Tim O'Reilly - Chief Executive Officer

   Mr. O’Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of O’Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC (OHM), has practiced law in Springfield, Missouri since 1995, and has represented many clients over the years in various industries including the hospitality business in franchise negotiations, real estate transactions, litigation, human resource and employment issues, and financing transactions and workout agreements with banks and lenders. Mr. O’Reilly additionally continues in his capacity as partner in the Law Firm of O’Reilly, Jensen & Preston, LLC, which he helped form in 1999.

   He is also a hotel and restaurant executive and owner who has been charged with complete oversight and control of the purchase, franchise acquisition, conversion/construction, operations, and human resources framework for OHM properties under the Hilton, Marriott, Choice, IHG, and Wyndham flags, the Yellowstone Valley Lodge in Livingston, Montana, Houlihan’s Restaurants in Springfield and Columbia, Missouri along with several exciting new-build projects such as LEED certified Cambria Suites in Plano, TX, Phoenix, AZ and Omaha, NE, as well as Embassy Suites in Denton, TX, and a LEED certified TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Springfield, Missouri. A Missourian Award recipient in 2017, O’Reilly has successfully driven the company to annual revenues of over $80MM while leading his team to numerous industry awards in the areas of guest service, sustainability, community outreach, design & construction, and operations excellence, including Houlihan’s Franchisee Marketer of the Year in 2010, IHG Renovation Award 2010, Springfield Business Journal Economic Impact Award 2011 & 2018, multiple Care Cup and other awards with Doubletree by Hilton. The O’Reilly Hospitality team strives for excellence in guest service in all properties under their management.   

   Mr. O’Reilly graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1990 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with emphasis in English and Political Science, where he received the Presidential Scholarship and was a 4 year lettermen and team captain on the Blue Jays Basketball team, and also graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1994. Tim also serves as director of SFC bank in Springfield, Missouri where he and his wife Brooke reside with their four wonderful children Alec, Charlie, Liam and Grace.

Cathy Avant - Regional Director of Operations 

Cathy Avant has been in the hospitality industry since college where she graduated with a BBA in Finance. Her early career began in Operations with a franchise company connected to Marriott select service brands, however, she is well versed in both Sales and Operations. For the last 11_^1/2 years she has been working for Choice Hotels, starting as a Franchise Development Director for Cambria and then as an Area Director in Franchise Services dedicated to the Cambria hotels brand.

Cathy was the second woman President of the Kiwanis Club of Middle Georgia while also serving as the Vice President and a Board member and served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Macon Convention & Visitors Bureau.

She has a son and daughter, both of whom are married. She also has two grandchildren, Paxton and Collins; and two more on the way, twins due next April to her daughter and son-in-law! Born and raised in south Georgia, she is and will always be a Georgia Bulldogs fan. Her dad would always take her to a game or two each year and she has fond memories of driving to Athens and being between the hedges. She's also had the chance to meet Herschel Walker!

Darren Harralson - Regional Director of Operations

   As Regional Director of Operations, Mr. Harralson oversees multiple properties within the company portfolio, assists in new development projects, hires and trains senior management staff, and implements OHM and brand processes and procedures.

   Mr. Harralson joined O’Reilly Hospitality Management in 2012 and brings over 30 years of industry experience with major hospitality companies primarily including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Choice Hotels International, InterContinental Hotels, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, and Drury Hotels.

   Harralson has presented to numerous professional and educational organizations on topics ranging from hospitality operations to ethical leadership. He has a longstanding commitment to community and professional boards and associations and has volunteered countless hours to charitable organizations including Isabel’s House Crisis Nursery, Habitat for Humanity, Ozarks Food Harvest, Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Ozarks Water Watch, The Kitchen Foundation and many more.

   Growing up on a farm in Willard, MO, Harralson enjoys his time living rurally, especially when spending it with his wonderful wife Holly, three amazing sons Nathan, Luke and Jake, and daughter-in-law Flynn.

