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How Midwest Hospitality Companies Can Drive Performance, Profitability, and Efficiency

By May 4, 2026No Comments

Across the country, independent hotel and restaurant owners are navigating a more complex and unpredictable industry than ever before. Labor costs continue to rise, supply chains are unpredictable, margins are tighter, and guest behavior and expectations seem to change moment-to-moment.

Strong concepts still matter. But informed structure, consistent execution, and steady leadership are the determining factors for long-term performance in the hospitality industry.

Partnering with an experienced hospitality management company like Morrissey Hospitality offers owners, operators, and hospitality leaders the structure, support, and experience needed to stay focused on performance and sustainable success.

Strategic Leadership That Keeps Operations Aligned

Day-to-day operations move quickly and change often. Without clear leadership, teams can lose focus just as fast.

High-performing hospitality organizations operate with:

  • Defined leadership roles and clear, consistent accountability
  • Clear performance expectations across departments
  • Consistent communication between leadership, operations, and ownership

Experienced hospitality management advisors in the Midwest can help bring perspective across properties, markets, and concepts, and help leadership teams stay aligned, focused, and accountable. The experts at Morrissey Hospitality support independent hospitality organizations with consistent leadership presence, ongoing personnel coaching, and collaborative, strategic planning that keeps teams aligned and moving forward.

Financial Oversight That Drives Better Decisions

Revenue growth alone doesn’t guarantee performance for independent hospitality owners in the Midwest. Operators need clear insights into costs, margins, and trends to understand where the business actually stands.

That requires visibility into:

  • Food, beverage, and labor costs
  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Cash flow and financial reporting

Consistent, accurate financial data allows teams to identify trends early and adjust with confidence.

The team at Morrissey Hospitality, a leading hospitality management company in the Midwest, helps hospitality teams implement tried-and-tested reporting systems and proven financial processes that turn data into actionable insight. With comprehensive financial reporting, forecasting, and payroll management, the Morrissey team helps owners make faster, more informed financial decisions.

Food & Beverage Programs Built for Better Results

Food and beverage programs are one of the primary drivers of profitability.

Menus, pricing, purchasing, and planning strategies all influence performance.

Independent hotel and restaurant operators benefit from:

  • Menu engineering that aligns with cost targets
  • Vendor relationships that support pricing consistency
  • Ongoing evaluation product mix and profitability

The best hospitality management partners bring both culinary and operational expertise, ensuring F&B programs are designed to perform in real conditions. Morrissey Hospitality’s culinary and operational experts help independent hotel and restaurant owners build better F&B programs, strengthen vendor relationships, and leverage group purchasing power to support quality, cost control, and long-term success.

Systems That Support Consistent Performance

Consistent performance starts with aligned systems.

Technology, labor models, and daily processes need to work together to support the pact of service and the demands of the business. When they’re aligned, teams spend less time troubleshooting and more time on hospitality.

Systems that should work together include:

  • Technology platforms that support reporting and communication
  • Labor models that balance demand with service standards
  • Standard operating procedures across and among departments

Without alignment, small inefficiencies compound quickly — impacting service, team performance, and guest satisfaction.

With deep experience in operational management, hospitality advisors Morrissey Hospitality can provide the structure behind these systems, offering access to IT experts, group purchasing, and support that keeps connected, organized, and accountable.

Culture That Improves Retention and Inspires Performance

In today’s labor market, workplace culture drives retention and influences day-to-day consistency.

Teams that feel supported, trained, and aligned are more likely to stick around, and more likely to deliver consistent guest experiences.

Strong independent hospitality operators prioritize:

  • Structured onboarding and training programs
  • Leadership development and coaching
  • Meaningful ongoing education opportunities
  • Clear communication and accountability

A well-defined workplace culture reduces turnover, strengthens service, and supports long-term growth. Morrissey Hospitality supports organizational culture through human resources guidance, recruitment resources, and employee engagement strategies that help teams stay motivated, collaborative, and guest-oriented.

A Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Growth

Performance, profitability, and efficiency are built through disciplined operations and aligned leadership.

Independent hotel and restaurant operators in the Midwest are navigating tighter margins and higher expectations. Long-term success depends on systems, structure, and teams that hold up over time — not just early on.

Morrissey Hospitality brings the leadership, financial oversight, operational structure, and team development needed to support that growth.  

Schedule a call with Morrissey Hospitality to explore how working with a hospitality management company in the Midwest can strengthen your organization. 

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Richard Dobransky

President & CEO

Richard joined Morrissey Hospitality as President in 2018 and accepted the role of CEO in 2023. Under Richard’s leadership, the organization implemented best-in-class solutions to support its hotel, restaurant, and events venue portfolio. He spearheaded efforts to upgrade all internal systems, embrace automated workflows and data analysis, and streamline every aspect of the organization for real-time, accurate reporting and accountability.

Focusing next on the employee experience, Richard oversaw a restructuring of employee compensation to ensure that every Morrissey employee earns more than a living wage. With his team, he improved employee benefits packages and ushered in numerous new initiatives to reflect the needs of employees and promote better work-life balance.

Under Richard’s leadership, the Morrissey portfolio has grown from 5 to 18 owned and managed properties. He oversees a team of over 100 managers and 1,000+ employees, leads efforts to provide authentic hospitality experiences at every location, and is an active coach and mentor to many.

Well respected and highly regarded throughout his career, Richard enjoys annual recognition in the Minnesota Top 100 and Top 500 Business Leaders list, and was named among Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s 2026 Most Admired CEOs. He serves on the Board of Directors for Visit Saint Paul and The Downtown Saint Paul Alliance.

Richard intrinsically understands the communities he serves, helping to create hospitality concepts that serve as long-lasting, meaningful gathering spaces. He aims each day to make, do, and be better for Morrissey customers, employees, clients, partners, vendors, and community members alike.

Elizabeth Morrissey

Senior Vice President

As Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at Morrissey Hospitality, Elizabeth leads the company’s growth strategy with a focus on business development, strategic partnerships, and brand expansion. With nearly a decade of internal leadership experience and deep roots in hospitality, she drives new revenue opportunities, cultivates client relationships, and strengthens the company’s presence in new and existing markets.

Elizabeth began her career at The Saint Paul Hotel before taking on leadership roles at the Waldorf Astoria New York, Johnson Brothers Liquor Company, and Moet Hennessy. She returned to Morrissey Hospitality to help shape the company’s next chapter, progressing quickly from operations into business development. Her background spans hospitality operations, marketing, human resources, and sales strategy — making her uniquely positioned to scale the organization’s impact while preserving our guest-first, people-focused culture.

Elizabeth’s leadership is grounded in purposeful growth: building high-performing teams, elevating client brands, and delivering exceptional service across every property in the Morrissey Hospitality brand portfolio.

Paula Soderberg

Vice President of Human Resources

Paula is a results-driven professional with comprehensive and extensive human resources experience. She is well-versed in labor relations, employee relations, retention, training and development, HRIS, compensation and benefit management, domestic and international recruiting, job description development, HR audits, unemployment hearings, worker’s compensation claim management, and risk and safety management. She is also well versed in Def Leppard — so don’t mention the band unless you want her to talk your ear off.

Paula’s experience helps her foster an optimal working environment through development and deployment of new strategies in recruiting, onboarding, training, job description and standards, benefit administration, and employee development. She is a versatile and motivated leader, with proven communication and organizational skills. She is practical, articulate, and creative with a demonstrated ability to solve difficult issues.

Paula started in hospitality while a teenager at her family’s restaurant in Stillwater, MN. She continued to work FOH positions while in college pursuing her HR degree (don’t ever let her work BOH. She can’t cook…at all.) She understands operations, allowing her to support management and coach employees effectively. She also has held many HR management roles within healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, and government, but hospitality is her home.

