OTO DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons

Amanda Cluney

Job Titles:

Regional Marketing Director

Amanda Cluney came to OTO Development as a marketing intern. She stayed as a part-time analyst while finishing school and then, in December 2018 - the day after graduating magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina Upstate Honors Program - Amanda began working as a Regional Marketing Manager and was recently promoted to Regional Marketing Director. As such, she leads a team supporting OTO's hotels with a variety of digital initiatives including marketing campaigns, online sales strategies and social media. While studying for her bachelor's degree in business administration, Amanda worked as a student assistant to the Director of Alumni Relations at USCU, where she conducted research and engaged alumni through social media. Her volunteer activities have ranged from Habitat for Humanity to Spartanburg County Detention Center's Operation Educate.

Bert Shuler - CFO

Job Titles:

Director of Finance

Bert Shuler is OTO Development's Director of Finance. As such, he is responsible for sourcing debt, managing lender relationships, financial modeling, and insurance and risk management. He joined our company in April 2014 after several years of experience with Wells Fargo. A graduate of Wofford College, Bert holds a master's degree in economics from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. He is active in the community, serving on the board of directors for the Spartanburg Philharmonic and volunteering as a mentor at Meeting Street Academy.

Bryan Stallard

Job Titles:

Senior Regional Director of Revenue Management

As Senior Regional Director of Revenue Management, Bryan Stallard plays an integral role in gathering and synthesizing data sets that are used to build and implement revenue strategies for his hotels, leading to overall revenue optimization. Before joining OTO Development in September 2015, Stallard already had 6 years of hospitality experience as the AGM of a Greenville, South Carolina hotel with the number one ranking on Tripadvisor. Stallard attended the University of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management.

Carla Tenenbaum

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Sales, Southwest

Carla Tenenbaum is our Regional Director of Sales for the Southwest. Carla joined OTO from Marriott International, where she was most recently a Market Sales Leader for Colorado and Utah, responsible for the sales efforts for 11 hotels and overseeing a team of 17 sales associates. Carla has held a number of hotel sales positions with Marriott over the last twenty years, including Regional Sales Specialist, Director of Sales, and Dual Director of Sales. Carla is responsible for leading and developing the hotel sales teams to achieve and exceed our revenue targets.

Catherine Johnston

Job Titles:

Vice President of Human Resources

Catherine Johnston is Vice President of Human Resources at OTO Development, where she is tasked with leading and developing efforts to foster strong employee engagement throughout our corporate and on-property workforce. She focuses on a variety of initiatives designed to enhance talent recruitment, retention and development as well as positive company culture. Catherine joined OTO in November 2017, bringing more than 13 years of experience gleaned as Director of Human Resources at Trident Health System; she previously worked as an HR Generalist for OTO's predecessor, Extended Stay America. Catherine is a graduate of Clemson University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in speech and communications as well as a master's degree in human resource development. A Spartanburg native, she has two children and is an active volunteer at their elementary school. She also sits on the board of Trinity Children's Center through Trinity United Methodist Church.

Charlie King - CFO

Job Titles:

Charles King joined OTO Development, LLC as Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer in August 2007. He is responsible for overseeing accounting procedures and controls, financing, cash management and financial and tax reporting. In his tenure at OTO, Mr. King was instrumental in securing construction financing totaling over $1 billion from fifteen different relationship lenders in order to build out a pipeline of select service hospitality product with a cost basis over $2 billion. Prior to joining OTO Development, LLC, Mr. King held various positions with Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. including Vice President-Controller where he was responsible for preparation of all quarterly and annual financial statements, and later Vice President-Retail Licensee Program. In his capacity with Bassett, Mr. King was instrumental in building a chain of 130 retail stores throughout the country. Mr. King is a former partner with McMillan, Pate and King, CPA's and started his career at Coopers and Lybrand. King graduated cum laude from Washington and Lee University with a BS in Business Administration. He obtained his CPA designation in 1988. King serves as Senior Warden of the Episcopal Church of the Advent and as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of the Piedmont. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, hiking and snow skiing. He is married to the former Michaelle (Dede) Connors and has three children: Agnes, Rob, and Charlotte.

Chris Lewis

Job Titles:

Development Manager

As a Development Manager, Chris Lewis is responsible for OTO Development's hospitality projects on the east coast, overseeing site evaluations, due diligence, budgeting and analysis, design review, and project management. Chris joined the company in 2005 and has held various positions in operations and development, including Director of Facilities. He has a broad background in lodging, including experience opening and operating both full- and select-service hotels as well as an emphasis on hotel environmental efforts and utility usage reduction. Chris earned LEED GA credentials from the US Green Building Council and holds a bachelor of arts degree from Shepherd University in West Virginia.

