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Jenkins bring decades of experience to the table as property owners and managers. It's only a matter of time before other African-American owners follow their lead and look at man- agement as a viable option to their portfolios. MEMBER SPOTLIGHT EvensCharles,president of FrontierRealityDevelopment and Hospitality Group bought his first property in 1998 and has since developed over 70 residential and commercial prop- erties. Charles, in his mid thirties when he purchased his first hotel property, today owns and operates a 70-room Comfort Inn in Virginia and a 157-room Comfort Suites in Atlan- ta. Charles has exclusive franchise rights to a new hotel development in Bowie, MD. Charles is the youngest member of NABHOOD and might be the young- est African-American hotel owner in the indus- try says Ingraham. Ingraham appreciates Charles' aggressive nat- ure and eagerness in building his portfolio. He brings a "different mind- set" says Ingraham. "All too often our circle of influence is too narrow to grow," but Charles will reach outside all traditional boundaries and develop business relationships and structure deals with groups or individuals from all walks of life. Charles was raised by a single mother who emigrated from Haiti. He attended Temple University and within five years earned a football scholarship, a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's in Education. Charles has been recognized by NABHOOD as the 2009 Emerging Hotel Owner of the Year and the Urban Philly Professional Network bestowed upon him the 2010 Next Generation of Business Leaders Award. Charles is a board member of the Temple University School of Hospitality and Tourism. VENDOR SPOTLIGHT HD Supply Facilities Maintenance is one of the nation's largest providers of repair andmaintenance,housekeeping and operations, furniture, fixtures and equipment to the hospitality industry and a big supporter of NABHOOD. HD Supply has over 22,000 items in stock with 37 strategi- cally positioned distribution centers and a fleet of more than 600 vehicles to deliver those maintenance and housekeeping supplies on time. They have next-day delivery available to over 95 percent of the country and free delivery on most orders to most areas. HD Supply's primary products include; plumbing, HVAC, lighting and electrical, tools, hardware, pool supplies, guest room supplies, furniture fixtures and equipment, banquet and conference rooms and janitorial and cleaning, and that's just the beginning. The company also offers tools, technology and specialized (l-r) Brian Parker of Choice Hotels, investor Evens Charles, Choice Hotel's Isaac Brown and NABHOOD's Andy Ingraham services in the areas of hospitality renovation and brand con- version, project manage- ment, budget manage- ment and procurement consolidation. HD Supply is a sin- gle-source supplier for numerous exclusive brands and sustainable products. To learn more about what HD Supply can do for you their website is www.hdsupplysolu- tions.com or call their customer service line at (888) 658-3623. HD Supply has customer care associates exclu- sive to the hospitality industry. ACQUISITIONS AND PURCHASES NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson and his Admiral CapitalRealEstate FundLP,has acquired an interest in a 190- room HiltonGarden Inn. The property, located inHouston is the group's first investment in the hotel sector. The property's co-owner AmericanLibertyHospitality will continue toman- age the property. • • • • CALENDAR OF EVENTS • • • • NABHOOD holds an annual summit and trade show (listed below) and sponsors a series of workshops in 12 cities entitled the "ABC's of Hotel Ownership." We will update the dates and locations in future columns. In addi- tion, NABHOOD participates in numerous hotel invest- ment conferences. 16th Annual International African American Hotel Ownership and Investment Summit and Trade Show (NABHOOD)—- July 25 – 28, 2012—- Doral Golf Resort & Spa—- Miami The American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS)—- January 23 – 25, 2012—- JW Marriott and Nokia Theatre at LA Live, Los Angeles Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 25