Company Press Release: Carlson Hospitality
February 3, 2000
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Curtis Nelson, president and CEO of Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, joined with numerous locations
of Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson today in mentoring 100 students across
the country in a national youth mentoring campaign called Groundhog Job Shadow Day 2000. This initiative offers
youth an opportunity for a first-hand closeup look at the many career opportunities available to them in the hotel
industry.
``We are pleased to participate in this important mentoring program,'' Nelson said. ``The hospitality industry
offers over 185 career opportunities in some of today's most sought after jobs. Our goal is to demonstrate the
great career potential of this industry to students youths throughout the nation,'' Nelson added.
Joy McLellan, a high school senior from Highview Alternative Program in New Hope, Minn., ``shadowed'' Curtis Nelson
throughout the day at the company's Minnetonka headquarters.
This initiative is sponsored by a consortium of hospitality industry organizations including Carlson Hospitality
Worldwide, America's Promise ? Alliance for Youth, the American Society for Association Executives, Junior Achievement,
School to Work, the American Hotel & Motel Association (AH&MA), the National Restaurant Association, and
the Hospitality Business Alliance. This initiative also supports the efforts of the AH&MA industry leadership
group, ``Experience Lodging, A Hospitality Workforce Initiative.'' Led by Curtis Nelson, the group's goal is to
attract more employees to America's lodging hospitality industry.
``With the hospitality industry facing an unprecedented challenge in retaining and attracting employees, this is
a wonderful opportunity to expose more young people to the career potential of our industry and to show them the
career tracks and upward mobility available to them,'' Nelson said. ``An initiative such as Groundhog Job Shadow
Day opens a window of opportunity for young people to see tomorrow's best and brightest careers in the hospitality
industry.''
This year the coalition's goal is to provide one million students across America with a workplace mentor who they
will ``shadow'' throughout the day on February 2, 2000 to experience how the skills they learn in the classroom
can be applied to the real world.
Carlson Hospitality Worldwide is a global leader in hospitality services, encompassing more than 1,175 hotel, resort,
restaurant and cruise ship operations in 73 countries. Specific brands include: Regent International Hotels; Radisson
Hotels & Resorts; Country Inns & Suites By Carlson; Carlson Lifestyle Living (Carlson Park); Carlson Vacation
Ownership; Radisson Seven Seas Cruises; T.G.I. Friday's; Front Row Sports Grill; Friday's American Bar; Italianni's;
AquaKnox; Star Canyon; Timpano Italian Chophouse; Samba Room; Taqueria Canonita; and Provisions.
SOURCE: Carlson Hospitality