2017 Paragon AwardSelection Procedures

Eligibility Criteria for Nominees

1. A nominee must have made substantial contributions to the industry and HFTP during his/her years of service to the hospitality industry.

2. Nominees can be any of the following including retired or deceased:

• HFTP members

• Representatives of industry-related associations, societies, trade publications, etc.

• Leaders from hospitality businesses, educational institutions and other related disciplines

Nomination Procedures1. Requirements for Submission:

• An individual must first be nominated by someone who has worked with or is familiar with the nominee’s work in HFTP over a significant period of time.

• A nomination must then be seconded and accompanied by three supporting letters of recommendation. No more than two of the nominators/recommendation writers can be from the same entity (i.e. employer, association other than HFTP, educational institution). The only exception is letters from HFTP members, which are not limited.

• The primary nominator is responsible for securing a second to the nomination, compiling the letters of recommendation and forwarding them to the staff liaison.

• No more than one nominee can be elected annually; however, there is no limit on the number of times an individual may be nominated.

2. The deadline for nominations to be received at the HFTP international office was August 11, 2017.

3. After verification of the nominees’ requirements, all nominee information will be made available to the Committee.

4. At the discretion of the committee Chair, nominees from the previous year may be considered for the current years ballot.

Election Procedures

1. A nominated individual requires at least four votes from the committee to be the recipient of the Paragon Award.

2. Each committee member will cast a written ballot for no more than one nominee. Any nominee receiving four votes on the first ballot will be a recipient of the Paragon Award and any nominee receiving zero votes will be eliminated from consideration.

3. If a nominee does not receive the required votes after the first ballot, a second ballot will be sent.

4. If a nominee does not receive the required votes after the second ballot, a teleconference will be scheduled by the staff liaison to determine the receipt of the award. The teleconference will serve as the final ballot.

Please review the nominee support material within this package, and confirm the nominee as your choice for the 2017 Paragon Award by placing a check in the appropriate space below.

Return the ballot to HFTP via e-mail to: jessica.blankenship@hftp.org no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on September 5.

Mary L. Gerdts

Name of Committee Member _________________________________________

Signature___________________________________ Date _______________

Please contact Jessica Blankenship at jessica.blankenship@hftp.org if you have any questions or need clarification on the selection process. Thank you.

2017 Paragon AwardBallot 01

2017 Paragon Award

Mary L. GerdtsCEO & President

POST INTEGRATIONS, INC.

MARY L. GERDTS 3131 E Camelback Road, Suite 320

Phoenix, AZ 85016 Mobile: 602-625-0348

Email: mgerdts@postint.com

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY Mary Gerdts is founder, CEO & President of two companies in the electronic transactions industry, POST Integrations, Inc. and EboCom, LLC. Founded in 1991, POST Integrations provides credit card processing services exclusively to the hospitality industry. EboCom was founded in 2000 as a 3rd party payment processing and technology company that provides full service back-office transaction processing. Her visionary leadership in business, innovation and technology led to Ms. Gerdts being nominated for Forbes' "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs."

POST INTEGRATIONS, INC., Phoenix, AZ CEO & PRESIDENT 1991-Present

EboCom, LLC, Phoenix, AZ CEO & PRESIDENT 2000-Present

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS & AFFILIATIONS Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) Ms. Gerdts has been active in Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) and its predecessor, IAHA for over 25 years. Ms. Gerdts has been a member of HFTP since 1990 and she was on the HFTP Valley of the Sun board of directors from 1996-2001. Ms. Gerdts served as President of the Phoenix Chapter for two terms, from 1998-2000. As President, her chapter received the prestigious HFTP Chapter of the Year Award as well as receiving HFTP Chapter Choice Awards. Over the years, Ms. Gerdts has been honored to speak at the HFTP Annual Convention several times and serve on industry panels at HITEC. Ms. Gerdts also served on the HFTP Leadership Committee and chaired the Leadership Committee for two years in a row.

