Stephen O’Loughlin, President and COO of Lodging Hospitality Management, received the Honorary Membership Award from the CAFNR Alumni Association at CAFNR’s 2019 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony Thursday, April 11.

O’Loughlin has been a consistent supporter of the Hospitality Management program at University of Missouri. His focus on hiring graduates from the Hospitality Management program has led to offering career opportunities to countless graduates over the years. After graduation from University of Missouri St. Louis, O’Loughlin accepted a position as sales manager at the Novi Hilton in Detroit, Michigan. Following his success at the Hilton property, he moved to the Marriott Pavilion Hotel in St. Louis. O’Loughlin was named President and COO of Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM) in 2008 after 11 years with the company. He joined LHM in 1997.

“Although he didn’t graduate from Mizzou and wasn’t a CAFNR student, Steve has long supported CAFNR’s Hopitality Management program,” said Seonghee Cho, chair of Hospitality Management. “During the past two decades, his company, Lodging and Hospitality Management (LHM), has participated in an intersession job-shadow program that enables 20 to 30 undergraduate Hospitality Management students to learn from managers during a week in January. For this program, Steve’s hotels have provided our students with accommodation, receptions, parking and breakfast, yet more importantly, he’s encouraged managers at his hotel properties to show and teach our students about the hospitality industry and managers’ responsibilities. Steve truly cares about students’ learning and facilitates the opportunity for our students to gain real-world experience in the hospitality industry.”