Board of Advisors

Welcome!

Ray Burger, Chairman	Ray Burger, President and Founder of Pineapple Hospitality, Inc. (Pineapple) , has over 30 years of experience in the lodging industry. In addition, he has provided the Lodging Industry with environmental products, programs and services for over 12 years. He holds a number of certifications, including Certified Hotel Administrator and Master Hotel Supplier. Ray is a columnist for The Rooms Chronicle. He contributes articles on indoor air quality and energy related topics. Pineapple is a vendor partner of the Florida Green Lodging Program, an allied member of Boston Green Tourism, a member of the Green Meeting Industry Council and an Energy Star Partner. In January, 2006 Pineapple launched FreshStay® (www.FreshStay.com) the World’s most comprehensive on line directory of Hotels, Inns and B & B’s featuring Better Indoor Air Quality. In March, 2007 Pineapple Hospitality founded and co-hosted the first Green Hospitality Conference in Dallas, TX. In July, 2007 Pineapple launched EcoRooms & EcoSuites at www.EcoRooms.com a directory featuring the “Greenest Hotels on the Planet”.
Deirdre Wallace, Advisor	Ms. Wallace began her hospitality career in 1998 as supervisor of MOA Hospitality’s sale lease back program. Beginning in 1999 as Director of New Development for MOA Hospitality, she spearheaded the development and construction of The Ambrose Hotel to its opening in 2003. Ms. Wallace formed The Ambrose Group LLC in 2003 to continue the development of boutique hotels. The Ambrose Group is currently developing the “greenest urban hotel” in the US, Ray, located in Venice Beach, Ca. and is expanding the eco-boutique brand The Ambrose.Ms. Wallace was recently featured in Natural Living Magazine, to read the article click here.
Stefan Muhle, Advisor	Stefan Muhle’s marketing savvy, business sense, and green prowess were on display last year when he opened the stunning Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco’s first LEED certified property. Mr. Muhle puts his sixteen years of hospitality experience to use as the GM of both the Orchard Garden and Orchard Hotel, properties that balance boutique aesthetics with environmentally sound ethics. After studying at Switzerland’s renowned Institute César Ritz, Mr. Muhle moved to the U.S. and graduated Cum Laude from Washington State with degrees in Business Administration and Hotel & Restaurant Management.
Wen I Chang, Advisor	Mr. Chang is the President of Atman Hospitality Group and the owner/developer of California’s premier green hotel brand: GAIA Hotels. His passion for preservation, entrepreneurial spirit, and deeply philosophical perspective on the relationship between business, society, and the environment have brought inspiration and innovation to the green hospitality movement. The GAIA Napa Valley, Mr. Chang’s LEED Gold certified hotel, is a monument to the principles of green design. Mr. Chang’s vision, wisdom, and drive have been essential to the formation of a viable green ethos for the hospitality business.
Rauni Kew, Advisor	Rauni Kew's background is in marketing and PR. Currently working in the hospitality industry she heads up PR & Green Programs for the Inn By The Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a certified Maine DEP Green Lodging. Previously she was Marketing Director for a manufacturing company in the Chemical Process Industry for 16 years. She marketed the company’s sludge reduction equipment for activated waste water treatment plants before moving into the technology sector, doing PR for Glance Networks, an Internet screen sharing service, in Massachusetts. Earlier she worked in production for television and radio news in the New York CBC offices on Park Avenue and at the United Nations.
Natalie Marquis, Advisor	As General Manager of Habitat Suites Hotel for the past 10 years, Natalie has hands-on experience implementing sustainable business practices and measuring the business, economic, and social successes that follow the decision to do business with a responsibility for stewarding the land and its occupants for future generations. Natalie has marketed the hotel with “ecological consciousness in action” as itsmotto and its call to action. Natalie has taken an independent hotel and turned it into a nationally recognized model of sustainability. Habitat Suites Hotel has developed a great recipe for success… and has done it with the smallest environmental footprint possible.

John R. Hendrie, Advisor	With a strong background in Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness, Communications and Hospitality, John has dedicated his career to elevating Organizational Performance across varied industrial sectors. For the past ten years, he has Presided over Ragsdale Associates, Inc., a Consortium of Management Consultants, specializing in Customer Service/Satisfaction, Communication and Branding. Hospitality Performance, a subsidiary, is focused upon Destination Development, Education and Training and Assessment counsel to validate the Retail Experience. John holds an English Degree and received his Masters from the Cornell Hotel School. He resides in Merrimac, MA.
Jenn Holderied-Webb, Advisor	Jenn is fortunate enough to live and play in one of North America’s greatest treasures, the Adirondack Park. It is this setting that inspired her interest in sustainability and conservation. Having graduated from Hamilton College and received her MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, she returned home to Lake Placid to work in the family business. With her parents, brother and sister she runs the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, a 160 room f ull service hotel in the heart of the Olympic Village. In 2002 the Golden Arrow became the first hotel in the area to become completely non smoking, years ahead of the mass trend. In 2005 the property was rated 3 leaves by the Audubon Society for it excellence in sustainable business practices.
John Glen DiGuiseppe, Advisor	President/CEO of Investors Hospitality Management (IHM), John Glen DiGuiseppe debuts the USA’s first Sustainable/Green third-party management company. IHM’s portfolio consists of a selection of international private luxury estates and domestic mid-level and economy flags such as Vantage, Best Western and Wyndham Hotels, which DiGuiseppe owns or manages within the America Southwest. IHM’s competitive edge is dual in focus, spanning the luxury/ultra luxury corporate and individual international marketplace with cash-flow hospitality venues. IHM’s spectrum of service offerings is distinguished by DiGuiseppe’s stewardship of sustainability. “Living and working Green” is a lifestyle and I believe we have a social responsibility to society to become greener everyday,” states DiGuiseppe.
Bernadette V. Upton, Advisor	Bernadette V. Upton, a Florida licensed interior designer, lecturer and consultant has specialized in environmental interior design since 1982. She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Past President for the Florida South Chapter, as well as a founding member of the national ASID Sustainable Design Council. She is a LEED (Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional and member with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), and a Home Designator and member of the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC).
Ray Hobbs, Advisor	As Senior Vice President of Kelco Management & Development, Ray Hobbs oversees and directs the operations of hotels managed by Kelco Management & Development. Mr. Hobbs received his CHA designation in 1983, and he is a 40-year veteran of the hospitality industry. Mr. Hobbs has been instrumental in implementing green initiatives in all of Kelco Hotels' properties. Mr. Hobbs also presently serves as Director of Development for WIDECAST, the Wider Caribbean Area Sea Turtle Program. WIDECAST represents sea turtle preservation and conservation programs in over 40 countries throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.