Courtney Brown - Director of Accounting

   Ms. Brown is the Director of Accounting and has over 10 years’ experience in public accounting working closely with both business and individual clients. She has developed skills and efficiency to complete diverse accounting and payroll engagements on time and on budget, particularly in the hospitality industry.

   Ms. Brown also brings extensive experience with tax planning and accounting software issues and implementation. She is very experienced in business valuation engagements, litigation support, trust and estate taxation and planning, payroll tax returns, compilation and review engagements, and staff training. Ms. Brown has been instrumental in the development of an extremely efficient and effective hospitality accounting, payroll, and reporting system both internally and for our third party clients.

Steve Minton - Director of Architecture & Construction

   Steve Minton is in charge of the design and development of new OHM properties. He oversees new property development from initial feasibility studies, to concept and design documents, through construction administration and post occupancy close out.

   Steve has been responsible for the overall coordination and execution of $2.5 billion in hotel, restaurant and convention center projects during the last 25 years.

   A licensed architect with 36 years total experience, he has been involved in over 200 completed projects, including 80 hotels. Overseeing the work of a team of professionals, including architects, engineers, project managers, interior designers and special consultants, he is dedicated to producing creative and functional solutions.

   Prior to joining the OHM team, he served as Executive Vice President of Architecture & Construction for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts from 1985 to 2010. Steve has served on the Springfield City Environmental Advisory Board, the Springfield Family YMCA Board of Directors & Building Committee, the Marriott Residence Inn Advisory Board, has been an Adjunct Professor at the Drury College School of Architecture and is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

David Horst - Director of Project Development 

   David Horst assists in design, design development and construction administration for OHM. Mr. Horst has served as the owner/developer’s primary day to day project manager during the design, development and construction phase of more than 50 completed hotel and convention center projects, many with public funding, over the past 12 years.

   He has managed projects ranging in scope from select service hotels such as Courtyard by Marriott with budgets of $17 million to independent resort and convention properties with budgets over $100 million.

John Phinney - Asset & Special Projects Manager

   John is an invaluable resource to O’Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC (OHM) in the areas of hotel and restaurant maintenance, renovation and construction management. He oversees all property engineering departments and Chief Engineers, manages long and short term capital improvement plans for the hotels and is involved with many aspects of construction for the company for both new build and renovation projects.

   Phinney brings an exceptional track record and history to OHM in the areas of engineering, asset management, and proprietary systems that he developed over the past 22 years while directing and training the hotel engineering operations for upper-upscale brands such as Marriott, Renaissance, Hilton, Embassy Suites, and Starwood hotels and for upscale select service brands such as Courtyard, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites.

   John also has extensive experience working with hotel brands, architects, general contractors, hotel management and designers to insure a timely, cost effective and efficient adherence to and implementation of brand PIP’s (Property Improvement Plans).

   For the 12 years prior to joining OHM in late 2012, John served as the Asset/Project Manager for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts. He lives with his family near Springfield, Missouri and enjoys spending time with his family and friends around the pool and grilling.

Scott Schultz - Sr. Architectural Designer

   Scott Shultz assists the award-winning OHM architectural/design team with schematic designs on new upscale hotels & convention centers, renovations and master plan developments.

   Scott is experienced in site development, space planning and conceptual design. He also produces presentation drawings, architectural “fly-over” animations and site specific renderings for OHM’s rapidly growing list of clients.

   Prior to joining the OHM team, he was involved in the design and ground-up development of 75 upper-upscale branded hotels & convention centers including the full service brands: Marriott/Renaissance, Hilton/Embassy Suites & Upscale Select Service brands: Courtyard/Residence Inn, Homewood Suites/Hampton Inn & Suites.

   Scott spent the past 25 years with John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, and enjoys time with his family, sailing, snow skiing, and wood working.

Ronda Smith - Corporate Director of Sales

   Ronda Smith is the Corporate Director of Sales and is responsible for overseeing sales for the OHM portfolio. Ronda leads the sales effort through standardizing processes that increase productivity and revenue.

   Prior to joining O’Reilly Hospitality, Ronda was the Regional Director of Sales for John Q Hammons serving 13 years there. She also spent 5 years with Interstate Hotels prior to that. Upon completing her studies in Hotel Restaurant Management through the University of Denver, Ronda spent 10 years as a Director of Catering and Regional Director of Catering.

