With over 225 years of combined experience, the Vesta Executive Team is comprised of visionary, experienced, and passionate leaders dedicated to the success of Vesta's hotels, partners, and associates. Their combined experience ranges across every aspect of the hospitality and real-estate industries. Drawing from their vast knowledge and experience, Vesta's Executive Team is devoted to creating a solid foundation that supports our mission and demonstrates an entrepreneurial spirit company-wide that delivers results.
"Be an Inspiration"
"Communicate & Collaborate"
"Make it Personal"
"Spark Success"
Rick Takach, Jr. is Chairman and CEO of Vesta Hospitality.
In 1996, Rick founded Vesta Hospitality with a vision of creating unique hotels that offer the finest in quality and service. With more than 40 years of experience in the hotel industry, he has earned a reputation for attracting and retaining talented hospitality industry professionals who in turn create profitable hotels with outstanding customer satisfaction.
Takach has served as Chairman of the Owner's Association for InterContinental Hotels Group as well as Chairman of the Asia Pacific Region and Chairman of the Responsible Business Committee. Rick currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association (ORLA) and on the Board of Directors for the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA) where he serves as Chairman of the Management Committee for the United States. He previously served on Hilton Hotels Owners' Advisory Council.
Takach is an active community & industry leader generously giving his time as an active member to many organizations including the Board of Southwest PeaceHealth Foundation and the Executive Committee of the same Foundation. He is currently Chairman of the Evergreen Highway Trail Coalition and is a member of the Vancouver Executive Group. He has previously served on the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust President’s Council, and on the Board of the Clark College Foundation, for which he also served as Chairman and as Chairman of the Development Committee. Takach is also a member of the Vancouver Rotary Club which earned him Rotarian of the year in 2008.
Before forming his own hotel management group, Rick served as Regional Manager for the Marriott Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland, and spent seven years as Executive Vice President of Dimension Development Company. Rick graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Business Administration and has since gained first-hand experience in every aspect of hotel operations, management, development, and acquisitions.
Rick Takach lives in Vancouver, Washington. He has three children and eight grandchildren.
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Cryan joined Vesta in 2013 bringing his more than 35 years of industry experience and noted investment successes along with him. Most recently serving as Founder, President and CEO of Lighthouse Lodging, LLC. Lighthouse achieved several notable achievements including the acquisition and renovation of the Marriott Napa which when sold realized a 43% Internal Rate of Return for the ownership.
Additional and esteemed positions included his leadership services as President and COO of Windsor Capital, LLC. In this position he led efforts to create partnerships with institutional equity sources that allowed Windsor to more than double in size over a period of eight years. He also served as Co-Chairman and COO of Homestead Village, Inc. helping to grow that company to 120 operating hotels over a period of five years and successfully taking the company public on the NYSE.
Cryan has a proven track record of exceptional investments generating sustainable profits for his firms and investment partners. His past position s included several leadership roles in operations, finance and real estate for ITT Sheraton Corp. including five years and the company’s Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure at Sheraton he led efforts to acquire more than $2 billion in hotel assets for the Company. Prior to joining Sheraton he held numerous roles at Arthur Andersen & Co including as a member of the firms worldwide hospitality leadership team. He holds an MBA from Babson College and a BS from Manhattan College.
Vesta Value: I take pride in my performance. This has many strong points for me including that operating a successful enterprise is a collaborative effort and every person involved is important in achieving success. It also makes the point that whatever position you hold you have the ability to perform it well for your own satisfaction as well as being part of a team.
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Rob Gartner is the VP of Business Development for Vesta Hospitality.
Gartner has more than 30 years of experience in real estate investment, development, and corporate finance. Prior to joining Vesta in 2004, Gartner served as founding principal in Cypress Capital Management, LLC.
Prior to this, Gartner was vice president of ScanlanKemperBard Companies (SKB), a West Coast real estate investment company, for nine years. There he played a critical role in the company's growth from a start-up in 1993 to achieving total investments in excess of $500 million. He was responsible for underwriting, closing and managing a diverse range of real estate investments and developments, including office, retail, apartments, flex industrial, condominiums, and single-family subdivisions.
Gartner was also instrumental in the creation of a new business unit for PacifiCorp Financial Services, which acquired and developed more than 3,000 affordable housing units throughout the United States during his tenure. His background also includes more than three years of commercial finance experience with both First Interstate Commercial Corporation and PacifiCorp Financial Services, where he was a senior analyst/auditor responsible for conducting financial and collateral reviews of companies with sales of up to $350 million.
Gartner became a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in 1990 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in business/accounting from the University of Oregon.
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Strahan served for 12 years as President and CEO of the Fort Vancouver National Trust, recently renamed The Historic Trust. Prior to that, he spent 19 years as President of the Clark College Foundation. In both capacities Elson had overall responsibility for generating financial support which included extensive involvement in a variety of property transactions.
Under his leadership, assets at the Clark College Foundation increased from approximately $1 million to a benchmark of $63 million, ranking it nationally at the top of community college foundations. Several major property acquisitions were incorporated in this asset growth.
