Mr. Marlon Phoenix (mphoenix@urbanhotelgroup.com)

Principal and founder of Royal Phoenix Development, LLC, has in excess of 27 years of experience in the hospitality industry serving tenure as Vice President and General Manager for several national and international hospitality, gaming and resort companies as follows: Isle of Capri Casino Resorts; Movenpick Resorts, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Fitzgerald’s Casino Hotel, Merv Griffin’s  Resorts Casino Hotel, Harrah’s Marina Hotel Casino, Trump Plaza Casino Hotel, and Caesar’s Hotel Casino. Phoenix accepted his most significant challenge in moving overseas to Sham El Sheikh, Egypt where he became the Resident General Manager of the Movenpick Golf Resort on the Sinai Peninsula. While there he was responsible for managing a 300-room four star hotel resort with 600 employees that also encompassed an 18-hole golf course, 250 five-bedroom villas, and the largest convention center on the Sinai Peninsula. In December 2003, Phoenix was named Vice President and General Manager of the Resort where he served tenure until October 2005 when he formally launched Royal Phoenix Development to pursue strategic hotel development opportunities.

Ms. Bridget Chisholm (bchisholm@urbanhotelgroup.com)

Principal, Founder of Building Wealth and Communities (BWC Consulting brings her Branding, Strategy, franchise and financial advisory skills to drive the development and business modeling for RPD Hotels. She is a 20 year corporate and entrepreneurial executive with expertise in creating solutions using the entrepreneurial approach for institutions including municipalities, higher education, CPA, private equity, M&A and franchise financing, both in the non-profit and for-profit sector.  Chisholm possesses partnerships with businesses who share the insight of being well grounded and positioned for growth within their community, not only meeting capital, but broadly sustaining their surrounding community as well.  Chisholm has encountered responsibility of entrepreneurship with new business creation and existing business expansion as well as buying, selling and managing/marketing multi-million dollar companies exceeding 700 employees.  Some of them include Applebee’s and consumer brands - General Mills, Inc., Maybelline Cosmetics, RJR Nabisco and Avado Brands.  In May 2008, Chisholm spearheaded developing the financial package for the multi-million dollar development project, known as the Town Center – Soulsville USA. This is the first major revitalization project in the Soulsville community in many years.  Chisholm holds and MBA from the Wharton School of Business and is a former Shelby County TN County Commissioner who lead two key firsts – the first Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Uptown, and the largest capital bond issue, the $250 million FedEx Forum is responsible for leading the development and finance team which includes coordinating the hotel’s project financing, management and public private structure.