Page 16 - The New Gold Standard

Acknowledgments
So many senior leaders, owners, and staff took valuable time
to answer my seemingly never-ending questions, and although
I can’t thank each of them personally here, I have included a
list of their names in the Sources. That said, there are a few
people who made heroic efforts on behalf of this book. At the
corporate level, John Timmerman, Diana Oreck, Katerina
Panayiotou, and Sue Stephenson should have regretted giving
me their contact information, but instead they consistently re-
sponded with the utmost grace and class. Whether it was Sue
inviting me to a Corporate Social Responsibility event, Diana
allowing me access to a Ritz-Carlton week-long Leadership
Center training session, Katerina finding yet another specialized
Wow story, or John adding invaluable insights into quality im-
provement processes and offering his encouragement, each of
these individuals will forever have my gratitude. With that grat-
itude, I must also acknowledge all those, like Paul Westbrook,
Brian Gullbrants, and Bruce Himelstein, who encouraged and
facilitated the time offered to me by their staff. Additionally, I
am grateful for the personal investment in this project offered
by Kathy Smith and Bhavana Boggs. Both of these leaders
“moved heaven and earth” to lift the quality and accuracy of The
New Gold Standard.
There have been two presidents of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Company—Horst Schulze and Simon Cooper. While both men
have incredibly demanding schedules, both generously gave me
large blocks of their time. Horst is inspiration incarnate and a
champion of service professionalism at a level I’ve never encoun-
tered before. Simon is a brilliant hotelier who has taken this
iconic brand to new levels. His wit and wisdom serve him
well—to not only make Ritz-Carlton successful today but also
to position the company for a future generation of leaders.
Ed Mady and Ed Staros were sage counsel and gifted histo-
rians of their company. Ed Staros was the strong voice that
reminded me to balance history with progress. Ed Mady’s gra-
ciousness in San Francisco provided a most memorable experi-

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