Our Company

Since 1995, Jeff Blackman has amassed deep expertise in every facet of the hotel business, having been involved in ground up development for over 150 hotels, financing for multiple portfolios, single asset loans, CMBS executions, asset management formation and oversight for REITs, property management, risk management, property tax appeals, appraisals and valuation analysis, and market feasibility.

Jeff began his career in his hometown of Wichita, KS with Jack DeBoer, creator of the extended stay hotel segment, having founded Candlewood Suites, Residence Inn (created and sold to Marriott) and Summerfield Suites. Jeff oversaw the Development Planning and Market Feasibility department, for Candlewood Suites, shepherding its rapid growth to over 100 hotels nationwide.

In 2003, Jeff was named VP of Acquisitions for Ashford, where they acquired $2 billion of hotel assets between 2003-2005.

In 2005, Jeff joined Marriott International as Vice President of Development for the Central Region. He quickly grew the franchise business of its select service and extended stay brands, executing over 100 development deals in two years.

Jeff joined Western International in 2007, one of the largest owner/operator/developers in the U.S. As Executive Vice President of Operations, Jeff re-organized the company through the downturn of 2009, and developed a company culture now recognized as an award-winning management company for Hilton and Marriott hotels. In addition to overseeing the management company, Jeff actively participated in the development of over 25 hotels during his tenure with Western International.

Jeff launched Bedford Lodging in 2013 to leverage his long-standing industry relationships and expertise in all facets of the lodging business: Development, Management, Asset Management, Acquisition, Due Diligence assistance, and Advisory services.

Jeff was previously on the Towneplace Suites franchise advisory committee and currently serves as President of the Fairfield Inn & Suites franchise advisory committee. Jeff is also an active member of the National Advisory Council of Wichita State University.

Chris Manley received his master’s degree in professional accounting and bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Upon graduating, Chris received the highest score in the State of Colorado's May 1993 CPA exam, and his score ranked within the top 100 in the nation. Chris grew up in Denver, Colorado.

In 2020, Chris was a founder of Five Senses Hospitality Management, a Denver based hotel owner and operator. Five Senses currently manages 11 properties with over 250 team members.  The properties are with the Marriott, Hilton, Choice and IHG brand families as well as three independent properties.

From 2015 to 2020, Chris was Stonebridge Companies’ Chief Operating Officer.  Stonebridge is one of the premier hospitality development and management companies in the United States.  Stonebridge’s portfolio included 63 hotels with over 11,000 guest rooms and 3,200 + employees. This diverse listing of properties includes select-service, extended-stay, mid-scale and full-service hotels in markets throughout the U.S.

Chris is a past board member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the sole national association representing all segments of the U.S. lodging industry. He serves on Marriott’s franchise advisory committee for the Aloft brand, and he has served on similar committees for Marriott’s Renaissance and Hilton’s Homewood Suites brands.

Prior to joining Stonebridge Companies, Chris spent 15 years at The Pauls Corporation, a real estate investor developer across multiple asset classes in the US and Canada. Chris was president of the real estate services company and Chief Financial Officer/Chief Accounting Officer for the entire organization.

Chris’ was originally a Vice President with ProLogis (NYSE: PLD), an industrial REIT, where he was responsible for the acquisition, development, and management of a 10.0msf industrial portfolio in Tennessee and a 5.0msf industrial portfolio in Florida.

Chris resides in Denver, Colorado with his wife and two children.

Jeff Dougan was most recently President of Buffalo Lodging Associates, a hotel developer/owner/operator based in Canton, MA. He spent three years working to improve the operating metrics with the organization.  He built a team driven to improve the entrepreneurial spirit and culture, both corporately and in the field. With the help of this talented team, Jeff successfully guided the organization through the immense challenges of the COVID pandemic to ensure the company’s success moving forward.

Prior to Buffalo Lodging, Jeff was Senior Vice President/COO of Condor Hospitality Trust, a publicly traded REIT based in Omaha. He joined Condor after being recruited to assist in repositioning the company from its roots in the economy and mid-scale sectors to the upper upscale markets. He improved the operating metrics on the existing legacy portfolio so they could be sold at cap rates which allowed for accretive acquisitions. Jeff was heavily involved in the selling of seventy-eight legacy hotels while buying fifteen upper upscale hotels.

Prior to joining Condor, Mr. Dougan was Vice President of Operations for Stonebridge Hospitality. Jeff spent five years working with both ownership portfolios as well as overseeing a large majority of the REIT managed assets. Mr. Dougan was seen as a strong, teambuilding leader who could not only turn around troubled assets, but also derive increased performance on existing, well performing assets. During his tenure, he oversaw eighteen hotels with eight varied brands while opening three new builds.

