NEW YORK, New York—Amanda W. Hite, President and COO of Hendersonville, Tennessee-based STR, Inc., has been selected as a recipient of The M&A Advisor 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award.
Hite, a selection in the Service Professional category, will be recognized on 29 June during the 2015 Emerging Leaders Summit at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
According to the official awards announcement, The M&A Advisor created the recognition awards program, now in its sixth year, to promote mentorship and professional development among the emerging leaders of the mergers-and-acquisitions industry. The 2015 award winners were chosen from a pool of prominent nominees for their notable accomplishments in business and in service to the community. Evaluation and selection of the nominees was completed by an independent judging panel.
Now in her fifth year as president and 10th year overall at STR, Hite sets company policy and direction while overseeing daily operations. In addition, she coordinates initiatives and implementation for STR's enterprise, which includes: Hotel News Now, based in Cleveland, Ohio; STR Analytics, based in Boulder, Colorado; and STR Global Limited based in London, England. Hite serves as Chairman of the Board for STR Global Limited.
“When Amanda became president of STR, we were in a transition phase following our global expansion and the downturn in the economy,” noted Randy Smith, chairman and co-founder of STR. “Amanda managed to move STR forward during this turmoil and enabled the company to reach record revenues and profits. STR’s expansion continues today with a variety of new initiatives that should yield positive results for years to come. This would not be possible without the hard work and dedication that Amanda has demonstrated during her tenure as president of STR.”
Under Hite’s guidance, STR has been named to the Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies and ranked No. 1 on the Tennessean Top Workplace list (small category). In 2014, the company launched Sector Analysis in response to demand for its benchmarking platform in industries outside the hotel industry.
Hite is a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) Women in Lodging (WIL) Executive Council. She also serves as a member of the Industry Advisory Board of the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State University and the Hotel & Restaurant Management Advisory Board at Auburn University.
Prior to joining STR in 2006, Hite was the director of research for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee. She is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College with a B.S. in business administration.
Media Contacts:
Jeff Higley
VP, Digital Media & Communications
jhigley@str.com
+1 (615) 824-8664 ext. 3318
Nick Minerd
Public Relations Coordinator
nminerd@str.com
+1 (615) 824-8664 ext. 3305