HFTP Global Association – Membership 1990-Present

Leadership Committee Chair 2003-2005 Leadership Committee 2002-2005 HFTP Valley of the Sun Chapter – Membership 1990-Present

President 1998-2000 Director 1996-2001 Chapter of the Year 1998 Chapter Choice Awards 1998

POST Integrations participates in the following HFTP Conference/Events:

HFTP Chapter Charity Events Sponsored: Florida Gold Coast Chapter - Charity Event Mid-Florida Chapter - Annual Charity Golf Tournament Florida Gulf Coast - Annual Charity Golf Tournament New York Chapter - Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Valley of the Sun - Charity Event

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HFTP (cont’d)

HFTP Sponsorship/Exhibitor HFTP Annual Convention Mid-South Atlantic Regional Conference Florida Regional Conference Midwest Regional Conference Western Regional Conference POST Team Members have spoken numerous times at the following events: HFTP Annual Convention Club & Hotel Controllers Conference HITEC (Speaker/Panel Member) Various Regional Conferences Various Chapter Meetings Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) Ms. Gerdts has over 25 years of experience in the electronic transactions industry and has been an active member of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) since 1991. ETA is the international association that represents the credit card acquiring industry. Ms. Gerdts served on the ETA Board of Directors for 10 years and served as ETA's national President from 2002-2003. In 2004, Ms. Gerdts received the highly distinguished ETA Member of the Year award for her passion and commitment to the industry. As a noted industry expert, Ms. Gerdts was honored to be chosen to represent ETA on Capitol Hill at ETA's Government Outreach Day.

ETA Membership — 1991-Present President 2002-2003

Director 1991-2004 ETA Member of the Year 2004 Woman Networking in Electronic Transactions (W.net) Ms. Gerdts is also one of the founders of W.net, the national association of Woman Networking in Electronic Transactions, which was founded in 2005. Ms. Gerdts served as the Executive Director of the Association from 2005-2008 and assumed the role of President of the organization in 2008. During her year as President, Ms. Gerdts established W.net's first multi-day conference entitled "Designer BootCamp Career Development and Leadership Summit" along with W.net LINCs, "Local Interest Networking Circles" that provided members access to local meetings and programs across the country. Ms. Gerdts also established the W.net DIVA Awards, "Driving Improvement Via Action" which honor the outstanding achievements of individuals and companies who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to inspire and empower women in the electronic transactions industry.

W.net Founding Member – 2005 President 2008

Executive Director 2005-2008 Director 2005-2009

Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG) POST Integrations was an inaugural member of HTNG and has participated in many committees and industry think tanks throughout the years. POST also sponsors/exhibits at the HTNG Annual North American Conference. Hospitality Upgrade Magazine POST Integration has been a big supporter and participant of Hospitality Upgrades Executive Vendor Summit over the years and is also a key sponsor of the 2017 CIO Summit.

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Praduman Singh Chauhan 

Vice President 

Operations Finance (Retired) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 24th, 2017 Reference: HFTP 2017 Paragon Award Mary L. Gerdts CEO & President POST Integrations, Inc. To Whom it may Concern: My name is Praduman Singh Chauhan, I worked for Hilton Hotels & Resorts for almost 38 years and recently retired from Hilton. My last position with Hilton was Vice President – Operations Finance for the North and Southeast Region. During my tenure at Hilton I had the privilege of knowing and working with Mary for almost two and a half decades, first on a Hotel level & second at regional support level. I have the utmost respect for Mary because she truly understands what's most important and lives by it - personally through her faith and family and professionally with integrity, honestly and dedication. What makes Mary such an exceptional business professional, however are her leadership skills. People follow Mary because she cares about them first personally and second professionally. Mary is a passionate leader that creates the environment for success for her team as well as clients. Mary is a natural leader that both inspires and educates. Mary has an amazing ability to motivate people and inspire them to be their best selves. Mary is one of those rare finance leaders in her Industry who can distil complex financial data and make it easy for others to understand. She is strategic thinker; a change driver and key partner to delivering business results. A strong people motivator and very charismatic presenter.

