People
Shawn Thomas
CEO, Co-Founder
Every entrepreneur is a dreamer. The highly successful ones are goal-setters, too. Meet Shawn Thomas: a master of both. Once Shawn defines an objective for Uniguest, he makes it happen. He's our big picture guy and a true leader. But these admirable traits aren't new. From growing up in Alaska (where his parents retired) to joining a boy band in Hollywood and traveling the United States with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, Shawn has certainly proven he can succeed in the toughest of challenges.
Mark Oldham
President, Co-Founder
Mark Oldham has a lot of aspirations, both personally and professionally. But one of his loftiest goals is to climb 10 Colorado mountains, each over 14,000 feet high. His future vision seems apropos, since Mark has been steadily ascending the world of business for quite a number of years. As president of our company, he still gets excited about his job and the possibilities of what Uniguest can accomplish. And even though Mark plans to retire one day in the far future, he'll never quite be able to get "business" out of his blood. He would like to open a bed-and-breakfast somewhere in an exotic locale, he said. Sounds like a pretty good plan to us, Mark. Can we visit?
Steve Keisling
Senior VP of Print Publishing Division
Besides his family and, of course, the great people here at Uniguest, Steve's "favorite" list includes horror movies, old school textbooks and any home improvement project. And in his spare time? Midnight video-game sessions. A native of Gallatin, Tenn., Steve was raised on a farm and still grows things - only this time it's businesses instead of crops. With a diverse background of print, management and marketing, Steve feels just as at home in the print arena as he does in the technology sector. He excels at both.
Steve Byington
CFO
He's a whiz with numbers but that's not Steve Byington's only talent. Our CFO is also pretty darn good with a spatula, able to whip up dishes from whatever is available in his kitchen. His cooking talent started about the same time he began learning about all things financial - in college. Steve was employed as a cook at Ruby Tuesday's restaurant and fell in love with the culinary arts. Besides being master of his kitchen, Steve is an avid University of Tennessee Volunteer fan and computer enthusiast. He is a partner and co-founder of Crossroad CFO, a company that assists entrepreneurs, executives, investors and bankers in making sound business decisions.
Shirley Holman
VP of Sales Lodging Division
If there is a perfect fit - career-wise - for a person, Shirley Holman has found it. She has been in love with the hospitality business since her first summer job at a hotel front desk in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. After 25 years on the hotel side, she joined Uniguest, where she has the best of both worlds. Besides her kids and mom, Shirley is inspired by working with hoteliers and the excitement of showing off our new products to them. Shirley is a die-hard Ohio State and Cleveland Browns fan. Now, if they only had a resort exclusively for Buckeye and Brown's fans. . . THAT would be a great place to go.
Michael Rooms
VP of Sales Healthcare and Senior Living Division
His clients love him for his many talents. But here at Uniguest, we have another reason to adore Michael Rooms. He's always up for a game of Ping-Pong, no matter how busy he may be. In fact, he's our office champion. Michael joined the Uniguest team - Ping-Pong and sales - in 2006. Prior to that, he was an independent contractor for Uniguest, where he was instrumental in extending the company's national presence.
Tami Catron
VP of Sales Restaurant and Foodservice Division
The position of vice president isn't new to Tami Catron. At 15 years old, she recognized the need for a place for teens to safely hang out. Instead of complaining, she opened an alcohol-free disco, which made her the youngest vice president ever in the state of Iowa. Although she soon got out of the club business - after selling it for enough money to help put her through college - Tami has remained a savvy businesswoman. She credits her success to finding a career she's passionate about. "You have to be excited about what you are doing," she said.
Judy Bourne
Director of Affiliate Publishers
Longtime Uniguest employee Judy Bourne would do anything for her family. Just like a lot of us, right? Well, not exactly, since Judy considers the more than 60 Affiliate Publishers (APs) as family members, too. A daunting task, indeed, but one Judy handles with dedication and style. It's easy, she said, because she loves working with the APs, building relationships and offering support. In her spare time, Judy heads to the great outdoors to work on her family farm, where she likes to get dirty - mud-wise. "I enjoy everything about it - the dirt, the grass, getting on the tractor and driving a pick-up," she said.
Harry Ganter
Director of Information Technology
We know him as the ultimate tech guru, but Harry Ganter has another talent not too many at Uniguest know about - until now. Thanks to his very-first job at Papa John's Pizza, and a lot of extra time on his hands while at said position, Harry is the ultimate pizza dough spinner. We're talking expert level here. Luckily for us, he gave up his pizza career and went into IT instead, a job he has mastered far better than his best pepperoni pie. In his free time, Harry enjoys staying fit by going to the gym, running, trail hiking and just "getting away."
Rosemary Kelly
Marketing Director
If you ask Rosemary Kelly's friends what is her best quality, they all would give the same answer. She is unfailingly loyal. That trait carries over into her work life, as well. Rosemary is Uniguest's "go-to girl." But that's not her only work superpower. She's able to come up with multiple solutions in a single bound, as well as take the ball and run with it on countless projects. Besides work, her passions include red wine and ice cream, though never mixed. Although . . . the combination could possibly lead to a new product she might help launch in the future. Only time will tell.
