today are those whose contributions to the community they feel are consistent with that spirit.”
“It is very profound that Patrick and his staff are so well known in the group – and that is not because of their award receipts, but because they are so involved and dedicated to the community,” says Samy. “Today, the community thanked this group of remarkable professionals for doing something they truly love.”
About Windsor Capital Group, Inc. - Windsor Capital Group, Inc. is a California-based commercial real estate acquisition, development and management firm. Its Windsor Hospitality Group hotel portfolio includes 37 brand name hotels it owns and/or manages in cultural hubs throughout the country, including Greater Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. It is the largest private franchisee of the Embassy Suites brand, which won its third JD Powers and Associates "Highest Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains" distinction. Through third-party management contracts and acquisitions, the Windsor portfolio will continue expanding in the coming months. Visit: www.wcghotels.com for more information about the company.
Contacts:
Paige Nesbitt, 310-566-1105 (direct)
310-283-7481
(cellular)
paige@epiphanyprm.com
