As the new general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Greeley at Lincoln Park, Thaddeus Ellis was already set to have a big influence on hospitality and event management in Greeley.
Ellis, who became general manager in February, took that influence to another level with a new partnership with the University of Northern Colorado.
Beginning this fall, the University of Northern Colorado’s Hospitality and Event Management program will operate within the Monfort College of Business. The program for the past two decades was known as Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality and was included in the College of Natural and Health Sciences.
The change reflects a larger focus on hospitality and event management, better serving students in the marketplace, explained Monfort professor Julie Kennedy. Hospitality and event management includes hotel and restaurant management, cultural and arts event management, meeting planners and event coordination.
The program’s move to the Monfort College of Business will also give students more exposure to business classes, including accounting, finance, and marketing and management.
“I love NHS (Natural and Health Sciences), but we didn’t belong there,” Kennedy said. “If you think of a business college, these are the things hospitality and event management (program) needs to know. They will come out with a lot more business knowledge.”
DoubleTree by Hilton Greeley General Manager Thaddeus Ellis, right, works with employees Areil Gonzales, middle, and Pam Soto on Wednesday. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Ellis has already donated some of his expertise to the Monfort college, having joined a management advisory board comprised of 13 professionals from different backgrounds by the end of March.
Ellis brings 20 years of hotel-based experience in hospitality management. He said the advisory board is in place to allow the management department at Monfort a link to professionals for advice and guidance on the workforce.
“They help us with ‘This is what you need to teach your students,’ ” Kennedy said.
The Monfort College of Business recently approved the new program. Students who opt for a concentration in hospitality and event management will earn a bachelor’s of science degree in business. Other courses included in the program will study food and beverage operations and human resources.
“It’s a good fit with our other business programs,” said Isaac Wanasika, department chair and professor of management in the Monfort College of Business. “Students get themselves in position to be marketable.”
The program will focus on the management side of hospitality and event management, Wanasika added.
Kennedy initially contacted Ellis not long after he started in Greeley to bring a class to the DoubleTree to see its operation.
The Monfort College of Business is named for Kenneth Monfort, beef industry businessman and patriarch of the well-known Northern Colorado family. Dick and Charlie Monfort, Kenneth’s sons, are part of the ownership group of the DoubleTree. The men also own the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball, and Dick Monfort graduated from UNC. He also chairs the university’s board of trustees.
Kepner Hall, home to the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado. (Courtesy/University of Northern Colorado)After Kennedy took students on the tour of the DoubleTree and met with Ellis, she asked him to join the advisory board.
Ellis calls himself a “hotelier,” meaning he’s worked in all areas of hotel management: front desk, food and beverage, rooms, accounting, human resources and banquets.
“Hospitality is in my blood,” he said.
Ellis went into the business out of high school. He bypassed college to move West to be a ski bum, he said. From there, he worked his way up in hospitality. Even with his experience, Ellis needed time to find a general manager job because he doesn’t have a degree.
“Just because you have a college degree doesn’t mean you’re going to come in and be a GM,” Ellis said. “You still got to kind of earn your stripes.”
Kennedy is working on setting up more partnerships for the program with area businesses producing events or concentrating on hospitality. She hopes these will lead to student internships, guest speakers for classes and on-site visits to see a business in action.
Though UNC President Andy Feinstein earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hotel administration from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, he didn’t have a role in the UNC program’s change. Kennedy said the origin of the change to hospitality and event management came from deans at the College of Natural and Health Sciences and the Monfort College of Business.
Feinstein never imagined being a university president when he started work in hospitality management, he said. Feinstein said he’s since found his background has influenced his work leading UNC.
“Hospitality is about relationships,” Feinstein said. “It informs how I address problems, attend to the experiences of our campus community and guide my team. These skills are applicable to any career, and I am pleased to see a renewed focus on the program here at UNC.”
Ellis said he enjoyed interacting with the UNC students when they visited the DoubleTree. The experience allowed him to give back.
Ellis described himself as a punk when he was younger, and, having grown up, he likes the idea of sharing his insights with students.
“I’ve done so many aspects of this job at this point, that I feel confident I can help guide someone in the right direction,” he said.
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