Alumni Spotlight – Accolades Par for the Course for Restaurant and Resort Management Alumnus

Chad Cuddy (B.S., ’96), graduate of the Restaurant and Resort Management (RRM) program in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Applied Human Sciences, meets the challenges of managing a large hotel with aplomb.

As the General Manager at the Marriott International Hotel in Boulder, Chad was the recent recipient of several prestigious national awards. At the White Lodging General Manager Conference in Indiana this past winter, Cuddy was showered with accolades, garnering three major recognitions: the Rookie GM of the Year; the Full Service Hotel of the Year; and the Elsa Bruining Customer Service Award.

Chad has the additional challenge of being a CSU alumnus living in Boulder where he is teased mercilessly by the CU faithful that surround him. “Last year for the football game the staff all decorated my office with CU stuff,” said Chad. “They even wrote the CU fight song on my door! I’m rooting pretty hard for the team to do me proud when they play CU this year!”

The awards are a source of pride for Chad and he credits his staff and the people who work for him. He says, “It’s a big deal to get those awards in this industry and it’s something that everyone worked hard to achieve. I am lucky to work with the people I work with; people who are passionate about what they do, and excited to be here. That kind of energy rubs off on everyone, including the customers. We have an outstanding team and we all have a great time working here.”

Chad’s undeniable leadership skills led to his being named the Rookie GM of the Year. “It’s a confirmation for me more than anything,” said Chad. “It tells me I’m in the right place in the right line of work. It absolutely makes me excited for my career and for what the future holds.”

Chad got lucky too, he says, in “accidentally” discovering the resort industry. He worked through college as a bellhop at the Fort Collins Marriott. “It was the perfect college job,” he said. And it was there that he met Ken Smith, the CSU faculty member in charge of the RRM program. Ken encouraged Chad to take a hospitality course as an elective. The following fall he enrolled in HOS101, and the rest as they say, is history. “I had no intentions of going into resort management. I was a business major. I’m lucky I found something I really enjoy.”

Chad is a rising leader in the resort industry – dedicated and passionate about what he is doing. Chad and his wife Becky are the parents of a daughter, Morgan. “Things are really great for me right now,” said Chad. “I love my job and feel like I’m on a great career trajectory. I just hope they keep me in Colorado!”

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Contact:  Gretchen Gerding
Telephone:  970.491.5182
Email:  Gretchen.Gerding@colostate.edu