   When she isn’t working she loves camping with her husband, kids and grandkids. She is a Jazzercise enthusiast and enjoys cycling.

Nicole Painter - Director of Human Resources

   Born and raised in the Ozarks, Nicole has spent her entire career in the field of Human Resources. With over 14 years of experience, Nicole has learned the intricacies of working with people and has developed her strengths in the areas of leadership, relationship management, business communication and consultation.

   Nicole’s career highlights include specializing in talent acquisition & retention, employee relations, risk management, employment law compliance, total rewards (benefits & compensation), coaching and mentoring, performance management, employee engagement, learning & development, and special projects management.

   Prior to joining O’Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC, Nicole worked in human resources for the BKD, LLP National Office; City Utilities of Springfield; Drury University; and served as Adjunct Faculty at Missouri State University. Nicole also serves a part-time instructor at Missouri State University’s Management Development Institute (MDI) where she provides instruction on high quality human resource, management and leadership training programs.

   Nicole shares a busy life with her amazing husband, Wendell and wonderful son, Sayge, on a hobby farm near Springfield, MO.

Jessie Lannon - Regional Director of Food & Beverage

   Jessie Lannon is the RDO of Food & Beverage for O’Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC and is responsible for overseeing all operations across OHM's food & beverage portfolio.

  With creativity and innovation, Jessie Lannon oversees every aspect of the food & beverage operations for OHM. The foundation of her career is solid as she stands on decades of experience in retail, food & beverage, hospitality & the event space. Jessie’s versatility and knowledge in a variety of fields give her the ability to do everything from design a functional food & beverage space top to bottom to hiring the right people for the proper roles to strategic marketing, and the list goes on. She has pioneered new ground for OHM and continues to be an example of why O’Reilly Hospitality Management is a leader in the hospitality industry.

   When Jessie is not working she enjoys traveling and cooking, a passion she shares with her husband Michael and three children, Ashley, Mia and Gabriel.

David McDermott - Information Technology Project Manager

   David is a great resource to O’Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC (OHM) in the area of Information Technology. He oversees the IT needs for existing and future properties. David also works with the management team to create budgets for the properties and works throughout the year assisting the properties in getting projects completed.

   For nearly 20 years David has excelled the field of IT with over half of that time working in the hospitality industry. He has worked with most major brands of hotels and is passionate about helping the properties achieve their goals and to provide an outstanding guest experience to the customers.

   For the 10 years prior to joining OHM in late 2012, David served as the IT Project Manager for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts. He lives with his family in Springfield, Missouri and enjoys spending time with his family and friends, reading and bicycling

Elijah Joplin - Regional Director of Revenue Management 

Mr. Joplin has experience in numerous areas of hotel and restaurant operations. His experience in revenue management for over 8 years, coupled with his BAS Degree in Hospitality and Business Administration from Missouri State University supports a dynamic comprehension of the discipline of revenue management which serves both our management company and our third-party clients. Mr. Joplin supports the continuing focus on value creation by overseeing overall yield management for all area properties and supplies critical analysis on the effects of short and long range decisions effecting occupancy, average rate and rooms profit goals. Mr. Joplin is fluent in a variety of brands revenue management optimization systems providing daily forecasts of demand and offering inventory recommendations for each individual property.

Additional strengths include revenue management certifications from a variety of major hotel chains and the CRME certification from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International which has given Mr. Joplin a competitive edge with the gaining popularity of revenue optimization and e-commerce.

Recent accomplishments include conversion to One Yield version 2 and Concerto revenue systems for Marriott and IHG branded hotels as well as assisting in multimillion-dollar hotel openings and renovations. He is specialized in managing a variety of hospitality establishments including IHG, Marriott, Hilton and Best Western branded properties with additional knowledge of Wyndham, La Quinta and Choice brands.

When not keeping an eye on the ever-changing hotel market, Elijah enjoys spending time with his
family, playing the guitar and watching scary movies.