Experience and Dedication
The principals formed AHM in 1999, having worked together on several projects prior to the establishment of the business. The synergies created by their diverse areas of expertise allowed them to excel in this challenging industry. They initially limited their interests to the upper Midwest where their management efforts, knowledge of the market, and growing skills laid the foundation for expansion. AHM is now a nationwide, award-winning, hospitality management group servicing limited and full service hotels, extended stay, and resort properties. Their clients include some of the best known names in the world as well as independent owners, and their dedication to the success of every project ensures each realizes the benefit of AHM solution management.
Donald R. Schappacher
President and Co-Founder
don@ahm-hotels.com
Don graduated from Miami University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance. He was an auditor with the U.S. Department of Energy for several years and then went on to advance his career as a CPA with the international accounting firms of Touche Ross and KPMG. Don’s father, also a CPA, convinced him to move to Northern Michigan to operate the Fountain Motor Lodge in the resort town of Mackinaw City (later the Fountain Motor Lodge became the Mackinaw City Days Inn). Next, they built the Days Inn in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Don moved on to the construction of the Days Inn in St. Ignace, Michigan the next year, selling it the same day it opened. As his involvement in the hospitality industry expanded, Don’s passion for this arena grew. He took on additional projects for himself as well as private investors, and eventually this lead to the formation of AHM.
He now focuses his energies on development, construction management, and consulting using his 26 years experience in the hotel business to make strategic decisions culminating in the success of AHM managed properties from Wisconsin to Wyoming.
Don currently holds contractor and real estate licenses, and maintains his CPA status. He served as President of the Mackinaw Area Tourist Bureau and was on the boards of the West Michigan Tourist Association and the Cheboygan County United Way. Don is currently a committee member of the IHG IAHI board. He enjoys spending time with his two children, as well as skiing and hunting whenever he can find the time.
Fredrick W. Kindell
Vice President and Co-Founder
kindell@ahm-hotels.com
Fred was a sergeant in the Army during the first Gulf War when he found himself overseeing food service locations while stationed in Europe. After serving six years, he returned to Northern Michigan where he began working in hospitality management. Drawing on his Army education and hotel experience, he joined forces with Don on the Days Inn project in St. Ignace and together they built the first of many hotels and founded AHM.
Now, with 19 years in the industry, Fred is instrumental to the success of the properties managed by AHM. In addition to new property development and construction management, he is directly involved in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the extended stay Marriott and Hilton properties. Fred also manages the negotiations of products and services that can be combined among hotels, keeping expenses low through economies of scale. He is the liaison between individual properties and the franchisors, ensuring superior brand support for each hotel.
Fred's commitment to excellence in the industry includes attending the Hampton, Holiday Inn, and Marriott’s schools for general managers and new owner orientation programs. He served as the Chairperson of the Michigan Alliance of Days Inn Hotels, was President of both the Indian River Tourist Bureau and the Michigan Alliance of Holiday Inn Express Hotels. He has three sons, two of which are following in Fred's footsteps and are currently serving in the Air Force and Navy. He is an avid bird hunter and also takes advantage of Northern Michigan’s fine fishing and boating opportunities.
Chris J. Godfrey
Vice President of Field Operations & Principal
godfrey@ahm-hotels.com
Although Chris is from Southern Michigan, he grew up France, returning to the States in time to finish high school. He had a job working at a hotel and enjoyed it so much that he went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in Hospitality Management. Over his 35-year career, he has held numerous positions including general manager, food and beverage director, and task force manager. Chris is very familiar with the Holiday Inn family as he was the general manager for the full service Holiday Inn of Petoskey, Michigan for 17 years. Chris’s last position was with Interstate Hotels & Resorts as a task force manager where he specialized in transitional operations management. He has worked in markets throughout the U.S. in locations as diverse as Dallas, Tampa, Milwaukee, Detroit, and New Jersey. When AHM expanded its operations two years ago, they brought Chris on board to oversee the Holiday Inn properties as well as independent hotels under AHM contract.
Chris is a Certified Hotel Administrator through the American Hotel and Motel Association, and holds certifications through both Holiday Inn and Hilton’s General Manager Programs.
He is a busy father of five, including two daughters currently attending the University of Michigan.
The Rest of the AHM Team
Anyone involved in hospitality management knows the people who work on the properties, and those in other support positions, bear the majority of the responsibility for the prosperity of each individual hotel. One of the key success factors enjoyed by AHM is the ability to hire, train, and keep the right people, and our years of management experience have taught us to value these important contributors. It is only through the dedication of this group that the properties we manage out perform all others within our various markets.
520 North Main Street, Suite 205
Cheboygan, MI 49721
Phone: 231-627-4873
Fax: 231-627-4972
E-mail: info@ahm-hotels.com