Working with Mary was a unique experience in the world of Accounting and Finance, as her high energy personality coupled with strong technical skills allowed her to move her company forward on multiple fronts. Implementation of improved reporting and metrics, coupled with a unique

Page Two - Mary Gerdts (HFTP 2017 Paragon Award) September 24th, 2017  

 

 

philosophy in how to hire strong, well-rounded people, resulted in strong operating performance for her company. While she was a strong leader, Mary makes sure she listened to stakeholders to make the best decisions. It has also been so great to see Mary grow to establish herself as a leader in her industry. I am anticipating her future course with great expectation! I am fortunate to have had worked with Mary. I wish nothing but the BEST in her current and any future endeavors. (Should anyone have any questions or require any further clarifications, please feel free to call me at (407) 948 9377 or e-mail me at Praduman50@gmail.com.)

August 24, 2017

Ms. Jessica Blakenship

Public Relations Manager

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)

11709 Boulder Ln, Ste#110

Austin, Texas 78726

RE: Mary L. Gerdts, CEO & President, Post Integrations

Dear Jessica,

I have learned of Mary Gerdts’ nomination for the 2017 HFTP Paragon Award. As a former HFTP

member for many years and committee member who helped with the 10th revised edition of the Uniform

System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, I am thrilled to see Mary as a nominee. She is simply the

best! I can think of no one who has made greater and lasting contributions to both HFTP and the

hospitality industry. As a former Hilton Hotels executive with nearly thirty years in the industry and

formerly Senior Vice-President of Operations Finance, I am well aware of past deserving recipients, and

actually know a few, and in my professional opinion Mary not only deserves to be with that elite group,

she has earned the right to be the recipient of this year’s award.

I first met Mary back in 1990 while working as Comptroller of the Atlanta Hilton & Towers. She had

approached Hilton Hotels with a cutting edge, innovative solution to credit card processing unique to the

hotel industry. The industry was yearning for an innovative solutions in many areas, credit card processing

being at the very top of the list. I had first-hand knowledge as I started my career back in 1980 when NCR

machines and later the first IBM personal computers were considered to be great solutions. Mary had a

true turn-key solution that included proprietary technology, including her very own back-office. She

implemented a system-wide solution for Hilton Hotels Corporation that was customer focused (hotel

staff), efficient, reliable and truly exceptional. I recall everyone talking about what had just happened.

What made it even more impressive, was Mary’s relentless energy and passion to be there every step of the

way. Mary worked tirelessly over the years to continuously improve, and still does. I would often ask her,

are you ever home with your family? Every week she was on the road at one hotel or another ensuring

that processing was seamless and it sure was. Reporting improved overnight, customer inquiries were

responded to like never before, hotels were getting paid faster and I could go on!

During my nearly thirty years at Hilton Hotels Corporation, I came across many talented executives in the

hospitality industry. I can honestly state, without any reservations, I never came across (and still have not)

anyone with Mary’s expertise, dedication and passion to the industry that I love so much. She has lead her

company with utmost professionalism, grace and character.

I could easily go on and on. I would like to close by stating I am honored to support Mary in her

nomination for the prestigious 2017 HFTP Paragon Award. Not only does she deserve it, she has earned

it. The industry needs more individuals with Mary’s character, passion, leadership and commitment to

excellence.

Sincerely,

Carlos Garcia

Mission Hospitality Solutions, LLC www.missionhospitalitysolutions.com

August 18, 2017

HFTP Paragon Award Nomination Committee

11709 Boulder Lane, Suite 110

Austin, Texas 78726 USA

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing in support of the nomination of Mary Gerdts for the HFTP Paragon Award.

I have known Mary for more than five years, having first met her when I was with Four Seasons

Hotels, looking for a credit card processing company. Mary flew into a HITEC I was attending in

order to meet with me and from the very first minute, I was awed by her dynamic personality

and her in depth knowledge of both the hospitality industry and the credit card industry. It was

not a difficult decision to hire her firm.

Over many years Mary has been a big supporter of HFTP and the annual convention. She has

built a company that exclusively serves the hospitality industry and is always available for

advice and support.

As a member of the HFTP Global Board of Directors, I would be proud if HFTP would honor

Mary with the Paragon Award. I believe that she represents all of the ideals that we at HFTP

strive to achieve for the hospitality industry.

Sincerely,

Christopher Garland

Principal Consultant