By Andrea Giroux '05 and Holly Mansur '05
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Keynote speaker Cristina Lussi, Director of Sales and Marketing at the
Lake Placid Resort Hotel and Golf Club.
Photo by Pat Hendrick.
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On Friday April 2, Paul Smith's held its sixth annual Hospitality
Symposium. This day-long event brought together industry leaders from
around the United States, including representatives of local
businesses and several Paul Smith's alumni. Students, along with
faculty members and individuals from surrounding communities, were
able to attend demonstrations and presentations by our distinguished
guests throughout the day.
Many of the industry leaders in attendance chose to focus their
presentations around this year's theme, Hotels and Restaurants: The
Reality Show. In doing so, they demonstrated their realities to the
audience by sharing a handful of life experiences and the knowledge
they have gained throughout their careers.
This year's keynote speaker, Cristina Lussi, Director of Sales and
Marketing at the Lake Placid Resort Hotel and Golf Club in Lake Placid
and Chairman for the New York State Hospitality and Tourism
Association, spoke to students about the reality of growing up in the
hospitality industry in Lake Placid. Other noted speakers, such as
Paul Avery, president of Outback Steakhouse, Inc., and Chef Noble
Masi, current ambassador for the Culinary Institute of America, spoke
of life lessons learned along the way. In the end, all of the industry
leaders who partook in the Hospitality Symposium presented students
with a glimpse of how their own scripts may read in the future.
For Cristina Lussi, each day yields a new challenge. These challenges
are what make her job fun and exciting. In fact, she says that the
"most exciting part of being in the hospitality industry is the
variation." As she spoke to the students, Cristina revealed that she
was born into the hotel business and lived in her family's hotel until
she moved away to college. After majoring in French at St. Lawrence
University, Cristina returned to the family business in 1987 to work
in the sales office where she has been working full-time ever
since. Although she is employed by her parents, Serge and Caroline
Lussi '60, Cristina views them as her friends and mentors, rather than
her employers.
As mentors, Cristina's parents have taught her many things about the
manner in which her 'Reality Show' should be approached in life. She
passed this advice on to the audience. Cristina said, "I challenge you
today to think about your future — to think about how you may
encounter situations where you can make a difference. Remember, it's
not about being perfect every time; it's about the ability to keep a
sense of humor, embrace change, and not be afraid of hard work."
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Paul Avery, President of Outback Steakhouse, Inc.
Photo by Pat Hendrick.
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These three components are precisely what helped guest speaker, Paul
Avery, advance in his career and become president of Outback
Steakhouse, Inc. Paul earned an Associate Degree in Hotel and
Restaurant Management at Middlesex County College and a Bachelor's
Degree at Kean University, both located in New Jersey. Upon completing
his education in 1982, he worked his way up from a manager-in-training
to a regional supervisor at Steak & Ale Restaurant Company. In 1989,
Paul began his career with Outback Steakhouse, Inc. where he was a
Managing Partner. He is now the president in charge of operating four
of the eight company concepts including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's
Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Through all of this, he sets an example by continuing to be involved
in the community in a number of ways. He is Chairman of Take Stock in
Children, President of the American Beverage Institute, a Founders
Club member of the Great Outdoors Conservancy, a board member of the
Hillsborough Education Foundation, and Vice Chairman of Tampa Bay
Watch. Paul has continued to be involved with these initiatives
because he is motivated by watching others succeed. His best
experiences, he told his audience, involve watching people "grow and
learn."
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Chef Noble Masi, Ambassador for the Culinary Institute of America.
Photo by Pat Hendrick.
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Chef Noble Masi, Ambassador for the Culinary Institute of America,
understands Paul Avery's motivation. Throughout his 50 years in the
baking industry, his career has enabled him to obtain a broad
education, numerous certifications, such as his certification as both
a Master Baker and a Master Pastry Chef, and establish a lifelong
relationship with the Culinary Institute of America as a culinary
instructor. Chef Masi has witnessed the success of more than 30,000
students and believes that his most successful students are those with
passion. "One cannot underestimate the need for passion. Passion is an
important element for . . . success," he said.
In closing, Chef Masi passed along meaningful advice to the students
on how to write the script for their own 'Reality Show' when he said,
"The result of your labor will be determined by the knowledge in your
head, skill in your hands, and passion in your heart. Clean, utilize,
and improve as you share [your skills along the way.]" Stay tuned for
our results.
