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 originally co-founded U. S. Hospitality in 1986 and led the company as CEO through-out its meteoric growth during the 90s, which also included an INC 500 designation, amongst other accolades. The early years at U.S. Hospitality formed the basis for strategic relationships at most major hotel brands, while Oldham picked up a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation. A serial entrepreneur, he also helped found and establish other businesses included The Weather Source (sold to Accu-Weather in 1997), Marathon Computers (sold to Griffin Technology in 2002), CityAmerica.com, TravelUSA.com and Hotel.US. Mark helped establish Uniguest in Nashville by providing seed money to Shawn Thomas in 2005, while insisting on altering the original ad based concept into a fee based concept with 24/7 customer support. The rest is history, as Uniguest surged after 2006, and ultimately, what were 2 separate companies (U. S. Hospitality and Uniguest) become one concern in 2009. Today, Oldham is also managing partner of The StoneFort Inn, a boutique Diamond Collection Inn in Chattanooga, TN.
John Bearden
COO, Partner
If you could only use one word to describe John Bearden, it would be...
Well, actually we can’t because there are way too many good things to say about him. As COO and partner, John’s primary mission is to manage operations of the business, enabling CEO Shawn Thomas to continue to build relationships and strategically expand Uniguest. He is the former CEO of a global company, with more than 2,000 employees and 20,000 representatives. Under his leadership, the company produced industry-leading customer satisfaction results for six consecutive years and was ranked “best in the world” by J. D. Power and Associates for two consecutive years . At the same time, he was named one of the most beloved executives of a national franchise. See what we mean? Way too many adjectives, not enough time.
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.
Dave Reynolds
Executive VP of Kiosk Division
Although he has lived in the Los Angeles area for quite a number of years, Dave Reynolds remains a country boy at heart. Our executive vice president, kiosk division, raises chickens at his home in the Palos Verdes community in California. The bonus, he says, is fresh eggs every day and endless fun for his two children. Other hobbies include anything outdoors – fishing, hunting, skiing, hiking and golfing. Before joining Uniguest, Dave was president of Showcase Technology. His proudest accomplishment – besides all-things poultry – was helping the company grow from the ground up, leading to the sale of its U.S. business center customers to Uniguest. “It’s what a company dreams about,” he says.
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.
Joseph Moore
VP of Digital Signage
If there ever was a renaissance man, it's our Joseph Moore. Not only is he vice president of digital signage and the architect of our core software, he's also an award-winning designer, illustrator and author. He's penned a novel and six screenplays ― one of which has been optioned by Hollywood. And he does all of this in between his most important job, being a father to his two children, Emma and Zack. All together, his story could be its own movie – a must-see for sure.
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."
Melanie Young
Director of Human Resources
Melanie Young may have grown up in a small town right smack in the middle of the Mississippi Delta but that didn’t stop her from dreaming big. She wanted to see the world. And so far, she’s done a pretty good job of it. She and her family travel any chance they get. In fact, her two sons can even brag they’ve each received their first passport at two years old. “I want to go everywhere, from Europe to Alaska to China,” she says. “My dream is to take a cruise around the world.” In the mean time, her fellow employees hope the Mississippi State graduate puts off that trip for awhile, continuing to be the best human resources director around.