Colton Conner

Job Titles:

Marketing Coordinator

Colton Conner has a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of South Carolina Upstate and is from a small town called Chesnee located in South Carolina. He started at OTO Development as a Brand Marketing Intern in July 2021 and has recently transitioned to Marketing Coordinator. Colton manages Marriott properties, handling all their marketing needs from travel ads, social media, digital and print collateral, etc. In his free time, he enjoys playing drums, audio production/mixing, and fishing. He also has a 13-year-old chihuahua named Brodie who loves car rides, barking at strangers, and chasing local cats.

Corry Oakes - CEO, Founder

Job Titles:

CEO
Founder
Founding Partner

Corry Oakes is a Founding Partner, the President and Chief Executive Officer of OTO Development. He serves on the Franchise Advisory Council for Hyatt Place by Hyatt and is the President for the AC by Marriott Advisory Council. Mr. Oakes was previously the Chief Operating Officer and President of Extended Stay America, Inc, a NYSE listed lodging chain with 475 locations, representing three national brands in 42 states. Extended Stay America, Inc. was the fastest growing owner-operated hotel chain in lodging history prior to selling to Blackstone in 2004 for over $3.1 billion dollars. Mr. Oakes had responsibility for all aspects of the development and operation of the company.

David Del Russo

Job Titles:

OTO in 2012 As a General Manager
Regional Director of Operations, Northeast

David Del Russo joined OTO in 2012 as a General Manager to then-OTO-owned Hilton Garden Inn US Capitol in Washington, DC. From there, he became a Field Operations Manager, deployed across the country to support openings, transitions, and vacancies in OTO's portfolio. Prior to OTO he held a number of general manager positions with Embassy Suites Hotels in the US and Puerto Rico. In early 2017, Del Russo was promoted to Regional Director of Operations, and oversees properties in Washington, DC; Manhattan, NY; and Hoover, AL. He is responsible for the successful operation of hotels in his region including revenue and financial performance, guest and team member satisfaction scores and mentoring future leaders. Based in Washington, DC, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the Hotel Association of Washington, DC.

David Ward - COO

Job Titles:

Chief Operating Officer

David Ward joined OTO Development in January 2005 and is currently the Chief Operating Officer overseeing all hotel properties in the portfolio. He was previously the Vice President of Operations for the Western region hotels. He also is the national liaison between OTO and outside ownership groups with hotel assets managed by OTO. Prior to joining OTO, Mr. Ward was the Regional Director, Vice President, and Executive Vice President of Operations for Extended Stay America, Inc., a NYSE listed lodging chain. He joined ESA in 1996, managing 200 locations nationwide prior to its sale to the Blackstone Group in 2004.

Davis Weaver

Job Titles:

Real Estate Analyst

Davis Weaver joined OTO Development in June 2018 as a real estate analyst, with responsibilities including market research, due diligence, site identification, and financial analysis. He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University, where he majored in business administration and minored in mathematics. Davis served as a group head in Washington & Lee's real estate society and completed an internship with the multifamily investment sales team at Marcus & Millichap in Manhattan.

Dean Gonzalez

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Sales, Mid - Atlantic / Dean Gonzalez / Regional Director of Sales, California

Dean Gonzalez is a hospitality veteran with 15+ years of direct hotel experience. His resume ranges from sales and marketing to operations to business development, at both branded and independent properties. After previously working as Director of Sales at OTO's Hilton Garden Inn in Palo Alto, Dean returned to our company in March 2019 as Regional Director of Sales. As such, he is tasked with leading and developing the sales teams at our California properties in South San Francisco, Belmont, Redwood City, Palo Alto and San Jose. Away from work, Dean is the active dad of two school-aged children and they enjoy soccer, surfing and all things outdoors.

Dennis Mitchell

Job Titles:

Development Manager

Dennis Mitchell has played a dynamic role on OTO's development team for more than a dozen years. As a Development Manager, Dennis is tasked with overseeing his assigned new hotel projects from start to finish. He creates financial models, leads due diligence, engages project partners - architects, engineers, general contractors and consultants - and supervises every step of the process from design through completion and turnover. Prior to joining OTO Development in February 2007, Dennis earned a diverse wealth of experience in roles ranging from Project Manager at H Power, working in PEM fuel cell development, to Design Engineer at Anderson DeBartolo & Pan, working in ultra-high purity water systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in ceramic engineering from Clemson and an MBA from Tulane University.

Dennis Parker

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Operations, Southeast

As OTO's Regional Director of Operations in the southeast region, Mr. Parker focuses on select service and extended stay hotels in Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. Prior to joining OTO Development, he was Regional Director for Operations with Commonwealth Hotels, working with hotels in a similar geographic region. His career experience includes an extended period with Hilton Hotels - Embassy Suites, where he worked with operations, finance and sales.

Diana Barndt

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Revenue Management

Diana Barndt joined OTO Development after more than 20 years of hospitality experience, holding various roles in sales before joining revenue management. She has worked with several brands, most recently with Marriott and Hilton. As Regional Director of Revenue Management, Diana plays an integral role in gathering and synthesizing data sets that are used to build and implement revenue strategies for her hotels, leading to overall revenue optimization.