Keith Reardon

Vice President

Keith is a hospitality management professional with 30+ years of experience leading food & beverage operations for hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and sports & entertainment facilities. His peers describe him as a high-capacity, intuitive, creative, thoughtful, and disciplined leader. With years of industry knowledge and experience in multifaceted hospitality environments, he routinely demonstrates strength in strategically building high-performance teams, resulting in stable revenues and profits.

Before joining Morrissey Hospitality, Keith held positions with Ritz Carlton Hotels in Palm Springs, before moving on to Centerplate, where he operated the Colorado Convention Center and opened Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. Keith’s passion is restaurant and kitchen design and construction. He recently completed the design and construction of all the hospitality components at Morrissey’s newest location, Tattersall Distillery in River Falls, Wisconsin. Keith is active in the Twin Cities community, serving as Treasurer on the Executive Committee for the Hospitality Minnesota’s Educational Foundations Board, and as an advisor to Visit Saint Paul.

Johnessa Hardyman

Vice President of Finance

Johnessa has always had a passion for finance and accounting. She started her career in community banking and completed her bachelor’s degree in accounting before finding a passion for hospitality in 2012 at The Saint Paul Hotel. Johnessa spent two years working onsite at The Saint Paul Hotel before transitioning to the Morrissey Hospitality Shared Services Office.

Johnessa Hardyman brings over a decade of expertise in hospitality finance to her role as Vice President of Finance at Morrissey Hospitality. Since joining the company in 2012, she has held key leadership positions, including Senior Accountant, Controller, and Director of Financial Planning and Analysis. Johnessa’s extensive experience spans budgeting and forecasting, cash management, internal and external audits, system transitions, and acquisitions.

With a Master of Science in Accountancy from Saint Mary’s University, Johnessa excels at leveraging financial data to drive informed decision-making. She leads the accounting team with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, and strategic planning, ensuring that financial insights translate into actionable business strategies. Passionate about financial forecasting, she thrives on analyzing how businesses actualize their projections and the impact on cash flow. Her deep understanding of both finance and hospitality makes her an invaluable asset to the organization and its clients.

Amy Houston

Vice President of Marketing & Communications

A Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) with a deep passion for hospitality, Amy blends creativity with strategic vision to build meaningful connections between brands and guests. Her expertise in brand development, campaign execution, and revenue-focused marketing continues to shape Morrissey Hospitality’s growth and industry leadership. Known for her empathetic leadership style, she fosters collaboration and inspires those around her to think bigger and work together to bring bold ideas to life.

Amy Houston brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, hospitality, and sales. Since joining Morrissey in 2020, she has led strategy for 18 independent brands, driving measurable success through data-driven campaigns and innovative storytelling. Under her leadership, the company has transformed its marketing operations, bringing services in-house and streamlining digital platforms to create a more cohesive, results-driven approach.

Callie Kiepke

Vice President of Operations

Callie Kiepke is Vice President of Operations for Morrissey Hospitality, bringing more than a decade of leadership experience across event venues, restaurants, and golf course operations. Known for building strong teams and implementing effective, scalable processes, she plays a key role in driving consistent performance across the organization.

Callie began her hospitality career at 18 and earned a degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Wisconsin–Stout. After nearly ten years with TPC Twin Cities, she joined Morrissey Hospitality at Bunker Hills Event Center, where she advanced from Catering Sales Manager to Director of Catering and later General Manager. Under her leadership, Bunker Hills became one of the company’s top-performing properties.

In addition to her work at Bunker Hills and Kendall’s Tavern & Chophouse, Callie has supported operations at Stockyards Tavern & Chophouse, played a key role in the opening of Dawn Manor, and is instrumental in strengthening private dining operations. As Vice President of Operations, she leads menu development, systems strategy, and process standardization, with a focus on continuous improvement and exceptional guest experiences.

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