During his tenure at the Fort Vancouver National Trust, the organization executed a master lease with the City of Vancouver to manage and renovate approximately 40 former U.S. Army officer homes and barracks buildings. Prior to his departure, Strahan completed a successful multi-million dollar campaign for the Trust to acquire Vancouver's most iconic building, Providence Academy, to add to the downtown historic district.
Strahan received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin and holds a Master of Public Affairs from Washington State University. Strahan was designated by the National Society of Fundraising Executives as a Certified Fund Raising Executive and has served on well over a dozen nonprofit boards and government commissions, several of which he has chaired.
Vesta Value: I create a work environment of teamwork and respect. It is the closest statement to the personal core value I have endeavored to follow in my personal and professional environments, that of being a servant-leader. The more effectively I can serve, the stronger the team, and the better the organization for everyone connected.
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Hemmer joined Vesta Hospitality in 2006 as Vice President of Operations, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2012 and President in January 2020.
In this position, Hemmer is responsible for the overall daily operations of all properties in the company's portfolio. Specific areas of focus include revenue generation, quality service levels, profitability and associate retention and training.
Prior to joining Vesta Hospitality, he served as regional director of operations for Chicago-based First Hospitality Group. While there, Hemmer oversaw the operation of 15 hotels including Springhill Suites by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites, Wyndham Garden, Holiday Inn and Hilton Garden Inn hotels, located in the Midwest.
With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Hemmer's expertise covers all aspects of sales, marketing, and hotel operations. He has served on the Residence Inn by Marriott System Marketing Fund Committee, the Residence Inn Quality Assurance Re-design Committee and the Residence Inn Quest for Quality Awards Committee.
Hemmer earned a degree in business administration from Almeda University, is recognized as a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and was recognized as General Manager of the Year for the Residence Inn by Marriott brand.
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Julie R. Hames is the Chief Financial Officer for Vesta Hospitality.
As a certified hospitality accounting executive with the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Association, Hames has been with Vesta since 1997 and was instrumental in establishing the company's guiding financial policies and procedures.
Prior to Vesta, Hames served as the corporate controller for Sterling Hotels Corporation, where she was previously an internal auditor. As internal auditor, she oversaw up to 15 properties, training new staff and monitoring property level controls.
Hames started her career at the hotel level working in sales, front desk and as an acting General Manager. She was involved in opening a stand-alone country western night club in the Portland, OR market.
Hames has been a point person for Vesta in transitioning ownership of properties as wells as refinances. She takes pride in having developed a centralized accounting office with a high standard for accuracy and efficiency in general accounting principles.
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Holmberg worked in hotel operations and strategic planning for independent and branded hotels in Europe and the United States for over 25 years before adding consulting and non-profit experience to her resume.
She first joined Vesta Hospitality in 1999 and left in 2011 to pursue her passion and desire to guide small and mid-sized companies in developing future leaders and cultivate strategies for growth. She rejoined the team of Vesta Hospitality in 2014 as director of human resources and later director of creative strategies and talent development. Her years of experience in the industry and degree in administration and human resources are helpful tools in streamlining processes, developing procedures, and mentoring hotel professionals.
Holmberg enjoyed a European education in the hospitality industry, including a three year apprenticeship. She holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration and management from Bavaria Hotel College in Germany, she is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR®) and Certified Hospitality Trainer (CHT®), and is a graduate of Leadership Clark County.
Holmberg is also involved in the local community, volunteers with numerous non-profit organizations, is a charter member and past president of the Rotary Club of Three Creeks Vancouver, board member of the North County Community Food Bank and Clark Country Public Facilities District Board for the Lodging Industry.
Vesta Value: I strive for diplomacy, but never at the expense of honesty. As an individual, Rotarian and HR professional I believe in a diplomatic and honest approach to reach consensus for the challenges we face in today’s environment. There is much diversity in our workforce and we need creative new ideas to bridge the gaps and build teams that are engaged, believe and trust in their leadership and mentors.
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Hart joined Vesta in 2007, and has over 25 years of human resources and administration experience. Prior to joining the Vesta team, Hart worked in the human resources department at Stoel Rives LLP, as well as in the human resources, administration and accounting departments at SSAB North America. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Ambrose University.
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Gary Maass joined Vesta Hospitality as Regional Director of Operations in 2017. Gary comes well equipped with experience in all departments and has recently opened several hotels. Prior to being added to the Vesta family, Gary was the VP of Operations for a hospitality company in Indiana. He also worked for Island Hospitality as General Manager, Area GM and Revenue Manager. He worked with First Hospitality Group for over 11 years in a variety of General Manager roles managing 1 of their largest assets. During his career he has won numerous awards from Marriott and other sources including; GM of the Year, Greatest Reduction of Problems, multiple Silver and Gold service awards, Most Involved GM in Sales and more. Gary has spent over 20 years in hotels and delivers a daily passion to serve others. His pursuit for excellence continues with Vesta.
Gary is married with 3 children who participate in music and sports related activities. He also volunteers his time by serving at food pantries, Feed My Starving Children and other events through church. Being a Chicago native, Gary is a Bears and Cubs fan but loves to spend time golfing or playing tennis.
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