Before joining Stonebridge, Mr. Dougan was Vice President of Operations for Sage Hospitality.  During his seven years with Sage, he managed multiple assets within the Hilton and Marriott brand family. He served on the TownePlace Suites Advisory Council and was honored with the Sage Eagle Award, Sage’s highest award for leadership in 2005. It was during his time with Sage, that Jeff grew to understand the critical importance of culture and teamwork in the hospitality business.

Prior to Sage, Jeff held various senior level leadership positions in the hospitality field throughout Colorado.

Jeff believes that selfless leadership combined with high levels of energy and teamwork are the keys to success in the hotel business. “Hotels are a location driven, real estate business, but successful hotels are a place where the team truly understands the importance of treating customers as guests and company leadership understands that treating team members with respect is an integral part of any hotel’s success.”

Jeff earned a BS in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he met his wife, Nancy.  They enjoy skiing, biking, running, doing home improvement projects and spending quality time walking the dog.

Lynda started her career in the retail industry, holding several different positions of leadership in both department stores and specialty retail. Establishing herself as an expert within the Operations side of the business, Ms. Campbell advanced from the role of General Manager to Divisional Vice President quickly. Roles of Regional Vice President, Zone Vice President and, ultimately, Senior Vice President of Operations followed as she advanced within a billion-dollar specialty retailer.

Ms. Campbell was widely respected for her ability to manage change. She received many accolades for her ability to direct her team’s focus on all three areas of a balanced scorecard. In fact, many of her stores were recognized and won awards for customer service, sales generation, and profitability. Despite many tangible rewards, Lynda shares that her greatest achievement would be the legacy of talent she mentored in this era of her career.

After 20 years in retail, Lynda took the leap to follow her dream and opened a high-end scratch café and bakery in Denver, Colorado: So Perfect Eats. During its first full year of business, the café was recognized as the “Business of the Year” in the affluent area of Cherry Creek, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. The second year brought additional recognition when So Perfect Eats was named a Top 10 Restaurant by 5280 and received several reviews and accolades from local magazines and bloggers. So Perfect Eats closed after 6 profitable years when the area was redeveloped by a large office building.

In 2017 Lynda joined Stonebridge Companies venturing into hospitality. Taking her successful background in Operations and Customer Service and her ability for developing talent, she accepted the role of the Director of Training and Talent Development. In 2019 Ms. Campbell was named “Stonebridge Corporate Team Member of the Year.” In 2020 she was promoted to Vice President of Team Member Development.

In 2020 Lynda joined Five Senses Hospitality as Vice President of Operations. Bringing strength in Human Resources, Operations, and Food & Beverage Lynda has established best practices to optimize these departments for the hotels they serve.  She has formed partnerships with technology companies to ensure resources are available and current to improve productivity and efficiency.

For the past 6 years Lynda has served on the Board of Directors for the Cherry Creek BID and held the position of Secretary and Head of the Audit Committee. She also sits on the Denver Workforce Board and the CHLA Board. She supports the non-profit SafeHouse Project and has been a member of their board since 2019 and has held the position of Secretary.

Ms. Campbell lives in Denver, Colorado and continues to use her passion for baking and cooking to show her appreciation for her team.

Mike Szapor received his Master’s of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. Prior to this, Mike was an honors graduate of the Ivy League when he completed his undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Mike grew up in Denver, Colorado.

Mr. Szapor began his hospitality career with Vail Resorts where he spent two years in their Management Associate Program. During this time, Mike held leadership positions in Operations, Housekeeping and Food and Beverage within mountain resort towns including Breckenridge, Colorado and the Grand Tetons, Wyoming where he provided leadership for up to 50 direct reports in both branded and unbranded hotels.

From 2014 to 2019, Mike held progressive roles including Senior Manager and Senior Analyst with Vail Resorts and RockResorts Hospitality. During this time, Mike supported the COO with oversight of capital expenditures, guest satisfaction platforms, employee development and portfolio labor analyses. He was also responsible for the H2B Visa Program for the portfolio.

Mike later joined Stonebridge Companies where he provided asset management oversight for the company’s portfolio of 60 hotels with a primary focus on their third-party managed hotels for Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott brands. Mike was responsible for PIP and other capital planning and budgeting and supported the operations teams with hotel transitions and acquisitions.

Seeking an opportunity to feed his entrepreneurial spirit, Mike joined 5 Senses Hospitality Management as an Executive Committee member. As Director of Asset Management and Acquisitions, Mike is often the first phone call from owners and investors. He provides the underwriting oversight for the company’s acquisitions.

Mike Szapor and his wife, Holly, reside in Denver, Colorado, but can be found traveling the country and enjoying outdoor activities most weekends.