Don McNew

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Revenue Management

George D. Johnson - CEO, Founder

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Director
Founder

George D. Johnson, Jr. was a founder, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Extended Stay America, Inc. He is a former President of the Domestic Consumer Division of Blockbuster Entertainment, a division of Viacom, Inc. In that position, he was responsible for all U.S. video and music stores. Mr. Johnson has over 30 years of experience developing and managing various businesses. He was formerly the managing general partner of WJB Video, the largest Blockbuster franchisee, which developed over 200 video stores prior to a merger with Blockbuster in 1993. Since 1985 Mr. Johnson has been the managing general partner of American Storage Limited Partnership, a chain of 28 self-storage facilities located in the Carolinas and Georgia. His real estate development company, Johnson Development Associates, Inc., has developed and manages in excess of 5 million square feet of retail, industrial, office space and apartments. As a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc., he has overseen the opening of more than 2,250 branches.

George Rutledge

Job Titles:

Vice President of Purchasing & Information Systems
VP, Purchasing & Technology

George Rutledge joined OTO Development as Vice President of Purchasing & Information Systems in 2007. He is responsible for overseeing the procurement of all owner supplied goods and the implementation of technology to support both the development and hotel management operations. Mr. Rutledge was previously the Director and Vice President of Information Systems of Extended Stay America, Inc, a NYSE listed lodging chain. He joined ESA in 1996 and worked with the company until its sale to Blackstone in 2004. Earlier in his career Mr. Rutledge held positions in supply chain and technology consulting with Andersen Consulting and Deloitte.

Glenn Brown

Job Titles:

Development Manager
in 2014 As a Development Manager

Glenn Brown joined OTO Development in 2014 as a Development Manager and is responsible for all aspects of hotel development which includes completing site evaluations, due diligence, budgeting and analysis, design review, and all project management service. Mr. Brown has most recently provided services as a Consultant in the areas of Real Estate, Construction, Owners Representation, and Business Development. Previously he was with Extended Stay America, Inc. as a Construction Manager developing hotels in the Southeast. Mr. Brown remained with Extended Stay, Inc. after the sale in 2004 as a member of the transition team.

Grace Graves

Job Titles:

Brand Marketing Manager

H. Wayne Huizenga - Founder

Job Titles:

Founder
Owner and Chairman of Huizenga Holdings, Inc

H. Wayne Huizenga is Owner and Chairman of Huizenga Holdings, Inc., a private money management firm. He is Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Boca Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:RST), owner-operator of luxury resorts in South Florida. He is currently a board member and past Chairman of both AutoNation, Inc., (NYSE:AN) and Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG). In addition, he is sole or majority owner of several service businesses and has numerous real estate interests throughout Florida. Previously, Mr. Huizenga was Chairman of the Board of Extended Stay America, Inc. (NYSE:ESA), Vice Chairman of the Board of Viacom, Inc., and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation. He directed Blockbuster for 19 stores to a position of world leadership in the home entertainment industry. In 1994 he sold Blockbuster to Viacom for $8.5 billion. Mr. Huizenga owns the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and Pro Player Stadium. In July 1991, he was awarded the franchise for the Florida Marlins Major League Baseball team, the state's first. In November 1992, he was awarded the franchise for the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers. In January 1971, Mr. Huizenga co-founded Waste Management, Inc., which today is the world's largest waste collection and disposal company. He served as President, Chief Operating Officer, Vice Chairman, and Director before retiring from that company in 1984.

Jack Hancharick

Job Titles:

Corporate Director of Food and Beverage

Jacob Callicutt

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Revenue Management

Jacob Haberman

Job Titles:

Director of Hotel Technology

Jason Lillge

Job Titles:

Regional Director of Operations, Northwest

Jason Lynch - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:

General Counsel

Jennifer Mooradian

Job Titles:

Director of Operations Support

Jennifer Mooradian has been with OTO Development for almost 10 years, first as Assistant General Manager of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Fresno and then as General Manager of Homewood Suites by Hilton Fresno. In February 2016 she was promoted again, this time to Director of Operations Support, a role in which she provides GM/task force support to existing OTO Development's owned and managed hotels in Northern California as well as newly contracted properties. She also assists in the pre-opening process for new OTO hotels. Jennifer earned a business management degree with an emphasis on hospitality from Heald College.

Jim Koutris

Job Titles:

Development Manager

Jo Ellen Gray, Sr.

Job Titles:

Director of Sales Support

Jo Ellen Gray is OTO Development's Director of Sales Support for the Southeast region. She joined the company in Spring 2017, bringing a strong background of hospitality experience including 10 years as Corporate Director of Sales at CSM Lodging, where she worked with the Marriott and Hilton brands, both full and select service. In her current role, Jo Ellen is responsible for onboarding and training directors of sales as well as on-property sales teams; she also provides task force support for pre-opening and newly managed sites. Jo Ellen studied Communications at University of Central Florida and has been a multi-industry sales leader/trainer with Walt Disney World, AT&T Wireless and Gartner.